Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a K-pop trainee?’
Jason Yu, a former intern at BIGHIT MUSIC/HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment), was interviewed for YouTube channel Dave Disci Vlogs and revealed what it really feels like to be a K-pop intern at the company.
Jason first talked about his audition process. Although it didn’t take long for him to get a response from BIGHIT and an offer, he won’t go to Korea for the next 7 months.
So when the time came and Jason finally had to leave BIGHIT, the company still covered his travel expenses.
When he arrived in Korea, one of BIGHIT’s staff picked him up.
“As soon as I landed, I was picked up by one of the company’s managers and then they said, ‘we’ll leave your luggage at your dorm room and then drop you off. company so you can look around,'” Jason said.
It was his first day in Korea but they gave Jason a tour of the company building.
There, they helped Jason get a first look at what was to come, so he went to watch a dance practice as well as meet other trainees, including roommates.
“Living conditions are not the worst but certainly not the best. Jason revealed that he shared a small bedroom with 4 other boys.
“The bedroom is kind of small. It’s like a rented apartment in the middle of Gangnam, so it’s quite small. The room has 3 bunk beds, so it’s quite tight,” said Jason.
Jason recalls his first day as an intern. He thought there would be a busy schedule but it wasn’t as bad as imagined.
“I knew they would let me learn Korean because I don’t speak Korean but I hope the dance lessons will be a lot longer and more like vocal lessons” – Jason.
The average class only lasts about two hours. This gives the trainees a certain amount of freedom, although they are encouraged to use some of their free time to practice solo.
“We have more free time than I thought for a trainee. I study Korean for about two hours a day. I took dance classes for two hours a day…” – Jason.
Jason shared that he has to attend classes from Monday to Saturday. Even though Sunday is technically a free day, the interns still have to come in to practice.
The dance lessons are more difficult but it all depends on the teacher. Thankfully, Jason says, “For the most part, my instructors are great.”
However, there are still some challenges. He has two specific classes, a choreography class and a pop and dance class.
“I love the choreography teacher. You are really cool… He did his best to help me learn. And the pop and dance teacher was really scary so I always hated going to that class because he was always yelling.” – Jason
However, Jason has a lot of positive things to say about BIGHIT. According to him, most of the employees are laid-back and basically he doesn’t owe the company anything. In fact, BIGHIT covered most of the expenses.
One downside is that BIGHIT only spends $8 on the intern’s meal costs. That amount is only enough for 1 meal, so Jason has to support 2 other meals a day.
“That amount is only enough for lunch, so breakfast and dinner… I usually pay for it myself” – Jason.
Jason also didn’t have to worry about BIGHIT restricting his diet as a trainee.
He explained that the company didn’t want to make too many changes, whether it was a change in hairstyle or plastic surgery.
“We have to tell them all we want to do, every time we go to get a haircut, we have to tell them that we are getting a haircut, every time we want to dye our hair, we have to tell them… “- Jason said.
Jason made it clear that BIGHIT is stricter on artists than trainees. The company told Jason that if he was signed, there would be a weight goal he had to hit.
Jason had a full assessment after two months as an intern. This determines whether he will stay or have to leave.
“For two months, I had to learn this nine-minute choreography and then they gave me an assessment test in which I had to perform the entire nine-minute performance in front of the camera and a few managers. In the end, I guess I meet the requirements” – Jason.
Although Jason’s trainee experience ended quickly, he will consider auditioning to become a K-pop idol again.
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