K-pop can often be an unforgiving industry and Crayon Pop revealed that the path to stardom isn't all glitz and glamour.
Former Crayon Pop member Way recently participated in an interview with YouTube channel 'Asian Boss' and revealed the harsh conditions she had to go through as an idol.
She had to practice dance all day and often had bruises and swelling all over her legs, and that the members wore sandbags weighing 5kg (~11 pounds) on each leg while practicing. The members were not able to sleep and were required to come to the company headquarters at 4 am and often got home at around midnight. The members were also under strict surveillance and Way's father wasn't allowed to see her even on her birthday.
Check out the interview above.
SHARE
SHARE
Some background info on their first agency, Chrome Entertainment. and maybe you can understand why and how it failed
Chrome Entertainment is started by a photographer who decided to sell all his cameras and equipment and his photo studio, and raised some funds (must be a small amount), to start a entertainment agency.
The name "Chrome" as you must have guess, is related to "color" and he was a photographer.
Crayon Pop didn't do well at first and the agency was like on the brink of collapse but a stroke of luck with using quirky concepts like Bar Bar Bar, and helmet wearing, (the idea was that of a amusement park Mole game where you hit the moles popping up and down from it).
but the girls had to wear the helmet and white gloves where ever they go, even in the hot summer.
after some money came in from those success, i think the agency did something wrong, and started a 2ND girl group, Bob Girls after Crayon Pop, with the concept of girls with bob hair, or short hair cuts.
but the group failed and disbanded quickly.
Crayon Pop went on a US Tour, to do the opening for Lady Gaga concerts, which one will think its a good thing.
But as Way mentioned in her other videos, they were told by the agency, they incurred a DEBT after coming back. as the amount made from the performances, did not cover all the expenses of flight, the expensive tour bus that took them around, the hotels they stayed at, and meals.
so they had to toiled hard at performances and events just to repay it, (meaning they made nothing for a long time).
eventually i read the original CEO or founder regretted giving up his photography for this and sold the company, and Chrome went under a new management
Currently Way is under a new agency, where her CEO is her former manager (he appeared on a few of her Youtube videos also). her manager left them to work as a manager for other boy groups after Crayon Pop, (maybe cos they needed someone experienced), but later came back to work with them.
Hope she and her sister get some success and be happy.
Summarizing, i think people should not start Entertainment agencies for FUN or just because of interest, if they have no experience in how to run one, its very very likely to fail and not only it will lose their investment, it will ruin the future and youth of a lot of young trainees.
2 more replies