The relationship between female idols and former trainees of Big 3 entertainment companies
Do ex-trainees and current members of Big 3 groups stay close after debut?
There are plenty of Kpop trainees who were expected to join the lineup of Big 3 idol groups but ended up leaving the companies. This makes netizens curious about the post-debut relationship between the former trainees and the current members of idol groups.
Chaehyun and aespa
Chaehyun is the winner of Girls Planet 999 and debuted as the center of rookie girl group Kep1er. Before joining Mnet’s survival show, she had 5 years training at SM. She used to practice with aespa members. Although they could not debut together, Chaehyun and aespa still maintain close friends.
During the debut showcase of Kep1er’s first album “FIRST IMPACT“, Chaehyun shared, “aespa sunbaenims contacted me to congratulate me, saying ‘Now we can meet at the music shows’, ‘Let’s meet in the waiting room’. Sunbaenims are busy so we haven’t seen each other for a long time. I hope we can meet each other soon.”
What Chaehyun revealed makes fans feel warm and proud that the girls still keep in touch. This also debunks rumors that aespa members bullied former SM trainees.
Somi and TWICE
Before joining The Black Label – a subsidiary of YG, Somi was a trainee under JYP Entertainment. 2 years after joining JYP, she took part in the show SIXTEEN for a debut position in TWICE. Despite having outstanding talent and visuals, she could not make it into the final lineup of TWICE.
Currently, both Somi and TWICE have successful careers under different companies, but their relationship stumbles into controversy. Accordingly, netizens question Somi’s inconsistent actions towards TWICE.
Specifically, on 1thek’s IDDP, Somi said: “I’m very close to TWICE. I’m comfortable when I’m around them. Whenever I feel difficult or tired, I often call Chaeyoung or Nayeon to talk.” This makes fans happy because Somi and TWICE are still close.
However, netizens discovered that Somi unfollowed TWICE members on Instagram while TWICE was still following her. Somi also drew mixed reactions when she posted a story praising Jennie (BLACKPINK) for ranking No.1 on the chart while TWICE’s Yes or Yes was in 2nd place. TWICE’s fans though Somi was “mocking” TWICE with this action.
This incident made many people doubt about the current relationship of Somi and TWICE. Some say it’s normal because the two are now under two different companies, and even YG and JYP are rivals.
Miyeon and Lisa
As a longtime K-pop fan, everyone knows that Miyeon ((G)-IDLE) once had the opportunity to debut with BLACKPINK. She used to be a trainee of YG Entertainment, entering the company at the same time as Jennie. Although it was rumored that she would definitely debut with BLACKPINK, Miyeon suddenly left YG and joined CUBE Entertainment not long after that. There are many rumors that she was forced to leave YG due to violating the dating ban.
It is known that although they are no longer in the same company, Miyeon and BLACKPINK still maintain a good relationship. Miyeon once said that the four BLACKPINK girls even sent congratulatory messages when she debuted.
However, when she joined the show “Park So Hyun’s Love Game” with Minnie, Miyeon caused controversy when she mentioned Lisa. Specifically, Minnie talked about the close friendship between her and Lisa (BLACKPINK). At the same time, the female idol also thanked Lisa for sending a coffee truck to the set to support her.
After Minnie’s sharing, Miyeon revealed that she was waiting for the same thing from Lisa. She is in the process of filming Replay and also wants to receive a coffee truck. Only then did the MC jokingly say that maybe the two are not close to each other.
Immediately, Miyeon said, “I’m her friend too”. At that time, the female idol was asked to send a message to Lisa and she sent a video with the content: “Lisa, next time please send it to me too. I’m a bit sad”.
Miyeon’s statement received a lot of criticism. Some comments that her statement would make others misunderstand Lisa, thinking that this Thai-born idol treated her friend poorly. Lisa’s fans are also upset about this because the idol has the right to choose who to send the gift to. Others think that Miyeon deliberately reminded the youngest member of BLACKPINK to attract attention.
The relationship between former trainees and idols under the old company has always been of public interest. Many idols, even though they can’t debut together or belong to different agencies, still have good relationships. Meanwhile, a few idol have controversial statements and actions.
