#Korean idol manager self defense professional#
#Korean idol manager self defense tv#

“Idols in their early teens are in the midst of growing, during which they are supposed to be socialized through peer interaction at school and enjoy making childhood memories,” said Ha. Still, experts remain wary about potential ramifications. Niki of boy band Enhypen debuted last year aged 14. In the case of boy bands, many fans actually welcome the fact that young Korean members have ample time to establish their careers before having to enlist for their mandatory military services. According to pop culture critic Ha Jae-keun, “the positive is that young talents are able to spread their wings and do what they love from a young age.” Indeed, the aforementioned 14-year-old rookies have been largely praised that they are just as talented and skilled as older members. I’m not sure how appropriate it is for children to act way too mature for their age.” There is an upside, however, to starting one’s K-pop career from an early age.

#Korean idol manager self defense professional#

The problem is, while trot programs expect them to perform like the children they are, idol auditions require even those in their early teen years to behave like professional K-pop artists. The idea of extremely young contestants became normalized, leading the public to grow more accepting of very young K-pop stars. Jian of girl group Lightsum debuted this year at the age of 14. “Since trot is mostly enjoyed by older generations, seeing children perform on such shows was like watching a cute talent show and wasn’t uncomfortable to view. “Many child contestants have appeared and gained popularity on trot audition shows,” Lee continued.

#Korean idol manager self defense tv#

The genre has seen a revival in the past few years thanks to hit audition programs for trot singers such as TV Chosun’s “Miss Trot” (2019-21) and “Mr. Trot is an upbeat genre of Korean pop music that peaked in popularity from the 1950s to 80s. “ certainly not unprecedented, but I feel this trend has accelerated recently, partially due to trot audition programs,” said Lee Gyu-tag, a professor of pop music and media studies at George Mason University Korea. The trend of extremely young idols is not limited to female stars: Jongseob of boy band P1Harmony and Japanese member Niki of boy band Enhypen were 14 when debuted late last year.

Leeseo in IVE’s debut music video “Eleven” (2021) Prior to Leeseo, Japanese member Mire of girl group TRI.BE and Jian of girl group Lightsum also debuted this year at the age of 14. Born in 2007, she became the youngest idol to debut on the mainstream K-pop scene. Three 14-year-olds debuted this year alone, most recently member Leeseo of girl group IVE who debuted last week. However, the idea of a 14-year-old maknae - the Korean term for youngest person in a group - has become less surprising to K-pop fans especially since last year. Singer BoA’s debut in 2000 at the age of 13 and Taemin of boy band SHINee’s 2008 debut aged 14 are some examples that shocked the public at the time. K-pop idols debuting in their early teens is nothing new. Members aged 14 still raise some eyebrows, but have nonetheless grown common in the mainstream K-pop scene - “mainstream” in the sense that they debut as legitimate K-pop artists, not as a part of a special project for child stars, and gain significant popularity. Idols aged 15 are so common that their age hardly receives attention anymore. As K-pop groups are becoming younger and younger, members in their early teens are no longer outliers. Aged 14, she is currently the youngest idol singer in the mainstream K-pop scene.

Leeseo of girl group IVE, who debuted last week, was born in 2007.