Where Is Kim Eun Bi? Original BLACKPINK Member Switches To An Unexpected New Career

Kim Eun Bi started to chase her dream of becoming a singer from a young age, appearing in Mnet‘s Superstar K2 as an 18-year-old hopeful. She later became a trainee at YG Entertainment, and was one of the original members of BLACKPINK‘s initial lineup, which was then called PINK PUNK.

But as the original lineup of the girl group fell through, Kim Eun Bi continued to be a trainee at YGE up until 2014. That year, she voluntarily left the agency. In a recent interview, the now 31-year-old revealed her life as a trianee, the reason for leaving, and the unexpected shift she has made in her professional life.

Kim shared that while she was a trainee, she was criticized a lot for her dancing. “I was not very good at it,” she admitted. She shared that during her days at YGE, she lost a lot of weight, up to 8 kgs a month. She left the agency due to both physical and psychological reasons. Her back was in a bad condition then, making her unable to practice for long hours. She also stated mental exhaustion as the other reason for leaving her trainee life behind.

As brave as she was to take a decision that favored her health over her dreams, Kim admitted that it was not easy to let go of her dream of becoming an idol. “After I left, for about a year, I had a hard time regretting and letting go,” she said. But thankfully, she didn’t have to live with the regret for much longer. In 2019, she debuted as a solo artist under Stone Music Entertainment with the song “PPP.”

But now her career’s focus has shifted to a completely unrelated field. Kim Eun Bi is now the owner of a whiskey bar! She jokingly said that though her own alcohol tolerance is not very impressive, she loves whiskey so much that she ended up opening her own bar. But even in this field, the singer has worked hard to reach her current success. She started out as an employee at a bar and gradually opened up her own business. Sometimes her customers also recognize her from her past TV appearances!

There aren’t people who come here knowingly, but there are many who come here by chance and then recognize me.

—Kim Eun Bi

Even after drastically switching her career path, Kim Eun Bi seems to be living her best life, doing the things she loves the most!