“K-pop Idols” Unveils Industry’s Struggle for Perfection

• “K-pop Idols,” a new Apple TV+ documentary, explores the K-pop industry’s journey towards diversity and its challenges.
• The series reveals the intense training and strict control over K-pop artists’ personal lives.
• It also discusses the industry’s struggle with embracing diversity and the impact of social media on K-pop stars.
• The documentary is a must-watch for understanding the intricacies of the K-pop world, its culture, and the lives of the artists.

The world of K-pop, a genre known for its blend of vocals and precise choreography, is under the spotlight in a new Apple TV+ documentary series, K-pop Idols. The series, which premiered on a recent Friday, offers an intimate look at the industry’s journey towards embracing diversity while grappling with the challenges of a field that demands perfection. The six-part series features Korean American star Jessi and rising K-pop bands like Cravity and Blackswan, documenting the highs and lows of their careers.

The series provides a unique insight into the lives of these artists, revealing the grueling practice schedules and the strict control over their personal lives. Blackswan members Fatou and Nvee shared with The Associated Press that they practice up to 10 hours daily, including choreography and vocal sessions, in preparation for the comeback season. This season refers to a series of events designed to promote their latest songs.

The Rigorous Training and Personal Control

The intense training begins early for K-pop trainees. Once under contract, they enter a system that includes classes in manners, language, dance, and choreography. As of 2022, there were 752 K-pop trainees under entertainment labels, according to a Korea Creative Content Agency report. The documentary does not shy away from the darker aspects of the K-pop industry. Former Blackswan member Youngheun revealed that members had a curfew and were not allowed to drink or date. She shared, We even had to report when we were getting our nails done and going to the convenience store in front of our house.

The control extends to their diets as well. Blackswan member Gabi was seen eating a meal of egg, chicken breast, and what resembles sweet potato sticks during her trainee period. She said, I am dieting because Mr. Yoon (the label’s head) told me I need to lose weight. The pressure is not exclusive to girl bands. Cravity member Wonjin shared that he was given two weeks to lose weight to join the label. He said, I would eat like one egg a day (…) I lost about 7kg.

The Challenges of Diversity and the Essence of K-pop

The documentary also explores K-pop’s new challenge: embracing diversity. Following the international success of BTS, K-pop labels have been actively recruiting foreign talents, which sometimes brings unfamiliar challenges. Yoon Deung Ryong, the founder of Blackswan’s label DR Music, struggles to settle internal conflicts among members, which later escalated to online clashes between fans.

Yoon said, referring to traditional K-pop groups, If the company says, ‘don’t fight,’ they won’t fight. He added that he can’t control a “multinational group” the same way because of language and cultural differences. There are currently no Korean members in Blackswan after member changes. This raises fundamental questions about the essence of K-pop. Blackswan’s former Korean member Youngheun said in the documentary, In a K-pop group, if there are no Korean members, I feel like it’s just a K-pop cover group, isn’t it? However, Cravity’s Hyeongjun disagrees. He said, If foreigners come to Korea and sing in other languages, I am not sure if I can call that K-pop, but since they (Blackswan members) are active in Korea and use Korean, they are K-pop.

The Impact of Social Media and the Struggle for Authenticity

Cramp also discussed how social media has impacted K-pop’s ecosystem in various ways, including creating a “symbiotic relationship” between K-pop stars and fans, and forcing stars to live their lives “under a microscope.” He said, There’s a desire to be real. But on the other hand, you have to obviously keep certain things kind of out of the public spotlight. You want to be famous, but yet at the same time, you still want your privacy and you want to be able to go and have dinner with your friends and have a good time and not be filmed doing it.

The K-pop Idols documentary series is now available on Apple TV+. It provides a unique insight into the K-pop industry, highlighting both the challenges and the strides made in embracing diversity. The series is a must-watch for anyone interested in understanding the intricacies of the K-pop world, its culture, and the lives of the artists who are part of it. The documentary serves as a mirror to the industry, reflecting both its glittering success and the shadows that lie beneath.