I agree with one of the comments here. We need deep dives of 1st generation and obscure groups especially with bizarre stories. It will be a huge thing for this channel for sure!
except nobody wants to train adults who probably can't absorb shit like a sponge and will need even more lessons to be up to par with other trainees :)
@@dt4654 this isnt even true lmfao. So adults can absorb new information easily enough to change careers and start new jobs but you dont think they can learn dance routines and songs? oh please. if anything its easier for adults to train and learn because they're more focused and mature developmentally.
@@dt4654 When I was 17 I took a kids dance class, and had a nightmare of a time trying to learn to dance. I had to put in 5 hours for every 30 minutes everyone else did. After that I didn't dance again until recently. Now I'm in my late 20's and learning dances is 100x easier and I have better focus and discipline.
Honestly, I don't think that she would have been treated any better if she was up front about her age, especially with the concept she joined the group with. It's really saddening (and a little disgusting if I'm being honest) that 20+ is considered old when it's really not. Tbh, it just shows how exploitative the industry is. Instead of taking someone who can speak/think for themselves, there's a demand for children that can barely tie their shoes correctly (I'm being dramatic but still). Kpop fans (especially with this gen) are quick to call someone a hag once they reach 20/21 but will stan the first 14 year old they see and it's very weird to me, especially when it's older fans. Personally, with gen 4, I think we need to get on companies necks about debuting children and letting the 20+ folks debut, especially with the girl crush and mature concepts being at their height. 16 and under should be able to live their lives and not have to worry about the stresses that come with the industry
I was a huge Baby VOX fan. I vaguely remember the age controversy. I don't remember where or when I read it but the little I saw about it back then the blame was put on Lee Heejung and that she lied from the beginning. It's good to know the truth behind it.
Makes me think about how VIVI's age is different on her model vs. loona profile. I wonder if that's why she doesn't want to look back on her old career
Vivi is not older, Orbits literally lied about this as a “joke” have you ever heard of the kpop stan twt phrase, “orbits are liars”? Please do not spread misinformation
Nice video. You've covered older gen idols in a couple of your recent video and I enjoyed it. I wonder if you're open to topic suggestions since I have some in my mind: - 7 Princess (7공주), one of the youngest Kpop groups to have ever existed - Marronnier (마로니에) and their "Cocktail Love" song scandal which is similar to the "Milli Vanilli" case. Thank you for doing videos focusing on the old days of Kpop like this. Keep up the good work.
"20 is too old to debut..." Well, 13-14 is too young. I actually find it strange that there are people out there that prefer a much younger age as 14 to debut than a young but mature age like 20 or even 18 and 19... I see it as someone saying that you prefer minors instead of young adults... Weird...
I hate how most of the time it’s women who suffer from ageism. I don’t get why people expect women to suddenly look super old at 30 and then be like oh she looks so young(Irene for example) like, is she supposed to look older? She’s 30, not 40. I also find it sad that girl groups always last less than boy groups. For example, the girl group who lasted the longest was Jewelry but by the time they disbanded their lineup was completely different(not even 1 original member remained in the group). Anyway great video! I’d definitely like to see more of these 1st gen or even pre kpop gen deep dives
I love hearing about the past of Kpop! It is really helpful to me since I became a Kpop fan during the 3rd generation. Thank you for taking the time to research these things 💕
Im confused how kpop agencies are debuting younger idols and force them to be mature and then debut older idols and force them to do typical teen stuff 💀
Does anybody remember the girl group who was exposed for not singing their own songs, it was when they went on a music show but they weren't allowed to lip sync. Then they told their manager and he quit his job not long after
I think this is the first time that I am hear Midnight theories talking about Blackswan and Dr music. I could be completely wrong but it feels like it.
There's so much to learn about this industry and it becomes so much more interesting when it's laid out in a well presented, easy to understand format like yours! Thanks a lot for all your contribution to our knowledge!! Also just a quick question, what do you think of conspiracy theories in kpop? Do you think it's fun enough to make a video about?
@@wnderr_ If you are older than 20 they will reduce your age. Reducing your age helps with longevity. I was 23 and they changed my age to 19. I don't know any artists at the time who did not lie about their age. Some were only a few years but some were as much as 5-8 years different than their real age.
Just use some sense. If they start debuting much mature artist (20’s), that will be better. The artists would already finish their education without being interrupted by their job. They would have much stronger mentality too. I really dont get why some artist debuted in such a young age, isn’t that illegal to make children working???
20 years is too old ?!!!! I dont like this 😕 then they should run a children's show instead!!! Its creepy...im still feeling uncomfortable seeing jyp new gg !! The age trauma should stop in this industry....
she was, DR knew about her age before she join Baby V.O.X and also LeeGai was planned to debut in the first line up of BabyVox but due to an injury she join in 1998 lol
I hate that now 20 is considered old, its not old at all. You can still have dreams, hobbies and interests after your teen years. It's ridiculous, soon every kpop idol that debuts is just going to be toddlers or something as every year it gets younger and younger. Even for trainnees, now the max age is usually 17, ppl are going to have sign up at birth or something in the future.
It's so sad that some of these kids don't even know the full extent of what they're getting into. I hope there are laws on this soon because it's not right for young kids to be working especially in the kpop industry
the fact that I just thought about YG ent age limit did when they they posted about auditions months back, it the age minimum was for anyone born in 2019 or 2020 🥺 btw.. the maximum was for anyone born in 1932 or 1933 😂
Tbh you mostly have things after 20... like more mature way of thinking, so your art is also more personalised and stable. I guess industry doesnt want mature idols cuz they cant control them and people reason for wanting to watch kids is because theyre creepy. I dont even wanna turn back when I was 17, I came out of that time pretty well and as a 21 yo woman, Im getting better everyday. Even my face. I cant imagine how beautifull my MİND gonna be when Im 30, and have even more experience with life so I can start to share them with younger generations. Every age is special as long as you try to improve.
I think this is the 2nd most thing I hate about Kpop. Age is so important which is stupid. There is no cutoff for talent. BoA, Kahi, Hyolyn, Lee Hyori are all examples of that.
Yes but I think we’re lucky young idols has been a thing in the past too. But I’m glad Spire debuted Omega X because then it can people help know they aren’t too old to be a kpop idol. But I know bigger companies would never do this. I actually hope thanks to Omega X becoming a popular small company rookie group bigger companies can learn from Spire
I think it's fine to be trainees - they are training. There's no difference in work load between an idol trainee and a sports trainee. All the great footballers, tennis players, basketball players earning multi million trained since they were children. The problem with art is just it's unpredictable if you win or not unlike sports. It's easy to know if you have no talent in sports you can just cut your loses early but in entertainment it all depends on luck.
The fact that Dr music as a company has lasted this long.... I was a fan of both Rania and Baby Vox and I can't even get myself to get excited for black swan knowing the shady things the company does....
I remember researching on older groups (1st and early 2nd gen) and on k-profiles it said something about that member being removed from the group for lying about her age. I wondered "how did the company let that happen? Wouldn't they know she was lying about her age?" I had no idea the company made her do it! Also, amazing research! Like I said earlier, I was researching 1st gen/early 2nd gen groups and I know that it's really not easy. Especially not knowing Korean that well. I can tell you worked hard on this video, so great job!
i feel so sad for her. i can't really imagine what she had felt with all those hates since when she's still on her first group. ageism is so stupid when it comes to kpop. she just wanted to enjoy her idol life but those anti-fans ruined her dream. i hope that she's just fine now. i never knew dr music is so fucked up since day 1 🙄
Actually DR music tried to be supportive to Lee Heejung and her dreams as best as they could. In the 90s-00s, kpop fans never would’ve accepted her if they knew her real age. It’s not the company’s fault, it’s those toxic knetizens and kpop fans that deserves the blame.
kpop companies need to realise that times are changing. By now i'm pretty sure that the "kpop community" is made out of at least 30-40% of fans over the age of 25, because it's people who got into kpop when 2gen had it's peak (or at the start of 3rd gen). I know a lot of people and i've seen a lot of comments about people being uncomfortable stanning 4th gen groups because of how young they are, it's weird having a bias or comment on how good looking an idol is if they're 10+ younger than you, and a lot of people (myself included lol) can't relate to the lyrics of the songs because they talk about school or first loves. Besides, being over 20 it's not old! a 30y/o performer can still dance and do the splits like nothing happened, it's not like you start to rot once you've legally become an adult lol
As a person who has been biasing idols that are around 5-7years younger than me past few years. IMO, you don't need to thirst after an idol to bias them. It is not weird to be a fan of younger celebrity, is more of the mindset of respecting idols and not just thirsting after them. How is biasing a younger celebrity different from biasing younger athletes?
I don't even think she is the one that lied about her age like she was already under the company and they knew her age but somehow she is now 10 year younger... sus af 💀
5:00: "He eventually convinced the singer to sign under his label Deungryong Planning now known as DR Music." Welp, pack it up, boys, it can only go down from here.
suprisingly dr music started out well with baby vox becoming really popular. though indeed it's just downhill from here. rania's whole career was probably funded from baby vox's money
@@dt8602 It’s from bits and pieces of interviews. They had a bad relationship with their managers, Miyeon said that recently on Knowing Bros. And I know they pushed for the US release (with the awful plagiarism), which eventually broke them up. I don’t have a lot of concrete evidence.
I'm 30, and I really wish it was more normalised for Kpop idols to debut later. Honestly, for those that debut under 18 that's literally child labour, and the amount of scrutiny and sexualising of idols is way too much for a child to handle. I'm glad there are so many idols these days in their 30s still killing it - hopefully the industry will realise turning 30 isn't the death knell they think it is.
Opportunities came her way and she took them. The world is about hustling, she had dreams and goals and went for them. Now on the other hand the companies knowing her age difference should have sat down with her and discussed how they were going to pull this off, change of wardrobe was not enough, when you are liked by the fans they will learn everything about you. The red flag for her was the dance choreography. At the end of the day she lived her life.
I love that you are doing videos focusing more on the past of Kpop! I really want to know more about the past and history of the Korean music industry and Kpop so your channel and DKDKTV's channel really helps. I'd really like to see a video on forgotten controversies or conspiracy theories. Nevertheless can't wait to see what more you have in store!
She's living well! Tough she's still ashamed by this incident :( She moved to Busan and didn't make contact with the external world for a while but she managed to continue with her life. She's mother of two daughters and she's married (she had another husband but they divorced) and she joined a mountaineering club (where she met her new husband)
it's so heartbreaking that debuting at 20 is seen as "too old". becoming an idol is a life-altering decision that can leave one in a huge debt and with many health and mental issues, it's definitely not something a 14 year old should be allowed to do! ugh, this industry frustrates me to no end
Teens can make their own choices and in Korea they would be 16 which is mature enough. even if they debut at 20 they would still have to be a trainee at a ykung age and being a trainer for a longer period of time puts you into alot of debt for when you become an idol. You debut at 15 or 16 you have alot less debt
This age thing is getting out of control not only in kpop but every where. I notice that now a days being in your 20’s is considered old. My nieces who are 15 don’t want to age any more. They don’t want to get “old”. So sad really because women are made to feel like they don’t matter anymore after they hit a certain age.
20 is too old??? girl wtf yeah not like they have 70 more years to live or anything……. I’m 18 and even ik that 40 is young! 45 is young! and idc if there’s idols that are 80 in fact I’d love that so much. you’re telling me that wouldn’t be pure amazing that an 80 year old is dancing and singing on stage. I don’t wanna see some 12 year old getting milked for free/cheap labour literally wth…. like yeah you’re cute and you’re talented but go back to preschool and learn your abcs 1st please! I think you should be at least 15/16 to debut and you should only do part time promotions until you graduate high school. that makes so much more sense. and idk who the sickos are that wanna see minors sweating in stage but get a grip that’s disgusting 🤢 🤮 … honestly though you’re encouraging underage labour, pedos, etc. like do you really wanna see kids who can barely dance just got potty trained 6 years ago sound like squirrels their only vocabulary is what they learned in elementary school they can’t even spell yet twerking on stage?????? I just I don’t get the appeal AT ALL!! y’all are sick for wanting that idec you’re actually sick. and if they really wanna become an idol then they can learn 8 times 3 1st and graduate from kindergarten!! seriously so gross have fun watching toddlers stripping to blackpink songs ewww lmao okay yeah y’all are crazy do you even realize the sincerity of this? brains aren’t even fully developed until like 20-25 and you wanna see someone who has LITERALLY just started to grasp the understanding of emotions and how that effects other people. they can’t even understand reality yet most people don’t until mid-post puberty some don’t until they’re 32! also we need to get over the obsession that unless you’re 11 you look like you’re 212… doesn’t even make sense but okay. and imo majority people look very young until 40 there’s not much that changes that besides genetics, alcohol/drug usage, excess sun, etc. that woman heejung/gai/jisoo looked just as young as the other girls. actually no she did look older she looked 20 because all the other girls were literally like 3 years old so ofc she’s gonna look older. she looked like a young beautiful grown woman. not that the other girls are ugly but they’re literally 13!!!!! idec if they aren’t actually 13 they’re still too young and they look like teenagers which is what they are and that’s disgusting to me. okay I’m done nobody’s gonna read this anyway cause I just typed a whole ahh novel series about child abuse in kpop and how fans not only accept it but embrace it and loathe in it. okay seriously bye I need to vomit 🤮
I read it and you're right. You have to remember that kpop is an industry that panders to pedos so much. So here's one of the reasons why younger people are needed.
YES YES! ALL OF THIS! Lol Ily for saying this. I can't believe there are people who actually defend and support debuting 14 y/os. Even 15-16 I is too young to debut imo. No one should debut before at least 18-19. If it were up to me, idols wouldn't debut before they turned 21-23 and earned an undergraduate college degree. Completing high school is an absolute must. Idk what it is with debuting infants in the 4th gen, things weren't this bad in the 2nd or 3rd gen. This is exactly why by the time an idol reaches 30, most of them become jobless. It's like there's no respect for experience in the industry when that is one of the key aspects of what makes someone a good entertainer
Thank you for doing lots of research for all of your videos. Some youtubers never research for their videos and are just full of misinformation and also thank you for the amazing video quality. I always enjoy you videos :)
thanks!! its make me cry her story i feel really bad for her :( sometimes the fandom and the kpop industry can be really hard with womans, i hate that im just hoping that Gai is safe and healthy
I would. I'm the same age as she was when this all happened and I would wholeass pretend to be a decade younger if it meant that I could have my dreams.
1st gen was chaotic. There's SHARP where the manager exposed a member for bullying another member because he couldn't take it anymore and the bully member walked out of the press conference. Then there's the death of DEUX's Kim Sungjae who was allegedly murdered by his girlfriend due to her jealousy. Then there's the sad unexpected death of NRG's Hwansung which still saddens me to this day. Many were saying it was because of SARS but I'm not sure. That time, there was still a website where they could post their voice recordings and Hwansung even left a voice message saying he's okay after he was rushed to the hospital. But his condition worsened right after. Then there's the time k-yellkies broke the car they thought was owned by DSP's CEO after sechskies announced their disbandment, but the car turned out to be owned by an actor. Luckily, he didn't sue the fans because he said they're too young and they're just students. He didn't want them to have a criminal record.
Woah this is crazy. This some how reminds me of Tablo's Stanford scandal. I honestly didn't think anything could shock me more than the Tajinyo's antics
it so sad how it's normalized to debut young women in their teens and people seem to be okay with that but if a kpop company debuts older women are in their 20s (mid and late) society seems to hate it. stop debuting litreal young women in their teens and start debuting women who are in their 20s (mid and late)
They would have torn her apart if she’d debuted as her real age. They’re agists and unfortunately her lying gave them cover to be ageist under the guise of being upset at the lie. Had she debut as her real age it would have been great but the ageists would still hate her and try to harass her out of the group.
Mom the Idol is a perfect example of a first and second-gen artist getting an opportunity to re-debut despite having children and their age. Maybe this is a turning point for the k-pop industry to allow artists to work despite age. Just like other genres of music, the veteran artists still make music, go on tour and have a huge fanbase... hopefully k-pop can follow suit. There are so many talented artists whose time was cut short due to agism.
Your adult life is just starting around 20. How can you consider that too old to start being an Idol?? And how can people expect minors to make such an important career decision at that age?
i swear you're one of the best kpop UA-camrs and i like, don't know how you're so goddamn underrated with this much research, editing talent and info 😩
Controversial opinion. I don't see the problems on lying about their own age. Like we don't lie on our CV's when applying for jobs. Stuff like writing down 2 years of experience when we only had 1 year of experience. Same thing with being member of a girlband. I don't see the problem of lying about age. If they're good then they're good, simple as.
Me, at 32 discovering Kpop. Then discovering i'm too old to even listen to it apparently!? I don't watch the music videos/performances - I know it can get a bit iffy with some concepts. But like.. even the fandom is age-gated.
I'm so glad she did what she had to do. I liked that she was brave enough to trick the fans by playing upon their own prejudices. That's real girl crush, not just a concept.
No of course not! Those big companies just have a mind of their own. Smaller companies have accepted idols in their 20s especially the 2021 debuted group Omega X. Especially since all are fighting for a second chance too!
@@gwenmloveskpopandmore companies is another thing but FANS are whole thing dear,You should know this ...... Fans in Korea are monsters in human disguise
this is whats annoying about kpop and the music industry (and society) in general. people act like once you turn 25 or 30 you should just shrivel up and dissapear or something. then they wonder why women are killing themselves just to look "younger." because according to society, getting older is the worst thing that can happen. its also so funny to see young girls/women try to make women older than them feel bad, or make it seem like women who are in their 20s are old. like okay yeah, lets see how you feel when you're in your 20s too lmfao.
im seeing this after read news about former the seeya Song Minkyung rebutting in 4th gen GG Yayaya. She is 35, and a lot of knetz say she inappropriate to be in group of 20s . I dont know why knetz expectation nowadays you must be some 14-15 yo underage girl to be in 4th gen GG. Its just felt wrong.
As a Korean, I'm pretty impressed with your video about her. Though it would have been nicer if you added that Lee Gai's voice was really soft and beautiful. You can tell that she sang most of the chorus of "Ya-ya-ya" and "Change" if you listen carefully and glued the other voices together well. Also, her off dance was most likely due to her injury. As you said, she was the female version of So-Bang-Cha and did all sorts of acrobatic moves on the stage back in the days so being that off doesn't make any sense. Anyways, I wish I could give 누나 a big hug since I liked Baby VOX a lot when I was in high school.
20 isn't old omg and neither is 30! Or 40! Like if anyone has shown that age is just a number, look at all the badass female vocalists there are out there in their mid 30s and 40s and for S.Korea, I feel like BoA proves this fact very well. She's a year older than me yet she's out here literally holding a candle to idols born in 2002 like cmon man. But then again I know that kpop, as fun as it is for us normal people because we enjoy and appreciate watching the result of the time and work put in refining oneself vocally ans through dance or whatever but this also an industry that panders so much to p3d0s, so it's honestly not surprising. Old Hollywood was the exact same way.
I hope everyone watches this video would check out BABY VOX's music. they were basically the pioneer of girl crush concept we know today. they have such a good discography and all the members are so talented. i recommend: get up, betrayal, coincidence, game over, killer, yayaya, doll, wish, etc
Wow, this is really fascinating, I love hearing stories about stories from the earlier days of kpop and also I truly believe agism really has its hold on kpop, making alot of companies seeking out more younger and younger trainees, so that when they debut, they will already be young to debut.
this is why i always disagree with new kpop stans who say “i wish 4th gen was like 1st/2nd gen”, 1st and 2nd gen are literally worse than 4th gen, i bet you no 4th gen group would do something like this.
This woman didn't even look that out of place in the group. The company just put her in an awkward situation here. I hope she is doing well and that she still has lots of happy memories of her time in the industry.
I honestly dunno what their record label was thinking. Record label: *wants to disguise one specific member, makes only her wear hats and sunglasses but nobody else* Fans: *notice the strange attire and find out the secret* Record label: *surprised pikachu face*
I agree with one of the comments here. We need deep dives of 1st generation and obscure groups especially with bizarre stories. It will be a huge thing for this channel for sure!
yes, yes! i would love to see those happenings in the 1st gen so badly.
tru
we need a vid about Kim Sung Jae
Yes
I agree
Let's please normalise debuting adult women in kpop. Being 20 is not old. Oh my gosh.
except nobody wants to train adults who probably can't absorb shit like a sponge and will need even more lessons to be up to par with other trainees :)
@@dt4654 this isnt even true lmfao. So adults can absorb new information easily enough to change careers and start new jobs but you dont think they can learn dance routines and songs? oh please. if anything its easier for adults to train and learn because they're more focused and mature developmentally.
Yes!!
@@dt4654 girl what? any GROWN adult can absorb information given, just say you like minors being mistreated 🤣
@@dt4654 When I was 17 I took a kids dance class, and had a nightmare of a time trying to learn to dance. I had to put in 5 hours for every 30 minutes everyone else did. After that I didn't dance again until recently. Now I'm in my late 20's and learning dances is 100x easier and I have better focus and discipline.
I feel bad that she had to! Poor girl! And I know DR has failed with managing their groups for years! Baby Vox and Rania/Blackswan
All you had to say was DR music… 🙄
The fact they kicked her out WHEN IT WAS THEIR IDEA.
DR has been bad since day 1
Honestly, I don't think that she would have been treated any better if she was up front about her age, especially with the concept she joined the group with.
It's really saddening (and a little disgusting if I'm being honest) that 20+ is considered old when it's really not. Tbh, it just shows how exploitative the industry is. Instead of taking someone who can speak/think for themselves, there's a demand for children that can barely tie their shoes correctly (I'm being dramatic but still). Kpop fans (especially with this gen) are quick to call someone a hag once they reach 20/21 but will stan the first 14 year old they see and it's very weird to me, especially when it's older fans. Personally, with gen 4, I think we need to get on companies necks about debuting children and letting the 20+ folks debut, especially with the girl crush and mature concepts being at their height. 16 and under should be able to live their lives and not have to worry about the stresses that come with the industry
seems like the ageism will never escape kpop fandom in general for a long time
I was a huge Baby VOX fan. I vaguely remember the age controversy. I don't remember where or when I read it but the little I saw about it back then the blame was put on Lee Heejung and that she lied from the beginning. It's good to know the truth behind it.
god it’s so sad how the company likely forced her to lie, then threw her under the bus
Makes me think about how VIVI's age is different on her model vs. loona profile. I wonder if that's why she doesn't want to look back on her old career
tho every orbits, especially those predebut fans aware that vivi might be older a bit but yeah, I don't think it will be a big deal
do you have a link to her model profile?
Vivi is not older, Orbits literally lied about this as a “joke” have you ever heard of the kpop stan twt phrase, “orbits are liars”? Please do not spread misinformation
Damn, Gen 1 anti fans were NOT messing around. Thank you, always, for the wonderful content. My work day is flying by thanks to you!
They should market adult women...look at international stars like Adele and her incredible voice. Talent sells itself.
I’m a huge Baby V.O.X stan and lemme say, from my experience with fellow fans, we all absolutely adore Gai. She’s a talented and beautiful queen 🙏
Nice video. You've covered older gen idols in a couple of your recent video and I enjoyed it. I wonder if you're open to topic suggestions since I have some in my mind:
- 7 Princess (7공주), one of the youngest Kpop groups to have ever existed
- Marronnier (마로니에) and their "Cocktail Love" song scandal which is similar to the "Milli Vanilli" case.
Thank you for doing videos focusing on the old days of Kpop like this. Keep up the good work.
I think the WJSN one is legit given the cosmic girls concept, also they’ve only fudged the birthdays by a few months at most.
"20 is too old to debut..."
Well, 13-14 is too young. I actually find it strange that there are people out there that prefer a much younger age as 14 to debut than a young but mature age like 20 or even 18 and 19... I see it as someone saying that you prefer minors instead of young adults... Weird...
Can't believe ppl think 20 is old to be a kpop star
I hate how most of the time it’s women who suffer from ageism. I don’t get why people expect women to suddenly look super old at 30 and then be like oh she looks so young(Irene for example) like, is she supposed to look older? She’s 30, not 40. I also find it sad that girl groups always last less than boy groups. For example, the girl group who lasted the longest was Jewelry but by the time they disbanded their lineup was completely different(not even 1 original member remained in the group). Anyway great video! I’d definitely like to see more of these 1st gen or even pre kpop gen deep dives
I love hearing about the past of Kpop! It is really helpful to me since I became a Kpop fan during the 3rd generation. Thank you for taking the time to research these things 💕
I remember Park Bom (among other criticisms) was criticized for being older when 2NE1 debuted. It’s ridiculous
Im confused how kpop agencies are debuting younger idols and force them to be mature and then debut older idols and force them to do typical teen stuff 💀
crazy how they did stacey q's two of hearts and that song is super relevant now because of tiktok.
These days with makeup and anything they could hide her perfectly, look at snsd any of them could debut and look 20
So toxic fan culture and death threats existed during 1st gen too? 💀
Yup, I remember one girl from 1st gen started dating another idol and that idols fan shot something in her eye and nearly made her go blind
Yes and it was much much worse
She was in this same group yoon Yun hye. The actress of cofee prince
lol it was worse man, they literally popped those girls tires 😭
It was thing around Beatles times so yeah
Does anybody remember the girl group who was exposed for not singing their own songs, it was when they went on a music show but they weren't allowed to lip sync. Then they told their manager and he quit his job not long after
who was that??
No, I don't think she would've success even if she/they honest with her age. Korean netizen were always that rude and vicious.
I think this is the first time that I am hear Midnight theories talking about Blackswan and Dr music. I could be completely wrong but it feels like it.
Let's be honest, if they had said she was 25 they probably would've gotten away with it lol
oh baby vox! they're definitely familiar by name to me
There's so much to learn about this industry and it becomes so much more interesting when it's laid out in a well presented, easy to understand format like yours! Thanks a lot for all your contribution to our knowledge!!
Also just a quick question, what do you think of conspiracy theories in kpop? Do you think it's fun enough to make a video about?
Dam so now if lee gai comes back, she bout to be extreamly popular
imagine if she comeback? omg
Phone be at 11% but I be streaming for your masterpiece 😍😍
Lol yea her looks are painfully obvious
This was always common in KPOP. I had to change my "Stage age" to 20 which was 4 years younger than my actual age.
when?
@@wnderr_ 1999
you were an idol or...?
OMG YES YOU WERE!!! please tell us more aboiut how they changed your age :0
@@wnderr_ If you are older than 20 they will reduce your age. Reducing your age helps with longevity. I was 23 and they changed my age to 19. I don't know any artists at the time who did not lie about their age. Some were only a few years but some were as much as 5-8 years different than their real age.
onestly, I would love to see a video about the history of 1st generation girl groups, S.E.S., Fin.K.L and Baby V.O.X.
bruh the way she brushed the hand away at 5:09 lmao
Ah so this is the origin of why everyone keeps thinking idols are hiding their true age huh? Example: Yuna of Itzy
They want little girls?? ....
Loveee your channel
Please make a video about e.via or rhymee (I'm not sure if that's how you write it) but she was a very good rapper
This is so sad..
man, she's one year younger than my mom 💀 i can't picture this lmao
Just use some sense. If they start debuting much mature artist (20’s), that will be better. The artists would already finish their education without being interrupted by their job. They would have much stronger mentality too. I really dont get why some artist debuted in such a young age, isn’t that illegal to make children working???
20 years is too old ?!!!! I dont like this 😕 then they should run a children's show instead!!! Its creepy...im still feeling uncomfortable seeing jyp new gg !! The age trauma should stop in this industry....
why is the L in "Lee" not pronounced I'm so confused
does anyone know where i can listen to their cover of 'two of hearts' ?
She wasn’t forced
she was, DR knew about her age before she join Baby V.O.X and also LeeGai was planned to debut in the first line up of BabyVox but due to an injury she join in 1998 lol
Uh I can't keep hearing this voice, it's extremely annoying and horrifying to the ears
I hate that now 20 is considered old, its not old at all. You can still have dreams, hobbies and interests after your teen years. It's ridiculous, soon every kpop idol that debuts is just going to be toddlers or something as every year it gets younger and younger. Even for trainnees, now the max age is usually 17, ppl are going to have sign up at birth or something in the future.
Yeah but I’m happy we have groups like Omega X! Apparently older kpop fans wouldn’t know them well. Midnight did a vid on them
It's so sad that some of these kids don't even know the full extent of what they're getting into. I hope there are laws on this soon because it's not right for young kids to be working especially in the kpop industry
the fact that I just thought about YG ent age limit did when they they posted about auditions months back, it the age minimum was for anyone born in 2019 or 2020 🥺
btw.. the maximum was for anyone born in 1932 or 1933 😂
@@ELmayberry looks more like a lego age range 😀 😄
Tbh you mostly have things after 20... like more mature way of thinking, so your art is also more personalised and stable. I guess industry doesnt want mature idols cuz they cant control them and people reason for wanting to watch kids is because theyre creepy. I dont even wanna turn back when I was 17, I came out of that time pretty well and as a 21 yo woman, Im getting better everyday. Even my face. I cant imagine how beautifull my MİND gonna be when Im 30, and have even more experience with life so I can start to share them with younger generations. Every age is special as long as you try to improve.
I think this is the 2nd most thing I hate about Kpop. Age is so important which is stupid. There is no cutoff for talent. BoA, Kahi, Hyolyn, Lee Hyori are all examples of that.
Yep ageism
Kahi is lowkey a girl boss tho 😩👌
One need only look at music in other countries to see age is not a factor. If age is a factor than John Lennon's solo career must suck.
didn't BoA debut at 13 though
Hyuna, Jessi!
How is your 20's too old? in my opinion teens and kids shouldn't be trainees, they are much too young to go through everything idols have to.
Yes but I think we’re lucky young idols has been a thing in the past too. But I’m glad Spire debuted Omega X because then it can people help know they aren’t too old to be a kpop idol. But I know bigger companies would never do this. I actually hope thanks to Omega X becoming a popular small company rookie group bigger companies can learn from Spire
@@gwenmloveskpopandmore what is omega x age range?
@@ewseekhelp the youngest is 20 and the oldest is 26
@@ewseekhelp 20+ I think since all of them are older idols
I think it's fine to be trainees - they are training. There's no difference in work load between an idol trainee and a sports trainee. All the great footballers, tennis players, basketball players earning multi million trained since they were children.
The problem with art is just it's unpredictable if you win or not unlike sports. It's easy to know if you have no talent in sports you can just cut your loses early but in entertainment it all depends on luck.
The fact that Dr music as a company has lasted this long.... I was a fan of both Rania and Baby Vox and I can't even get myself to get excited for black swan knowing the shady things the company does....
same
They have to be a money laundering scheme because there’s no way they’re still getting money from their artists
Fans in the 90’s: we don’t want a 30 years old doing that concept
Irene: thanks god it’s 2022
Waitt. How old is Irene again? Isn't she is her late 20's?
Shes 31 this year omg.
@@Keyam96_ IRENE IS 31?!
@@Emiratiwannabe in Korea I think yes
That plus younger look and big agency
I remember researching on older groups (1st and early 2nd gen) and on k-profiles it said something about that member being removed from the group for lying about her age. I wondered "how did the company let that happen? Wouldn't they know she was lying about her age?" I had no idea the company made her do it!
Also, amazing research! Like I said earlier, I was researching 1st gen/early 2nd gen groups and I know that it's really not easy. Especially not knowing Korean that well. I can tell you worked hard on this video, so great job!
i feel so sad for her. i can't really imagine what she had felt with all those hates since when she's still on her first group. ageism is so stupid when it comes to kpop. she just wanted to enjoy her idol life but those anti-fans ruined her dream. i hope that she's just fine now. i never knew dr music is so fucked up since day 1 🙄
Actually DR music tried to be supportive to Lee Heejung and her dreams as best as they could. In the 90s-00s, kpop fans never would’ve accepted her if they knew her real age. It’s not the company’s fault, it’s those toxic knetizens and kpop fans that deserves the blame.
@@Itsjustlikemagic yeah the fans and netizens are utterly pathetic
Especially with that fucking van incident 😭
You shouldn’t lie about your age.
kpop companies need to realise that times are changing. By now i'm pretty sure that the "kpop community" is made out of at least 30-40% of fans over the age of 25, because it's people who got into kpop when 2gen had it's peak (or at the start of 3rd gen). I know a lot of people and i've seen a lot of comments about people being uncomfortable stanning 4th gen groups because of how young they are, it's weird having a bias or comment on how good looking an idol is if they're 10+ younger than you, and a lot of people (myself included lol) can't relate to the lyrics of the songs because they talk about school or first loves. Besides, being over 20 it's not old! a 30y/o performer can still dance and do the splits like nothing happened, it's not like you start to rot once you've legally become an adult lol
louder for the people in the back! Its a shame how so many 3rd gen groups disbanded
@@pastelhotmess9299 or 4th gen stans don’t know about the other gens
exactly!
@@gwenmloveskpopandmore riiight!
As a person who has been biasing idols that are around 5-7years younger than me past few years. IMO, you don't need to thirst after an idol to bias them. It is not weird to be a fan of younger celebrity, is more of the mindset of respecting idols and not just thirsting after them. How is biasing a younger celebrity different from biasing younger athletes?
Even if she was honest with her age, nothing would have changed.
True, they were all criticizing her so bad.
Yes, they'd say that her life as idol is over, so I don't think the things wouldn't change if she tells the truth
I don't even think she is the one that lied about her age like she was already under the company and they knew her age but somehow she is now 10 year younger... sus af 💀
5:00: "He eventually convinced the singer to sign under his label Deungryong Planning now known as DR Music." Welp, pack it up, boys, it can only go down from here.
BABAHAHAHA 😭😭😭 BUT FR THO
suprisingly dr music started out well with baby vox becoming really popular. though indeed it's just downhill from here. rania's whole career was probably funded from baby vox's money
@@dt8602 The girls from BBV were allegedly treated badly by the company, even with all their success :(
@@DominiqueNoel0 omg really do you know where i can read or know more about that?
@@dt8602 It’s from bits and pieces of interviews. They had a bad relationship with their managers, Miyeon said that recently on Knowing Bros. And I know they pushed for the US release (with the awful plagiarism), which eventually broke them up. I don’t have a lot of concrete evidence.
I'm 30, and I really wish it was more normalised for Kpop idols to debut later. Honestly, for those that debut under 18 that's literally child labour, and the amount of scrutiny and sexualising of idols is way too much for a child to handle. I'm glad there are so many idols these days in their 30s still killing it - hopefully the industry will realise turning 30 isn't the death knell they think it is.
Opportunities came her way and she took them. The world is about hustling, she had dreams and goals and went for them. Now on the other hand the companies knowing her age difference should have sat down with her and discussed how they were going to pull this off, change of wardrobe was not enough, when you are liked by the fans they will learn everything about you. The red flag for her was the dance choreography. At the end of the day she lived her life.
I love that you are doing videos focusing more on the past of Kpop! I really want to know more about the past and history of the Korean music industry and Kpop so your channel and DKDKTV's channel really helps. I'd really like to see a video on forgotten controversies or conspiracy theories. Nevertheless can't wait to see what more you have in store!
wow, i wonder where she is now? she’s 53, i hope she is still living well
She's living well! Tough she's still ashamed by this incident :( She moved to Busan and didn't make contact with the external world for a while but she managed to continue with her life. She's mother of two daughters and she's married (she had another husband but they divorced) and she joined a mountaineering club (where she met her new husband)
it's so heartbreaking that debuting at 20 is seen as "too old". becoming an idol is a life-altering decision that can leave one in a huge debt and with many health and mental issues, it's definitely not something a 14 year old should be allowed to do! ugh, this industry frustrates me to no end
Teens can make their own choices and in Korea they would be 16 which is mature enough. even if they debut at 20 they would still have to be a trainee at a ykung age and being a trainer for a longer period of time puts you into alot of debt for when you become an idol. You debut at 15 or 16 you have alot less debt
@@Havis_PrincessYour way of thinking is as disgustingly twisted as the companies that only want minors. Seek professional fucking help.
This age thing is getting out of control not only in kpop but every where. I notice that now a days being in your 20’s is considered old. My nieces who are 15 don’t want to age any more. They don’t want to get “old”. So sad really because women are made to feel like they don’t matter anymore after they hit a certain age.
20 is too old??? girl wtf yeah not like they have 70 more years to live or anything……. I’m 18 and even ik that 40 is young! 45 is young! and idc if there’s idols that are 80 in fact I’d love that so much. you’re telling me that wouldn’t be pure amazing that an 80 year old is dancing and singing on stage. I don’t wanna see some 12 year old getting milked for free/cheap labour literally wth…. like yeah you’re cute and you’re talented but go back to preschool and learn your abcs 1st please! I think you should be at least 15/16 to debut and you should only do part time promotions until you graduate high school. that makes so much more sense. and idk who the sickos are that wanna see minors sweating in stage but get a grip that’s disgusting 🤢 🤮 … honestly though you’re encouraging underage labour, pedos, etc. like do you really wanna see kids who can barely dance just got potty trained 6 years ago sound like squirrels their only vocabulary is what they learned in elementary school they can’t even spell yet twerking on stage?????? I just I don’t get the appeal AT ALL!! y’all are sick for wanting that idec you’re actually sick. and if they really wanna become an idol then they can learn 8 times 3 1st and graduate from kindergarten!! seriously so gross have fun watching toddlers stripping to blackpink songs ewww lmao okay yeah y’all are crazy do you even realize the sincerity of this? brains aren’t even fully developed until like 20-25 and you wanna see someone who has LITERALLY just started to grasp the understanding of emotions and how that effects other people. they can’t even understand reality yet most people don’t until mid-post puberty some don’t until they’re 32! also we need to get over the obsession that unless you’re 11 you look like you’re 212… doesn’t even make sense but okay. and imo majority people look very young until 40 there’s not much that changes that besides genetics, alcohol/drug usage, excess sun, etc. that woman heejung/gai/jisoo looked just as young as the other girls. actually no she did look older she looked 20 because all the other girls were literally like 3 years old so ofc she’s gonna look older. she looked like a young beautiful grown woman. not that the other girls are ugly but they’re literally 13!!!!! idec if they aren’t actually 13 they’re still too young and they look like teenagers which is what they are and that’s disgusting to me. okay I’m done nobody’s gonna read this anyway cause I just typed a whole ahh novel series about child abuse in kpop and how fans not only accept it but embrace it and loathe in it. okay seriously bye I need to vomit 🤮
I read it and you're right. You have to remember that kpop is an industry that panders to pedos so much. So here's one of the reasons why younger people are needed.
I read it and I agree with u but u did exaggerate a bit but ik what u mean 😂😂😂
YES YES! ALL OF THIS! Lol Ily for saying this. I can't believe there are people who actually defend and support debuting 14 y/os. Even 15-16 I is too young to debut imo. No one should debut before at least 18-19. If it were up to me, idols wouldn't debut before they turned 21-23 and earned an undergraduate college degree. Completing high school is an absolute must. Idk what it is with debuting infants in the 4th gen, things weren't this bad in the 2nd or 3rd gen. This is exactly why by the time an idol reaches 30, most of them become jobless. It's like there's no respect for experience in the industry when that is one of the key aspects of what makes someone a good entertainer
Thank you for doing lots of research for all of your videos. Some youtubers never research for their videos and are just full of misinformation and also thank you for the amazing video quality. I always enjoy you videos :)
ty for the lee gai vid i’ve always wanted to know what happened to her! it’s so interesting but sad
She has a very interesting story indeed
thanks!! its make me cry her story i feel really bad for her :( sometimes the fandom and the kpop industry can be really hard with womans, i hate that im just hoping that Gai is safe and healthy
I think if anyone was given the opportunity to reach their dreams in exchange for a small white lie, they would definitely take it.
I would. I'm the same age as she was when this all happened and I would wholeass pretend to be a decade younger if it meant that I could have my dreams.
1st gen was chaotic. There's SHARP where the manager exposed a member for bullying another member because he couldn't take it anymore and the bully member walked out of the press conference. Then there's the death of DEUX's Kim Sungjae who was allegedly murdered by his girlfriend due to her jealousy. Then there's the sad unexpected death of NRG's Hwansung which still saddens me to this day. Many were saying it was because of SARS but I'm not sure. That time, there was still a website where they could post their voice recordings and Hwansung even left a voice message saying he's okay after he was rushed to the hospital. But his condition worsened right after. Then there's the time k-yellkies broke the car they thought was owned by DSP's CEO after sechskies announced their disbandment, but the car turned out to be owned by an actor. Luckily, he didn't sue the fans because he said they're too young and they're just students. He didn't want them to have a criminal record.
That's wild...
Woah this is crazy. This some how reminds me of Tablo's Stanford scandal. I honestly didn't think anything could shock me more than the Tajinyo's antics
it so sad how it's normalized to debut young women in their teens and people seem to be okay with that but if a kpop company debuts older women are in their 20s (mid and late) society seems to hate it. stop debuting litreal young women in their teens and start debuting women who are in their 20s (mid and late)
It’s weird because most of the young debiting groups don’t reach their prime era until their early 20s anyways
They would have torn her apart if she’d debuted as her real age. They’re agists and unfortunately her lying gave them cover to be ageist under the guise of being upset at the lie. Had she debut as her real age it would have been great but the ageists would still hate her and try to harass her out of the group.
Mom the Idol is a perfect example of a first and second-gen artist getting an opportunity to re-debut despite having children and their age. Maybe this is a turning point for the k-pop industry to allow artists to work despite age. Just like other genres of music, the veteran artists still make music, go on tour and have a huge fanbase... hopefully k-pop can follow suit. There are so many talented artists whose time was cut short due to agism.
Your adult life is just starting around 20. How can you consider that too old to start being an Idol?? And how can people expect minors to make such an important career decision at that age?
i swear you're one of the best kpop UA-camrs and i like, don't know how you're so goddamn underrated with this much research, editing talent and info 😩
meanwhile GOT debuts and people are just stoked to see 35-yr-old BoA just still slay on stage...
Controversial opinion. I don't see the problems on lying about their own age. Like we don't lie on our CV's when applying for jobs. Stuff like writing down 2 years of experience when we only had 1 year of experience. Same thing with being member of a girlband. I don't see the problem of lying about age. If they're good then they're good, simple as.
I've never been insecure about my age until I met kpop fans and I'm only 22!!!
Me, at 32 discovering Kpop. Then discovering i'm too old to even listen to it apparently!?
I don't watch the music videos/performances - I know it can get a bit iffy with some concepts.
But like.. even the fandom is age-gated.
I'm so glad she did what she had to do. I liked that she was brave enough to trick the fans by playing upon their own prejudices. That's real girl crush, not just a concept.
Omg 20 is too old to be an idol ? That's crazy.
No of course not! Those big companies just have a mind of their own. Smaller companies have accepted idols in their 20s especially the 2021 debuted group Omega X. Especially since all are fighting for a second chance too!
right and the ridiculous thing is that legal age in sk is 19. how can you barely be an adult yet be too old to debut ?
@@i.nv.u smaller kpop companies get the message and know ur not too old unlike bigger companies
@@gwenmloveskpopandmore companies is another thing but FANS are whole thing dear,You should know this ......
Fans in Korea are monsters in human disguise
@@mariajason3547 yep a majority
this is whats annoying about kpop and the music industry (and society) in general. people act like once you turn 25 or 30 you should just shrivel up and dissapear or something. then they wonder why women are killing themselves just to look "younger." because according to society, getting older is the worst thing that can happen. its also so funny to see young girls/women try to make women older than them feel bad, or make it seem like women who are in their 20s are old. like okay yeah, lets see how you feel when you're in your 20s too lmfao.
im seeing this after read news about former the seeya Song Minkyung rebutting in 4th gen GG Yayaya. She is 35, and a lot of knetz say she inappropriate to be in group of 20s . I dont know why knetz expectation nowadays you must be some 14-15 yo underage girl to be in 4th gen GG. Its just felt wrong.
As a Korean, I'm pretty impressed with your video about her. Though it would have been nicer if you added that Lee Gai's voice was really soft and beautiful. You can tell that she sang most of the chorus of "Ya-ya-ya" and "Change" if you listen carefully and glued the other voices together well. Also, her off dance was most likely due to her injury. As you said, she was the female version of So-Bang-Cha and did all sorts of acrobatic moves on the stage back in the days so being that off doesn't make any sense. Anyways, I wish I could give 누나 a big hug since I liked Baby VOX a lot when I was in high school.
Wasn’t Kahi 29 when she debuted in After School
Yup
Sandara park was the oldest in 2ne1 and she was near to 30 when she debut. What is wrong with the fans?
20 isn't old omg and neither is 30! Or 40! Like if anyone has shown that age is just a number, look at all the badass female vocalists there are out there in their mid 30s and 40s and for S.Korea, I feel like BoA proves this fact very well. She's a year older than me yet she's out here literally holding a candle to idols born in 2002 like cmon man.
But then again I know that kpop, as fun as it is for us normal people because we enjoy and appreciate watching the result of the time and work put in refining oneself vocally ans through dance or whatever but this also an industry that panders so much to p3d0s, so it's honestly not surprising. Old Hollywood was the exact same way.
I hope everyone watches this video would check out BABY VOX's music. they were basically the pioneer of girl crush concept we know today. they have such a good discography and all the members are so talented. i recommend: get up, betrayal, coincidence, game over, killer, yayaya, doll, wish, etc
umm how rude those fans were. i am a cute & youthful woman in my 30s thanks
13,14 - to young !
20+ - to old !
Double standards.....
Wow, this is really fascinating, I love hearing stories about stories from the earlier days of kpop and also I truly believe agism really has its hold on kpop, making alot of companies seeking out more younger and younger trainees, so that when they debut, they will already be young to debut.
this is why i always disagree with new kpop stans who say “i wish 4th gen was like 1st/2nd gen”, 1st and 2nd gen are literally worse than 4th gen, i bet you no 4th gen group would do something like this.
its amazing how dr music has shown red flags since forever
This woman didn't even look that out of place in the group. The company just put her in an awkward situation here. I hope she is doing well and that she still has lots of happy memories of her time in the industry.
the make up artist shouldve gave her better haircut style to make her younger doe
Posted right as I’m wondering what to watch! Thank you for your wonderful and interesting content :)
Hope you find this one just as interesting 🔮
So it's a normal thing for DR to keep changing members :/
I'm not even shocked that idols hide their age cuz of the society
Does anyone have any links to her solo performances? It would really mean a lot to me, thank you 😊
People are really out here normalizing 12-15 year olds entering the Kpop industry... that's not okay
The good thing about her is that she didn’t gave up. Three debuts in her entire entertainment career. I’d give that to her.
i really hope lee gai is okay, she’s stayed out of the public eye for over 2 decades which is insane
I honestly dunno what their record label was thinking.
Record label: *wants to disguise one specific member, makes only her wear hats and sunglasses but nobody else*
Fans: *notice the strange attire and find out the secret*
Record label: *surprised pikachu face*
Plopped her out of the basement XD XD XD XD