9 Idols Who Were Rejected By Almost Every Agency…Until They Finally Succeeded

It’s hard to imagine any idol being rejected by an agency but for some, this was their pre-debut reality. For these 9 idols, being rejected fueled their determination to succeed. And succeed they did!

 

1. IU

IU had quite the rocky start to her career. She tried out numerous times at JYP Entertainment and other agencies but was turned down each time. Eventually, her talents were noticed by Loen Entertainment and she debuted as a solo artist in 2008. Those other agencies are probably kicking themselves now!

 

 

2. Former AOA member Choa

Choa faced a major uphill battle when she was trying to become an idol. She tried out at JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment but neither worked out. She particularly had a hard time at SM Entertainment where she failed the auditions 15 times! Then FNC Entertainment saw what a great singer she is and signed her on.

 

 

3. Park Bom

Park Bom may have eventually debuted with one of the most well-known K-Pop girl groups around, but she struggled to get there. She failed YG Entertainment‘s auditions 3 times in 3 years before she was accepted there.

 

 

4. EXID’s Hani

Hani wasn’t straight out rejected by JYP Entertainment like some other idols on this list. She was actually a trainee there but ended up being cut. Then she was scouted by Banana Culture Entertainment and became a member of EXID. So everything worked out in the end!

 

 

5. EXO’s Xiumin

Originally Xiumin tried out for JYP Entertainment. But they must not have noticed his singing talent. Later in the same year, Xiumin participated in SM Entertainment‘s Everysing competition, was signed, and the rest is history!

 

 

6. BTS’s J-Hope

It’s hard to imagine a BTS without J-Hope! However, he originally tried out for JYP Entertainment back in 2009. When he wasn’t accepted he kept working hard and signed with Big Hit Entertainment in 2010. Now the whole world knows his name!

 

 

7. CL

CL was a trainee with EXID‘s Hani at JYP Entertainment. Like Hani, she was eventually cut. But as we all know she signed on with YG Entertainment and hasn’t looked back since!

 

 

8. B.A.P’s Zelo

Zelo tried out at multiple agencies but never really succeeded. He mainly got turned down because many companies thought he was too young. TS Entertainment didn’t see a problem and signed him on and he debuted with B.A.P at 15!

 

 

9. HIGHLIGHT’s Doojoon

JYP Entertainment missed out on another great singer! Doojoon was originally a trainee with the company and participated in the reality show, Hot Blooded Men. He could have been a member of  2AM or 2PM but Doojoon was eliminated during the course of the show. Now that he’s a such a successful singer and actor, JYP is probably mystified by how he let Doojoon’s talents slip by!