Seventeen’s Hoshi and Woozi Reflect on Humble Beginnings and Survival Days as K-Pop Trainees

In a recent web variety show appearance, Seventeen members Hoshi and Woozi opened up about their challenging trainee days and debut struggles. The two idols were featured on a YouTube show hosted by another K-pop idol, where they nostalgically reflected on their journey to stardom.

Recalling their debut era, Woozi and Hoshi shared stories of financial hardship and the lack of industry support during their early days. Woozi revealed, “Our company, Pledis Entertainment, was at risk of disappearing if we failed. The financial situation was really bad.” Hoshi added, “We couldn’t even get a pickup car. We had to take a taxi to the salon.”

They described how Seventeen, a 13-member group, and Pledis had no prior experience managing such a large team. Hoshi noted, “It was the company’s first time managing a large group, and it was our first experience too.” Woozi added how their transportation situation improved only by the second album. “We didn’t get company transportation when we debuted, but for our second album, we finally got two vans. Each van had the driver plus two members in the front seat. The rest crammed into the back — thankfully, they were 11-seaters.”

The group also resorted to a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis when it came to choosing seats, even leading to playful fights over better spots. Hoshi admitted, “If you weren’t quick enough, you lost the good seat. It got competitive.”

They also revealed that purchasing their own in-ear monitors was a financial challenge. Only Seungkwan had one at the time. Woozi confessed, “They were too expensive, so some of us used regular wired earphones.”

This sparked a moment of shared nostalgia, with another idol noting how even her group had to tape their in-ears to their ears during performances. Hoshi chimed in with, “Remember how we had to tape flesh-colored mics to our ears back then?”

The discussion not only highlighted Seventeen’s raw journey but also shone a light on the often unseen struggles K-pop idols endure before making it big — a testament to resilience and teamwork in the world of music.