Vanessa's Profile & Favourite Kpop Idols

2009-2013

In 2009, JB and Jinyoung were cast into JYP Entertainment after passing open auditions.In 2010, Mark and BamBam were respectively scouted by JYP scouts in Los Angeles, USA and Bangkok, Thailand. That same year, Yugyeom became a JYP trainee after he was offered an opportunity at his dance school. In December, Jackson passed JYP's overseas audition in Hong Kong, but he did not start his training until the summer of 2011.

JB and Jinyoung, then known by the stage name Junior, made their debut as actors in the 2012 television drama Dream High 2. In May, they debuted as the pop duo JJ Project with the single "Bounce". The duo appeared again as actors for the 2013 drama, When a Man Falls in Love.

Meanwhile, Mark, Jackson, BamBam and Yugyeom prepared for their debut together as a group. The quartet made their first television appearance on the fourth episode of Mnet's reality-survival program Who is Next: WIN, which aired on September 6, 2013. The seventh and final member to join the group was Youngjae, who had only been a trainee for seven months.

2010-2014

BTS began its formation in 2010 after Big Hit Entertainment CEO Bang Si-hyuk met with group leader RM and was impressed with his rapping. BTS was originally supposed to be a hip-hop group similar to YG Entertainment's 1TYM, but between their initial formation and their debut, Bang Si-hyuk decided that the contemporary youth needed instead "a hero who can lend them a shoulder to lean on, even without speaking a single word". The group was meant to debut in 2011 and featured on several tracks by artists such as 2AM and Lee Seung-gi before their debut was postponed and the group was reorganized into a more traditional idol group. The lineup was then finalized with Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook in 2012. Six months prior to their debut, they began to gain attention for their presence on various social media websites, as well as song covers on YouTube and SoundCloud.

On June 12, 2013, BTS released their debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool, the first installment in their "school trilogy" series, simultaneously with its lead single "No More Dream", which peaked at number 124 in Korea before quickly falling off the charts. While the album peaked at number five in South Korea and eventually sold over 145,000 copies, it was not a major hit, selling only 24,000 copies in 2013. Their subsequent single “We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2” failed to chart. In 2 Cool 4 Skool, BTS employed an old-school hip-hop sound with scratches from the 1980s-90s and excessively fierce visuals. From their inception, BTS was convinced that telling their story was the only way for the younger generation to relate to their music. The lyrics of the album primarily reflected on the misunderstanding and prejudice towards them, criticism of the society that diminishes their dreams, and their anxiety and determination towards their future. During the production of the album, Suga and RM rewrote the lyrics of “No More Dream” more than 20 times. The single album's release was followed by several appearances on Korean music shows. Despite being unpolished, these early live performances demonstrated BTS' potential with their intense and charismatic stage presence. Expanding their endeavors to Japan, "No More Dream" was later re-recorded in Japanese and released in June 2014.

In September 2013, BTS released the second part to their "school trilogy,” the extended play O!RUL8,2?, along with its single "N.O,” which peaked at number 92 in Korea. The EP peaked at number four in Korea and has sold over 160,000 copies to date, including 34,000 copies in its release year. Musically, BTS did not fundamentally change their sound as compared with 2 Cool 4 Skool, utilizing fiery rapping along with trap beats, brass, and soulful melodies. Lyrically, the EP expanded on the theme of dreams and happiness, revealing their frustration under the harsh Korean education system and their determination to confront the struggle of proving themselves. Despite several performances on Korean music shows, the single quickly fell off the charts. That same month, BTS starred in their own variety show, SBS MTV's Rookie King Channel Bangtan, based on a fake broadcast station, "Channel Bangtan", through which members parodied variety shows such as VJ Special Forces and MasterChef Korea. At the end of the year, BTS was recognized with several New Artist of the Year awards, including the 5th Melon Music Awards, 28th Golden Disc Awards and the 23rd Seoul Music Awards.

2010-2016

Blackpink began forming when YG Entertainment held tryouts worldwide for preteen or teenage recruits to create a new girl group after launching its first major girl group, 2NE1, in 2009. According to the members, joining the label as trainees was similar to enrolling in a full-time pop-star academy, with Jennie calling it "more strict than school" and Rosé comparing it to The X Factor with dorm rooms. For members who had left behind life outside of South Korea, the pace of training alongside the culture shock was tough. Preparations for Blackpink's debut began as early as 2011 when YG Entertainment revealed on November 14, 2011 that the label's new girl group would debut in the early half of 2012 featuring at least seven members. From then, there were numerous news and rumors surrounding the new girl group about their debut being delayed but there was no official information. It was only until May 18, 2016 that YG Entertainment confirmed the new girl group, stating that the members were selected through years of stiff competition and confirming that the debut would be in July. The label later confirmed that Jang Hanna and Moon Sua, who were introduced to the public as potential members of the new girl group, were not included in the debut lineup.

Jennie was the first member revealed to be in the group on June 1. Jennie joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in 2010 after moving back to South Korea from New Zealand. In 2012, she was introduced to the public for the first time through a photo titled "Who's that girl?" via the official blog of YG Entertainment on April 10. Jennie continued to be promoted as a member of the new girl group with multiple collaborations, such as starring in G-Dragon's 2012 music video "That XX" from One of a Kind EP and featuring in G-Dragon's "Black" from 2013 album Coup d'etat, and Lee Hi's "Special" from 2013 album First Love. Lisa was revealed to be the second member on June 8, 2016. Lisa was the only individual among 4,000 applicants to pass the 2010 YG Entertainment audition in her native Thailand, becoming the first foreign trainee to join the label in 2011. She was first introduced in 2012 with a video that was posted on YG Entertainment's official YouTube channel titled "Who's That Girl???". Lisa also appeared in the music video for Taeyang's "Ringa Linga" in 2013. She then took on her first modelling job in 2015 for street-wear brand Nona9on, following by modelling for cosmetics brand Moonshot in 2016.

On June 15, Jisoo was revealed to be the third member. Jisoo joined YG Entertainment as an trainee in July 2011. She appeared in several advertisements and music videos in her pre-debut years, including "Spoiler + Happy Ending" (2014) from Epik High's studio album Shoebox and Hi Suhyun's music video "I'm Different" (2014). She also made a cameo appearance in 2015 drama The Producers. Rosé was revealed to be a member on June 22, 2016. She ranked first among 700 applicants in the 2012 YG Entertainment audition in Australia, which then resulted in a trainee contract with the label and a move to Seoul to begin her training. She was featured in G-Dragon's track "Without You" from One of a Kind EP in 2012 as "? from YG New Girl Group". However, her featuring vocals and identity was kept secret for almost four years until her first official public introduction when it was revealed that she participated in the song.

On June 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that the new girl group includes four members instead of the original plan of having nine members, and revealed Blackpink as the group's official name. According to a representative, Blackpink meant "pretty isn't everything" and symbolized that "they are a team that encompasses not only beauty, but also great talent." Jisoo later disclosed in a press conference that they almost debuted as 'Pink Punk', 'Baby Monster' or 'Magnum'. Blackpink released their first dance practice video on July 6 to great attention from viewers. On July 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that Blackpink's debut would be on August 8, 2016.

2007-2014

Red Velvet began forming in 2007 when Seulgi was cast as a trainee by SM Entertainment via audition. Irene was cast in 2009 and Yeri in 2011. In 2012, Wendy and Joy were cast through the SM Global Auditions in Canada and Seoul, respectively. Preparations for Red Velvet's debut began in late 2013 with the introduction of Irene and Seulgi in December 2013 and Wendy in March 2014 through SM Entertainment's trainee group SM Rookies. Irene and Seulgi made cameo appearances in the music videos for "1-4-3 (I Love You)" and "Fantastic", respectively, by then-labelmate Henry; Seulgi also featured in Henry's "Butterfly". In March 2014, Wendy, then credited as a member of SR14G, was introduced through the release of "Because I Love You", her first solo soundtrack for the Mnet drama Mimi. Rumors of a group debut gained traction in July, which was subsequently confirmed by SM Entertainment. With the addition of member Joy, the quartet went on to debut in 2014 as SM Entertainment's first girl group in five years and first idol group since 2012.

2013-2015

Starting in 2013, Seventeen appeared in regular live broadcasts of a show called Seventeen TV on the online streaming platform UStream. The show had multiple seasons in which the trainees were introduced and shown practicing performances, with some seasons ending in Like Seventeen concerts.

Prior to debut, Seventeen also appeared in the reality TV show Seventeen Project: Big Debut Plan, broadcast on MBC between May 2–26, 2015. The show concluded with the group's debut showcase.

Seventeen debuted on May 26 with a live showcase televised by MBC. They were the first male K-pop group to debut with a one-hour live showcase on a major broadcasting channel, with label-mates Lizzy and Raina serving as MCs. Three days later, their first EP 17 Carat was digitally released. 17 Carat became the longest-charting K-pop album of the year in the US and was the only rookie album to appear on Billboard's "10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2015" chart.