A top K-Pop idol opened up about the frustration she felt from being overlooked during group activities, expressing a special sympathy for juniors in similar situations.
Recently, Hyoyeon, a member of Girls’ Generation (also known as SNSD), appeared in a YouTube video.
Hyoyeon recalled the early days of Girls’ Generation’s debut, confessing, “Since there were so many members, I was one who wasn’t noticed from the start.”
She continued, “When I see pretty rookie idols these days, even though they’re in large groups, they usually push just one person as the visual center or have only one talented member film challenges, continuously supporting that one person first.”
Hyoyeon said her attention naturally went to members who had fewer opportunities. She shared, “When I look at the expressions of the members next to them, I can see in their eyes the feeling of ‘I can do it too.’ Although they’re reacting supportively, their eyes don’t look sad so much as they look pained. Because I went through that too.”
She added, “That’s why those members catch my eye more and I find myself asking their names one more time.”
Hyoyeon also candidly revealed how losing motivation due to having fewer parts affected her. She explained, “Those who have many parts get greedy and practice vocal lessons more. But people with no parts tend to do less practice.”
The member who inspired and encouraged her at the time was Seohyun. Hyoyeon recalled, “Seohyun said, ‘Unnie, try doing more vocal lessons, not just dance lessons.’”
She added, “It wasn’t because I wasn’t good that she said that, but because I kept thinking pessimistically and negatively. Hearing that made me think, ‘That’s right. If I keep going, one day my parts will increase,’ and sometimes it pushed me to try again. I think thoughts keep changing as we go through life.”