LE SSERAFIM’s Sakura And Yunjin Expose The Pressures They Faced Before Debut, Proving Their Incredibly Strong Mentalities
LE SSERAFIM debuted with their “FEARLESS” concept that was meant to represent how each member chose to take on new challenges to debut as a part of the group.
As part of those challenges, both Sakura and Yunjin had the option of stopping their pursuit of becoming an idol, but, despite the harsh criticism and frequent discouragement they both received, they still fought for their dream.
Sakura is the member of LE SSERAFIM with the most experience, debuting in HKT48 in 2011. Although she had an incredibly successful career in Japan and debuted in the final lineup of Mnet‘s Produce 48, becoming a part of IZ*ONE, she hasn’t had the easiest career.
In LE SSERAFIM’s documentary, Sakura reveals that she’s received a lot of criticism for her singing.
Many people say that I’m a bad singer.
— Sakura
When the criticism became too much, Sakura even lost confidence in herself, not “[wanting] many lines in the song.”
When I heard that, I was really hurt. So it was really hard to even enter the recording booth.
— Sakura
But rather than giving up, Sakura worked hard to show a new side of herself on stage.
I really want to work hard.
— Sakura
Yunjin was in a similarly difficult position of having been in the K-Pop industry for a while, although, unlike Sakura, she had never been able to debut. For a while, debut felt close since she was constantly being complimented for her work ethic.
At first, since I was working hard, I got lots of compliments. And I was told I was improving so much.
— Yunjin
But, despite her evident skill, she couldn’t achieve her dream.
But as time passed, it turned from ‘She works hard‘ to ‘She works hard but lacks appeal.‘
— Yunjin
She was “caught in a cycle” of hoping her debut was near, only for her hopes to be crushed once again.
I’d been a trainee all this time with the goal of debuting, but I got caught in a cycle where it felt like it’s going to happen but it doesn’t. Again, it feels like it’s going to happen and then doesn’t.
— Yunjin
But despite the continual disappointment, Yunjin kept fighting for her shot at debuting, even returning to South Korea after HYBE‘s offer, and finally managed to debut with LE SSERAFIM, making an incredible impact.
Since I missed my last opportunity, I really wanted to do well this time with LE SSERAFIM. I had that big pressure within me.
— Yunjin
Despite their pressures, both idols went on to have an incredibly successful debut with LE SSERAFIM, showing off their fearlessness with no regrets.
In that moment, it’s amazing. It feels like I’m in the middle of a dream and reality. I think I’m the happiest as an idol. I’m an idol because it makes me happy.
— Sakura
No matter how much I think about it, I think my driving force is being on stage, singing, and dancing. I think the times when I couldn’t do that were my hardest times. I think I’ve become sure of my dream through LE SSERAFIM.
— Yunjin
With their upcoming debut, fans of LE SSERAFIM can look forward to all the group will continue to impress them with.
Idol Struggles & Victories
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