Why Idols Will Often Have Enemies Pre-Debut, According To A Former K-Pop Trainee

It is already hard enough to be a trainee.

Becoming a K-Pop trainee is not for the weak — long hours spent refining your skills and somehow making time for education and food, all to make a debut that might not succeed.

In a recent TikTok video, former K-Pop trainee Bianca Zhou revealed how trainees will often have enemies or frenemies before their debut, and how it ends up happening.

Bianca, who trained with SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment coaches, said that it is pretty easy to make enemies as a K-Pop trainee, giving her example of when a trainee stole an idea she came up with to earn favor.

She says it is very easy to make friends, enemies, and frenemies, all due to the competitive nature of K-Pop.

It’s really easy to make friends friends in the K-Pop industry, but it’s also really easy to make friends and frenemies, people who are your friends and enemies. That’s because K-Pop is fundamentally a competive place.

— Biana

K-Pop is very competitive, even before one’s debut. It has recently been highlighted exactly how competitive it is on survival shows featuring trainees, but even idol hopefuls under the same company will technically be pitted against each other.

TWICE’s final line-up after Sixteen.

Bianca says that while most people are friendly, K-Pop trainees will often try to psyche each other out, all for the sake of making their own debut.

K-Pop trainees try to psyche each other out and even if they’re your friends, they’re secretly wondering whether or not your success means that they will fail.

She says that, ultimately, you have to trust yourself the most over anyone else, as well as your team. Bianca continues by saying that the type of “fighting” that happens is rarely physical or outward but usually passively because of competition.

You can check out her full clip on the subject below!

@biancazhou

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♬ OMG – NewJeans

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