Not every idol becomes successful on their first attempt. Lots of idols were initially part of a lesser-known group before they eventually found their way on to a more popular group.
1. IZ*ONE’s Kwon Eunbi
Kwon Eunbi initially debuted as part of “Ye-A” with the stage name Kazoo. They only released one single before disbanding.
After a successful run in Produce 48 as a trainee of Woolim Entertainment, she debuted again in IZ*ONE.
2. WINNER’s Mino
Mino debuted under the name “Tagoon” as the rapper for B.O.M who released ballads such as “Without You”.
The group disbanded quickly and Mino auditioned for YG Entertainment where he was accepted. After competing in the survival show Win: Who Is Next he debuted as a member of WINNER.
3. KARD’s Somin
Somin has been in two previous groups whose concepts are a far cry from the concept she portrays as a member of KARD. Puretty was a group under DSP Media which Somin was a part of. They disbanded soon after their debut.
After Puretty, Somin debuted as a member of the girl group APRIL but she left for personal reasons, though she implied that she wasn’t a huge fan of the innocent concept.
Finally, Somin found her ideal concept in the co-ed group KARD. They haven’t had a comeback in a little while but many of their songs are incredibly popular and they have a large following.
4. EXID’s Solji
Solji has been an idol for over ten years. She originally debuted in the duet 2NB before they disbanded in 2012.
After that, she became the vocal coach of EXID and was only added to the group after some former members left to join other groups. She and Hyelin were added to the lineup we know and love today.
5. APRIL’s Chaekyung
Chaekyung was initially in Puretty along with Somin from KARD. That group disbanded quickly as previously mentioned.
After her participation in season one of Produce 101 she debuted under LOEN Entertainment’s I.B.I which was “the best of the rest” for trainees who didn’t make it into the final I.O.I lineup.
She is now on APRIL who have had a lot of success recently with their single “Oh! my mistake”.
6. HyunA
HyunA was originally a part of Wonder Girls but ended up leaving due to concerns for her health.
She then joined Cube Entertainment where she remained until recently where she left due to a dating scandal involving former Pentagon member E’Dawn. She debuted as a member of 4Minute in Cube.
In recent years she has been a soloist, her first foray into solo work came with “Bubble Pop”. She has also formed part of sub-units under Cube such as Trouble Maker and Triple H.
After leaving Cube Entertainment, HyunA signed with PSY’s P-NATION alongside her boyfriend, Dawn. She has continued to release pictorials and new music under P-NATION.
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