Stray Kids’ Bang Chan Gets Real About What Made Him Want To Quit As A Trainee — And It’s What Made Him “Scary” To His Members
Stray Kids have been making history ever since they debuted, but naturally this has come at a cost for the members. Being a K-Pop idol is never easy, and aspiring trainees often face very intense struggles while preparing for their debut.
While guesting on Eric Nam‘s Daebak Show, Stray Kids’ Bang Chan and Felix had a blast discussing Felix’s iconic line from “God’s Menu” and sharing their audition stories, among other things.
Things got a bit more serious when they touched on the moments that they feel they struggled in the most as trainees. As the longest-standing trainee among the members of Stray Kids, Bang Chan understandably faced a lot of difficulties. Eric Nam asked him and Felix if there had ever been moments when they wanted to quit, and while Felix said no without hesitation, Bang Chan did not deny it.
Eric asked Bang Chan, “What was the hardest part?” Speaking thoughtfully, he replied, “Seeing people come and go.”
You get close to people, but then, you know, they end up not making it. Or they end up debuting before I do.
— Bang Chan
He went on to describe one particular experience that had left him in a depressive state that made him reluctant to befriend his fellow trainees.
There was one time [when], besides me, everyone got cut. Then I was like, “Wow, what is happening here?” And then I fell into a really deep depression. I don’t want to say it was depression, but I was like, “I’m not gonna be friends with anyone. I do not want to experience this pain again, I’m not gonna be friends with anyone.”
— Bang Chan
Bang Chan explained that this was the reason why he came across as “unapproachable” during his initial time together with the members.
That’s why I was always so “dark.” Because, for [the members] it was like, “He’s so scary. Seven years! How do I approach him?”
— Bang Chan
Felix hilariously acted out how the members had perceived Bang Chan back then, raising his hands to the sky and calling, “Grandmaster!” He added, “There was a rank!”
But when asked what his initial impression of Bang Chan had been, Felix explained that it had actually taken him a while to start seeing him as “scary.”
When we did training and all that stuff, then I saw why people were nervous of him.
— Bang Chan
Of course, Bang Chan is the furthest thing from being scary or unapproachable now, and in fact, his members often express how much they rely on him as a friend and leader. STAYs will always be proud of him, but seeing how he was able to become one of the most kindhearted idols after his experiences as a trainee says a lot about him!
Catch the full clip from the Daebak Show right here.
Stray Kids
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