20-25
20. Look at the question above. Do you think it’s fair that some people who’ve had the pleasure of debuting have no intentions of sticking around as a singer when their places in the industry could have gone to others who wanted nothing more than to be part of the Idol world?
“I’d say, that’s kind of unfair, other people deserve those chances more, but these people also went through those long, difficult training before debuting, I hope that at least, these people would treasure what they have now.”
21. Some would say that the Idol lifestyle is a toxic one; from the constant media attention to the countless amounts of vicious comments left online. Would you agree with such a statement?
“It is, in a way, but it really depends on how we handle those things. Being in this industry, we gotta be real smart and know how to protect ourselves.”
22. A few years ago, Idols weren’t expected to do much beyond singing and performing but nowadays are expected to branch out into other fields in order to become a “jack of all trades” (so to say.) Does that bother you and/or leave you feeling pressured in any way?
“A.... little pressured, yup. You’re expected to be good at everything else, which is obviously a hard thing to do.. but for the most part of it, I think the learning process is real fun!”
23. How has becoming an Idol changed you? Do you think you’d be a different person had you decided to pursue a different path in life?
“I’d like to think it’s for the better? As a young kiddo who knows nothing much about life in general back in the day, I always thought about how life as an idol makes everything so much easier. Now, I guess I can say that I’m able to see everything in a whole different light, not everything here is all that colorful.”
24. Regardless of how much it is downplayed, it’s obvious that the industry is rife with corruption; one of the biggest examples of this being the act of Sajaegi (chart manipulation). Some see it as an abhorrent practice whilst others praise it for evening the playing field. What do you think?
“As.. horrible as it may sounds, it happens a lot, I’m well aware of that, but it’s not something that I, or any other idols have control over, y’know?”
25. Some say that the Idol industry is an unevenly matched playing field due to the success of the Big 3 Companies. It can be argued that regardless of how talented artists under smaller labels are, they will always be overshadowed by artists (both veteran and rookie alike) coming from the bigger companies as the latter are always guaranteed a level of attention simply because of who manages them. What do you think of this idea?
"In a way, it is true, as an artist, I rely on the company to promote and manage everything, with everything has been going, I’m really grateful, though in the end I just want other idols to know that no matter how much attention you get, it doesn’t make you any less deserving or any less talented. People have different opportunities in their life, they have their own hardships in their path, and it’s not something to be compared with each other.”