What if BTS member Jin debuted with Exo? Or Blackpink’s Jisoo with Red Velvet, or Big Bang’s G-Dragon with TVXQ? Meet 6 K-pop stars who almost joined different groups

Jan 13 , 2021

Jin, Jisoo, G-Dragon and Miyeon. Photos: Big Hit Entertainment, YG Entertainment, @bigbanghourly/Twitter, @miyeon.updates_/Instagram

Did you know Blackpink was supposed to be a nine-piece girl group? YG Entertainment’s Yang Hyun-suk planned to include Miyeon, so how did she end up with (G)I-dle, and what about these five other idols?

The road to K-pop stardom isn’t easy. Some idols turn down offers from agents, setting out on their own instead. Others, meanwhile, get rejected or drop out of their trainee programmes and try their luck by auditioning with other companies.

And when South Korea’s star-marking entertainment agencies finally form the groups they hope will make their trainees the next big K-pop act, they also tend to make last minute changes to their line-ups.

Meet six idols who, in a different life, might have ended up in different groups.

G-Dragon

Certified K-pop genius G-Dragon trained with SM Entertainment from age eight. He was discovered by Lee Soo-man, who quickly signed the young Kwon Ji-yong after recognising his talent. However, G-Dragon moved to YG Entertainment at 13 after he got more interested in rapping. Had he decided to stick with SM, he might have ended up in money-flush TVXQ instead of legend-making Big Bang.

Miyeon

YG boss and music executive Yang Hyun-suk originally planned to promote Blackpink as a nine-member girl group that included the singer and actress Miyeon. But he changed his mind and finally decided to debut four members instead.

Miyeon spent five years training at YG Entertainment with Blackpink’s current members, but ultimately left the company and transferred to Cube Entertainment where she became a member of six-piece rising girl band (G)I-dle.

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