Although the dream of being a Kpop idol is chased by many, not anyone end up being in
their favorite group.
In the last video, we have shared with you 9 idols who failed to debut in their original
groups.
Now, let’s find out more about 8 other lost members of famous Kpop acts.
Mashiro - the lost member of ITZY
Sakamoto Mashiro is known as one of the most renowned contestants of Mnet’s survival
show “Girls Planet 999”.
She captivated the attention of the audiences not only thanks to her cute, mischievous appearance
but also thanks to her past as a former JYP trainee.
On the first episode of the show, Mashiro was asked about her experiences at JYP Entertainment.
According to her, she attended the audition of JYP in 2016 and successfully passed the
test with her cute visual and unique vocals.
She then came to Korea to pursue her dream of being a Kpop idol when she was only 16
years old.
In fact, Mashiro underwent a 2-year-training program with members of ITZY.
She even appeared on Stray Kids’ show with ITZY’s Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna
and was expected to be a part of JYP’s new girl group.
[ENG SUB] ITZY & KEP1ER MASHIRO ON 'STRAY KIDS' - Ryujin, Yuna, Yeji, Chaeryeong
However, due to some unknown reasons, Mashiro left JYP in 2018.
She shared that at that moment, she lost faith in herself and considered giving up on her
dream.
This young girl went back to Japan, started working part-time to cover her life expenses
and tried to find a more stable job.
Mashiro also shared on Mnet’s show that at that time, whenever she saw ITZY’s members
performing on stage and attain innumerable success with their career, she could not help
feeling envious.
contestant Sakamoto Mashiro envied ITZY...
Eventually, she followed her heart again and went all the way back to Korea to continue
her unfinished dream.
Mashiro became a trainee under 143 Entertainment and enrolled in the show “Girls Planet 999”
to find her way to the limelight.
Fortunately, luck was finally on her side, as Mashiro succeeded in the show and became
a part of Kep1er.
The group debuted with the album “First Impact '' on January 3rd, 2022 and is now
evaluated as one of the most potential girl groups.
Until now, Mashiro still maintains a good relationship with ITZY members.
Evidently, on one livestream, ITZY’s Yuna congratulated Mashiro on her debut and wished
her the best luck.
itzy Yuna congratulates and cheers Mashiro
Samuel - the lost member of SEVENTEEN
Whenever being asked why the group is called SEVENTEEN though there are only 13 members,
the boys always provide the answer that 13 members + 3 units + 1 team = 17.
Although that seems legitimate, it was not always the case.
In fact, SEVENTEEN used to have 17 members in their infancy, however, 4 of them left
before coming into the limelight and one of whom is Kim Samuel.
He became a trainee under Pledis Entertainment in 2012 at the age of 10, a surprising number
to many!
As the youngest member, Samuel was kindly treated and taken care of by every other trainee,
especially SEVENTEEN members.
At that time, everyone assumed that Samuel would have a spot in the lineup of SEVENTEEN.
However, Samuel’s mom suddenly changed her mind, believing that he was too young to undergo
the harsh training program and deciced to bring him back home to continue life as a
normal child.
But Samuel’s dream of being a Kpop idol did not stop there.
In 2015, he joined Brave Entertainment and debuted in the hip hop duo 1punch.
Unfortunately, the group disbanded after only 1 year of promotion.
Then, he enrolled in Mnet’s survival show “Produce 101 season 2” and immediately
became one of the most outstanding applicants with eye-catching visuals and great stage
presence.
Nevertheless, he did not manage to attain success at the show and decided to debut as
a solo artist just 1 year later with the song “Sixteen”.
His debut song received positive feedback from netizens and gained him some reputation.
Currently, he is actively working in the field of acting, modeling and singing.
Junyoung - the lost member of ATEEZ
The eight members of ATEEZ may have been familiar to many of you, nevertheless, this group had
a hidden 9th member who almost made it to the limelight but eventually fell behind - Junyoung.
Back in their pre-debut days, ATEEZ members went through a training program in America
and made an MV called FROM to mark their beginning.
Although Junyoung was seen appearing in both the MV and the behind-the-scene videos, he
did not make it to the final line-up and the reason behind this remains a secret.
However, it is suggested that he was omitted due to his short training period.
By that time, he had only trained for around 1 month, which was totally inadequate to equip
him with the essential skills that a Kpop idol should have and prepare him for the harsh
life of a Kpop artist.
Therefore, KQ Entertainment decided to put him on the waitlist and let ATEEZ debut with
the 8-member lineup.
Until now, not much has been known about this boy as he has not had any official promotion
or updates on social media sites.
Johnny - the lost member of EXO
With the perfect lineup and outstanding visuals, EXO is considered one of Kpop’s legendary
groups.
In order to debut in this famous group, the members of EXO had to surpass many talented
trainees, one of whom is Johnny.
This Chicago boy went all the way from America to Korea in 2008 to join SM Entertainment
when he was only 14.
Though SM’s originally plan is to let Johnny debut with EXO, they then thought that his
image was not suitable for the group and canceled the scheme.
Thus, Johnny had to continue training and waited for his 2nd opportunity to come.
In 2017, he finally debuted with NCT127 and eventually found his path to the spotlight.
Gong Seungyeon - the lost member of Red Velvet
Did you know that actress Gong Geungyeon was a 10-year trainee under SM Entertainment?
If you didn’t, now you do.
Geungyeon joined SM in 2004 and had close relationships with other trainees.
In 2005, she was even awarded “The best visual” at SM Youth Best Contest.
With a unique and outstanding visual, which perfectly suited the concept of Red Velvet,
Geungyeon was even hailed as “the golden seed of SM” and planned to debut with the
group.
Nevertheless, she left her secured place to pursue her dream of being an actress after
10 years of patiently waiting to debut.
Her position was replaced by a younger trainee, Yeri, to add a breath of youth and freshness
to Red Velvet.
On her new journey, Gong Seungyeon worked laboriously, constantly attending TV shows,
dramas and gaining attention from the public.
Albeit giving up on her dream of being a Kpop idol, she still keeps close contact with Red
Velvet members, especially Seulgi.
Seungyeon - the lost member of Apink
Apink is known as one of the most successful Kpop girl groups of all time.
However, there is one surprising fact about this group that may blow your mind: CLC’s
Seungyoon almost became one member of Apink!
Taking a look at Apink’s old dance practice videos, fans maybe surprised to see the extra
7th member with an unfamiliar face.
Yep, that was Seungyeon.
According to some sources, Seungyeon was originally planned to debut with Apink, however, due
to the strong opposition of fans as Seungyeon’s girlcrush charm seems unsuitable for Apink’s
girly and sweet concept, IST Entertaiment had to cancel this scheme and place Seungyeon
on the waitlist.
Well, I can’t help wondering what it would be like if Seungyeon’s tomboy aura was added
to Apink’s cute and energetic songs!
Somi - the lost member of TWICE and ITZY
Although her rosy beauty captivates the attention of many Kpop fans and non-fans, Somi’s path
to success was not filled with roses.
In 2015, when enrolling in Mnet’s show to fight for a place in JYP’s new girl group
Twice, Somi gained support from many yet failed to make it to the final lineup.
In front of the public, she seemed fine with the disappointing result, however, her dad
shared that she then cried bitterly all the way home that day as her dream shattered.
Just one year later, Somi had a sweet “revenge” at Mnet’s show “Produce 101” since she
ranked first among 101 other contestants and secured a center position with I.O.I.
Despite promoting for only 2 years, the group still obtained innumerable success and awards
with many hit songs.
After I.O.I disbanded on January 29th 2017, Somi was expected to debut with JYP’s new
girl group (later known as ITZY) thanks to her unique half-blood visuals and great reputation.
However, all of a sudden, Somi announced that she had canceled her contract with JYP Entertainment
in August 2018, which came as a shock to many Kpop fans.
Just one month later, she joined The Black Label and started her career as a solo artist.
Until now, she has had several hits such as “XOXO”, “What you waiting for”, etc.
and become one of the most promising solo artists in the years to come.
Miyeon - the lost member of BLACKPINK
Thanks to the success of (G)I-DLE, Miyeon is considered as one of the top Kpop female
idols and even ranked 3rd in the monthly brand value ranking.
However, few people know that her road to success was quite bumpy and rough, as she
lost her opportunity to debut with the worldwide superstar BLACKPINK.
Until now, the real reason behind this is still unknown.
Gossip has it that Miyeon was forced to leave YG Entertainment in 2015 due to her dating
rumors with Jung Jin Huyng- one of the YG trainees, as photos of this couple traveling
together to Japan were spread on the Internet.
However, this news was promptly refuted by Miyeon’s supporters.
They claimed that by the time the duo went on this trip, Miyeon had already left YG and
it was solely because she just could not wait for her debut day.
After leaving YG Entertainment, Miyeon joined Cube and got a place in the company’s new
girl group (G)-IDLE in 2018.
Initially, the other five members strongly opposed the suggestion of adding a new member
to their group, saying that they felt satisfied with the 5-member line-up.
Luckily, Cube Entertainment persuaded the girls to accept Miyeon as a part of the group
so she could finally secure her place.
However, as a late-comer, Miyeon had to practice more rigorously to catch up with the remainders.
Although failed at their first attempt, these idols still managed to find their own path
to the limelight.