A K-Pop girl group member used an extreme method in order to force her agency to give her a solo debut, and she spilled it all on a variety show.
On the 23rd, MBC’s The Manager featured Lee Ju Yeon and WJSN‘s Dayoung.
The staff said, “Dayoung came to me saying she was discouraged because she couldn’t release an album. She told her parents she would rest for just three months and go down to Jeju Island. It turned out she had been working on music in the U.S.,” sharing the behind-the-scenes story of Dayoung’s solo debut.
Dayoung explained, “I lied to the company saying I was taking a vacation, but I actually went to the U.S. It was contract renewal season. They promised to support my dream after I sacrificed for 7 years. I told them I wanted to be a solo singer. Because I was doing well on variety shows, they suggested I continue doing those.”
Dayoung said, “I felt like talking more wouldn’t work. The next day, I did all the variety shows. Then I took lessons and worked on songs. While juggling variety shows, I eventually didn’t have enough time to prepare my album. I said I needed time to focus and requested a vacation to Jeju. The company told me to rest. The next day, I went straight to LA. Every single day in those three months was precious.”
Lee Young Ja asked what her plan was. Dayoung replied, “After I booked the flight, I gathered information. Eric Nam came to mind. He’s such a kind oppa,” expressing gratitude to Eric Nam, who helped her a lot.
Regarding her trip to the U.S., Dayoung said, “I had talked to my parents about it before. My mom said I’m stubborn. Now I’m just bankrupt. I went on my own without telling the company since the dollar was expensive. It wasn’t easy. When I came back and confessed everything, I appeared like this. Everyone was like, ‘Uh? Who are you?’”
Dayoung said, “When I went to the U.S., my goal was to create a polished album and get it approved. I judged that no matter how much I explained verbally, it wouldn’t get through. I also worked out hard and contacted famous dancers to learn choreography.”