A female K-Pop idol opened up about the emotional toll she endured after confessing that she hadn’t received her payments, facing accusations of lying.
On October 30th, a video titled “Girl group Momoland, who recorded 1 billion views on their music video—But how much did they actually earn?” was uploaded to YouTube.
In the video, Cao Lu, originally from Fiestar, appeared alongside Jane and Ahin, originally from Momoland, to discuss earnings and settlements during their idol activities. The conversation was sparked by a video released by Hyebin, also from Momoland.
Cao Lu said she had seen Hyebin’s video, where Hyebin stated, “People think idols make a lot of money, but that’s absolutely not true,” and asked about Momoland’s situation during their activities. Jane and Ahin explained that while they earned significant amounts, they also had a lot of debt, and after their first settlement, work declined due to COVID-19, leading them back into the negative.
Listening to her juniors’ stories, Cao Lu shared that she had experienced something similar. She recalled, “Back then, when I said on broadcasts that I hadn’t received my payment, I honestly got a lot of criticism,” noting that many people didn’t believe her.
Her active work schedule ironically led to misunderstandings. Cao Lu confessed, “Because I worked so hard, people thought I was lying when I said I hadn’t been paid,” adding, “Can you imagine how unfair that felt?”
She continued, “I worked like crazy but wasn’t paid. On the internet, they called me a liar,” recalling how upset she was. She explained that despite her frequent TV appearances, she had to endure being perceived differently from the reality of her settlement situation.
Cao Lu said that over time, as other members also spoke about settlements, more people began to understand her circumstances. She mentioned, “Yezi also said in an interview that she hadn’t been paid, and other members followed, so eventually people realized my words were true.”
Cao Lu felt the atmosphere had changed thanks to Momoland’s juniors honestly sharing their experiences with settlements. Surprised, she said, “Is it really okay to be this honest now?” Jane and Ahin also agreed, saying, “We also didn’t talk about it before,” admitting that income issues weren’t easily discussed in the past.
While recalling the misunderstandings around her at the time, Cao Lu emphasized, “I don’t lie.” She then reflected on the fact that although she didn’t receive money, she gained a lot of love and experience through her hard work.
Fiestar, the group Cao Lu belonged to, debuted in 2012 with “Vista.” They promoted songs like “So Tight,” “I Don’t Know,” and “One More,” and Cao Lu gained recognition through group activities as well as appearances on various variety shows.