The world’s first Korean-European entertainment agency, SG Entertainment, recently revealed their seven trainees who are preparing to debut in the agency’s first K-Pop group – Alpha Ray.  The final lineup will consist of four members, representing the “four rays coming together with their respective energy and ability to create a great group synergy.”

Yelin, Jiyeon, Jiyun, Chaeyeon, Aiganym, Hanna, and Yuri bring a diverse set of creative and musical skills, having already caught the public’s eye with their pre-debut song and dance covers that highlight each trainee’s authentic charms and charisma. Most recently, trainee Aiganym stirred the public’s attention for being the first known Kazakhstani to pursue a career in the K-Pop industry. While the girls come from vastly different backgrounds, they all found support under SG Entertainment’s unique trainee program.  

The seven trainees were selected based on their MBTI types and received not only vocal and dance training, but also courses such as psychology, composition, theatre, and debate to provide an enriching learning experience. MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) is a personality assessment used to help understand one’s psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. Through these measures, the agency invests not only in developing their artists’ musical talents, but also in fostering a talent pool of strong-minded, well-rounded individuals with their own unique color.

As this was such a refreshing take on the K-Pop idol trainee system, KPC reached out to the trainees directly to get their first-hand take on their journey through the agency’s program. Check out their responses, below! 

“When I was in high school, I was a trainee at another company, but when my family became difficult, I gave up and prepared for college and entered the Department of Production Design. Then, by chance, I took the lead role in a school musical in college, and while I was on the stage, I thought that even if I succeeded as a musical artist in the future, I will be admiring the artist who sings and dances on the stage. That is when I started to learn instruments, songwriting, and music related activities to not regret in the future.

And by chance, I saw the announcement of SG Entertainment’s audition, and I applied because I was attracted by the part where they really value my own story about personality and music unlike other entertainment companies in Korea where they mostly value younger age and appearance than musicality. My sincerity and story were also delivered to the judges and I passed the audition and got into our company.”

“When I saw the [Lee Hyori] ‘U Go Girl’ video that my dad played when I was young, I thought that I wanted to stand on the stage and sing and dance, and it was music that always stayed with me when I was happy and having a hard time. I wanted to convey the comfort I received through music to other people.

After ending the contract as a trainee at another company, I saw the audition announcement of our company. I was eager to pass because they valued my opinion, my story and personality, and I passed the audition and became a trainee!!”

“I like Kpop among many other songs. It was Kpop that helped me, comforted me, and cheered me when I was in trouble, sad and happy since I was young. That is why I wanted to cheer up other people through my own song.

I really wanted to become a trainee at SG Entertainment. Because they were the company that recognized me and there were teachers I could trust. So, I really wanted to get in and my dream came true.”

“Since I was a child, I liked watching and imitating artists on tv programs, so I naturally dreamed of becoming a singer, but I could not challenge myself because I didn’t have confidence. So I majored Department of Film, and as I was exposed to various arts, I felt strongly that I would like to express myself with dance and song like others. That is why I challenged myself with strong determination. 

I thought this summer was my last challenge for audition, and while I was searching for a company to apply, I had a chance to watch the video of Jiyeon dancing Blackpink’s “How you like that” on YouTube and found her very pretty and good, so I applied abruptly for the audition. I felt that our company cares a lot of the trainees and thought I would want to join the company.”

“Since I was child, I loved dancing and singing, and after watching one performance, I had a dream of becoming an artist. At first, I did not know how to become an artist, and I just thought studying was important, so I went to an exchange student. But I saw myself admiring the artists on the stage, and I didn’t want to regret giving up my dream, so I started going to audition.

Although I was 19 years old, I was having a hard time since I could not pass the audition because of my age. But SG Entertainment was the first company that listened to my story and thoughts regardless of my age and appearance. So, I really wanted to pass the audition and luckily, I passed and entered the company!”

“When I was a child, it was so cool to see Hyuna’s stage as she poured out all her energy to express herself in three minutes of dancing and singing, so I wanted to be like her who is full of confidence and passion in her work.

After having this dream, I felt more attracted in dancing, and our company gave me an opportunity to develop my dream as a dancer. Through this, I could gain courage in myself and I wanted to fulfill my dream through this great opportunity. I became an influencer of our company since [[then] my dance activities were respected.”

“Since I was young, I used to be very sensitive and stressed even on small things, so I put on earphones and turned on the volume to the maximum every time. One day, I went to a dance academy with my friend, and as I saw the dancers dancing to the song that filled up a large space with loud speakers, I also wanted to become a person who expresses my favorite music with my body, so I naturally dream of becoming an artist.

SG Entertainment did not try to change my characteristics or personality but respected me and asked and accepted my opinion a lot. The direction to move forward is new and challenging, but I decided to come in because I wanted to be with this company.”

Follow along on the girls’ journey through SG Entertainment’s official Instagram and Youtube channel!

About SG Entertainment

Part of SG Group, SG Entertainment is the first Korean cultural content production company founded by French producers. With a strong focus on creativity, SG Entertainment strives to produce engaging and appealing content to inspire the younger generations to develop a positive attitude towards their future and take their lives in their own hands. The company’s mission is to find, train and empower performers, creators, models and thought leaders to define the way forward so that everyone can find their place and envision a harmonious tomorrow for all.