Members of an idol group who have seven years of experience opened up about their grim reality. On the 10th, the channel “Human Story” posted a video titled Seven idols who have worked hard for their dreams for seven years with zero income.
On the day, DKB member Junseo, born in 2001, said, “I devoted my youth,” explaining that he spent half of his twenties living as an idol. He expressed pride, saying, “Because I gave my precious years, I like this job. When I’m on stage, there’s a thrill from the cheers and excitement.” Additionally, D1, the leader, said, “We debuted late. The youngest member in our group is 23 years old, and the oldest is thirty. BTS’s youngest member Jungkook was born in 1997. As far as I know, they’ve been around for over ten years,” which surprised many.
The members then headed to their agency, Brave Entertainment, led by producer Brave Brothers, who has created hit songs for many groups like SISTAR and Brave Girls. D1 recalled, “If you don’t love this job, you can’t last six to seven years. I thought debuting would be the end, but it was really just the beginning. When we debuted, COVID-19 broke out, so we only performed on stages without audiences. I will never forget the first time we performed in front of a live audience.” Regarding income, he added, “Most of it comes from performances and directly from royalties. If you write songs and they are included in albums, you get incentives.”
Later, member E-Chan shared his practical concerns. He said, “I’m scared and worried. I’m now thirty years old. Honestly, I’m very scared. In my twenties, I chose this path because I loved music and pursued it, but now that I’m in my thirties, I feel I can’t continue like this. I have family to protect, and I have to take care of myself, but at some point, the endless uncertainty became frightening. Our income is all zero. There will come a time when I can give up, but because we have fans, we keep pushing hard. I can’t lose myself; I do this job because of my fans,” evoking sympathy.