Korean Media News

Aspiring celebrities consider SM Entertainment (aka SM) as one of the hardest places to get into.

The reason is, the first hurdle to get through to become a big star like BoA, DBSK or SNSD, is to get acknowledged. However, it’s been said that when the SM trainees are accepted, it is only the beginning of their hardship because to reach the second hurdle, the debut, the trainees have to take part in a neverending competition among themselves.

EXO-K who just debuted with much difficulty, opened up about their life as SM trainees and their activities after their debut.

▶What are the words SM trainees hate to hear the most?

Even if they are part of the same team, each member had a different training period.

The leader, Suho, became a trainee in 2006 and went through six years of training whereas Baekhyun only had one. Only dreaming about debuting ever since his third year of middle school, Suho who endured pain for a long time sometimes felt depressed. However, Suho stated with a smile “I want to tell (the trainees) to go for it no matter how it is. People who try will succeed”.

After a while of being a trainee, similarly to when you get rookies in the army who are older than you, the ranks can be often confusing. In this situation, you have to give priority to the eldest.

More than the intensive schedule and the occasional injuries caused by the choreographies, the hardest for trainees is to see juniors they’ve practiced with debut first just like what happened to Suho with SHINee.

What does debuting mean to trainees? EXO-K replied, smiling “Debuting is every trainee’s dream. Moreover it’s the proof we have fulfilled this dream.” In addition, they disclosed their pains as trainees and how distressing for them it was to hear their surroundings ask questions such as “When are you debuting?” or “Are they really SM trainees?”

▶How to pick a good agency?

Seeing the recent issues with trainees, they spoke up about the way to pick the right agency.

EXO-K explained “The most important thing is to never go to an agency that asks for money. Plus, you have to check the agency’s website and meticulously check who the celebrities they debuted are. Then you should be able to distinguish the bad and good agencies.”


The name EXO comes from the word EXOPLANET, which is a planet outside of our solar system, meaning they are the new stars coming from an unknown world.

Just like their name, they received a lot of attention before their debut. The reason is because they are split into two teams, EXO-K and EXO-M, and promote at the same time in Korea and China. EXO-K is made of Suho, Kai, Chanyeol, Sehun, Baekhyun and D.O while EXO-M’s members are Kris, Luhan, Tao, Lay, Xiumin and Chen.

Their debut song, “MAMA”, was produced by Yoo Young Jin and signals the revival of the SM Music Performance genre (SMP).

EXO-K and EXO-M are respectively promoting this song in Korean and Chinese. The members thus explained: “It is the same song but the feeling is different. While EXO-K’s version includes raspy singing and oozes a magnificient feeling, EXO-M’s is sang in a higher tone, creating a pure feeling”. 

▶EXO-K and EXO-M, even though we are separated for now…

Their debut album includes six tracks and to show EXO’s various charms, each song evokes a different appeal.

Among them, “History” is a cool dance song that mixes a fresh and bouncing percussion beat with a strong and addictive melody and “What is Love” is a track led by the vintage feel of an electric guitar.

Besides, “Two Moons” features SHINee’s Key, adding more freshness to the album.

The perfectly prepared former SM trainees who just debuted still cannot realize they did it “Because we were still unexperimented, our heads would go blank everytime we were filmed. But we told ourselves it would get better with time.

Even though EXO is currently split and promoting in Korea and China, they’re all doing their best and waiting for the day they will stand on the same stage. EXO-K revealed “Right now, we’re using our manager’s phone to communicate with EXO-M who is currently promoting in China via video call in order to comfort each other. However, after each other succeeds, at the end of the year, we will hold special stages as a 12-membered group”.




source: Nate
translation cr; saphira @ exok-trans