A lot of Kpop groups take years to earn their first salary, while for some, success comes early, leading to early payment.
Kpop fans are always curious about the payment of their idols, especially about how long it takes for them to receive their first salary. As it turns out, while idols appear all glamorous on and off the stage, many of them work unpaid for a long time.
In particular, while most idols from large companies got their salary pretty early on, some from small agencies may go for years without any payment.
NewJeans, who get their first salary after 2 months vs BTS, who worked unpaid for 2 years
The success of BTS has helped HYBE grow from a tiny agency into a leading entertainment corporation. In 2022, rookie girl group NewJeans made their 16 billion won debut under HYBE Labels, and their concept, music, and style were created by the renowned creative director Min Hee Jin.
With a preparation period that spans across 2 years, NewJeans quickly became a representative name of Kpop’s 4th generation, and established their own standing in the entertainment industry. Recently, the girl group appeared on the TV program “You Quiz on the Block”, where they revealed that they received their 1st payment 2 months after debut, due to outstanding physical and digital sales.
On the other hand, NewJeans’ seniors, BTS, had an extremely hard time. In particular, since BTS debuted when Big Hit Entertainment (later Big Hit Music, a subsidiary of HYBE) was a small agency, they first had to pay off billions of won that the company had in debt.
Although BTS did not receive as much financial support from their agency at the time compared to idol groups from big companies, BTS rose to the top thanks to their amazing efforts.
In 2015, BTS had the first music show of their career with “I Need You”. 2 years into their debut, BTS finally got paid. At the moment, BTS has become one of the richest artists in Korea.
EXID received their first salary 3 years after debuting thanks to Hani’s viral fancam
Coming from a small company like BTS, EXID went through a hard time when they were unknown to the public. EXID was even on the verge of disbanding because their company suffered heavy losses.
However, everything changed when Hani’s “Up And Down” fancam went super viral, helping the song climb back on the charts and helping EXID get noticed. Thanks to this legendary fancam, EXID members received their first payments after 3 years of activities.
TWICE got paid only 1 and a half month after debut
Debuting under JYP Entertainment, a Big3 company, TWICE was obviously treated better when it comes to payments. TWICE gained success as soon as the group was launched and got their first paycheck after only 1 and a half months after debut.
Needless to say, TWICE’s success has helped JYP earn many times the initial investment. TWICE has been active for more than 7 years and is still known as a top girl group. They are also one of the highest-paid K-pop groups at the moment.
Source: k14.
