Many know JYP Entertainment as the company that has rejected many famous artists in the past. However, basically every entertainment company has missed certain people, and SM Entertainment is no exception. Here’s a list of 9 artists who were rejected by SM Entertainment in the past.
1. Park Jin Young (J.Y. Park)
Before Park Jin Young created JYP Entertainment, he tried auditioning for SM Entertainment. During the audition, Lee Soo Man was more impressed by his composing skills, rather than his singing skills. This led to a hilarious exchange where Lee Soo Man rejected Park Jin Young but asked if he could buy the song he used for his audition.
2. Choa (Formerly of AOA)
Choa went through multiple auditions during her younger days, and SM Entertainment was the main company she auditioned her. Choa was so determined to join that she auditioned for SM Entertainment 15 times, but was rejected each time.
3. Sunggyu (INFINITE)
Sunggyu’s story of auditioning for multiple companies is quite well known. He tried auditioning for SM Entertainment in 2007 but was sadly rejected. He tried again in 2008, but it ended in the same result.
4. IU
IU is another idol who went through multiple auditions. IU tried auditioning for SM Entertainment but was rejected.
5. Park Bom
Park Bom auditioned for both SM and YG Entertainment in the past. She had to audition 3 times for YG Entertainment before she was accepted. Park Bom also once tried auditioning for SM Entertainment but was rejected.
6. Zico
Zico auditioned for SM Entertainment while he was an underground rapper. Zico never got accepted as a trainee, but there were moments when he was close to getting accepted into the company.
7. Xu Jiaqi
Xu Jiaqi is one of the people SM Entertainment probably regrets the most, as netizens have commented on how her visuals fit perfectly with the company.
8. Irene (Red Velvet)
While Irene might be a successful artist under SM Entertainment now, she originally failed her first audition for the company. After rejecting Irene, SM Entertainment did some more thinking and changed their minds. SM Entertainment later contacted Irene about becoming a trainee, which she accepted.
9. Key (SHINee)
Key is currently under SM Entertainment, but it took him many auditions to get to this point. SM Entertainment was the only company that Key auditioned for in the past, and it took him several attempts to get accepted. Key was rejected over 3 times before he finally got accepted.
