Recently, netizens have pointed out some SM’s former trainees who were expected to debut but finally left the company.
It is hard being a Kpop trainee waiting for a chance to debut. However, if you were a trainee from the BIG 3 companies, the competition would be much more difficult. Unlike JYP and YG, SM usually introduces their trainees through a project called “SM Rookies”.
Many outstanding trainees were promoted by the company to the point that people believe they had secure the debut chance. They were given many magazine promotions, MV starrrings and also appeared on other shows of SM’s artists and SM’s music projects. However, the most shocking thing was that those who netizens believed to have 100% chance of debuting… ‘disappeared’ in the end.
Recently, a K-netizen uploaded a post that has become a hot topic on the Internet forums titled: “Former trainees who were believed to debut in SM but didn’t make it”. 6 trainees listed in the post are the cases which surprised K-netizens the most.
Let’s take a look into who they are!
JINO (now PENTAGON’s Jinho)
In 2008, after winning 1st prize in ‘SM Everysing Contest’, Jino joined SM and trained with EXO’s members.
In 2010, he debuted in a project unit called ‘SM the Ballad’ with the famous seniors like Jonghyun (SHINee), Kyuhyun (Super Junior) and Jay (TRAX). Rumours said that this trainee would surely debut in EXO because SM kept on promoting him.
However, in the end, Jino was eliminated and had to leave SM. He moved to CUBE Entertainment and became a member of PENTAGON.
HANSOL (now Newkidd’s Hansol, former UNB’s member)
Hansol was also a famous trainee among the SM Rookies. He did hold the firm chance to debut in NCT as he even appeared on a show called ‘NCT Life’ and the debut teaser for NCT. Everyone believed Hansol would soon join NCT but it finally didn’t happen.
After waiting for a long time with no hope of debuting, he left SM in 2017 and competed in a show called ‘The Unit’ then debuted in UNB. However, the group didn’t succeed. Hansol is now a member of Newkidd under J-FLO Entertainment but still having a hard time because the group has not made any remarkable success yet.
LAMI, GOEUN, HERIN and HINA
These 4 girls were members of SM Rookies and were promoted by SM through a show called ‘Mickey Mouse Club’, senior artists’ MV starrings and magazine promotion shootings.
Their profile on SM Rookies were also updated regularly. Many people believed that they would debut in SM’s new girlgroup but then all of them left the company.
Being highly praised by her outstanding visual, Lami was the trainee who SM ‘pushed’ the most. Her leaving was the most unexpected and surprising thing to the netizens.
K-netizens commented:
– Wow they are so talented!!! All of them are so pretty and handsome!
– I once believed that Jinho would debut in SM.
– After seeing Jinho in SM The Ballad, I believed he would debut with EXO, but then…
– Jinho has a really great vocal. I was curious about him so I searched and listened to Pentagon’s ‘Beautiful’. He could sing really well.
– I thought Jinho would debut as an EXO’s member?!!!
– Until now, I still don’t understand why Jinho, Hansol and Lami were eliminated by the company.
– Lami ah, why didn’t you debut?!!!
– I was surprised knowing Hansol was eliminated from NCT. NCT has many members why he didn’t have a chance to be one of them.
– The most shocking thing to me is that Jinho even participated in SM The Ballad, he sings really well but still got eliminated from EXO.
– Honestly, I think Lami really holds SM’s vibe so I feel regret knowing that she was eliminated.
– Jinho, Hansol, Lami, Koeun. I thought they would debut in SM. What a surprise!
– SM wanted to enter the China market so they tried to balance the members of EXO-K and EXO-M. As a result, Jinho was eliminated. It was such a wrong move, Jinho is much more talented than those ‘Chinese pigeons’!!!!
