Ever wondered how GFRIEND was formed?
Well today we're going to see how GFRIEND was formed from trainee life all the way to debut
Learning how the members got into K-POP and debuted as gfriend
First, some basics. GFRIEND is a 6 member girl group that debuted in 2015 with the song "Glass Bead"
They kind of became popular off the schoolgirl concept
but quickly stood out with changes in that concept, vocal ability, and especially synchronized dancing as a whole.
They are originally from Source Music, but in 2019
Big Hit Entertainment bought the company and made them a sub label of the Big Hit Labels.
Due to the two companies having a very close history together
That is why you see GFRIEND's music videos now uploaded on Big Hit's Youtube channel
So let's move on to the members.
Sowon was born in 1995 in Seoul, South Korea.
As a student, Sowon's first kind of beginning in the arts or dance was joining her high school's cheerleading team
We really don't know how she transitioned from that into K-POP
But Sowon early in her training career started at DSP media
Home to iconic groups in K-POP like Fin.K.L, KARA, and most recently KARD.
Speaking of KARD, since Sowon was a trainee at DSP media back in 2010
She trained along what would be future members of the coed group KARD
Which means Sowon might have debuted with them if she stayed
Imagine Sowon singing Litty dumb litty bang that drum, I mean
After training in DSP media for 4 years and appearing as an actress in the "To me" music video for Rainbow
Sowon left to later join Source Music.
Training there for another year, Sowon was called GFRIEND's Golden Visual.
Especially with her height of 5' 8" making her one of the tallest k-pop idols out there
Alongside her god-given beauty. Sowon along with SinB is one of the members that learned new choreography the fastest
So after 5 years of training, Sowon debuted as the leader of GFRIEND.
Yerin was born in 1996 in Incheon, South Korea.
Similar to many young korean kids, she really enjoyed K-POP naming SHINee and Girls Generation as her favorite groups.
Yerin almost instinctively followed the same path as many kpop idols these days do
Auditioning and attending the premier arts school in Korea called SOPA
The School of Performing Arts where she met a lot of other future K-POP stars and are still friends with many of them till this day
During her training time Yiren was well-rounded and had a bit of experience
Spending time as a trainee in Fantagio Entertainment and Cube Entertainment
Her path ultimately led her to join Source Music where the love of dance and, of course, k-pop finally gifted her a debut as the lead dancer of GFRIEND
Eunha was born in 1997 in Seoul, South Korea
Sadly, Eunha didn't have a regular childhood.
When she was 7, she was diagnosed with LCH or Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis by doctors
LCH is a rare disorder that happens when the body produces an excess amount of white blood cells
This can cause a long list of symptoms that could hinder your everyday life.
Luckily over time in regular treatments and checkups Eunha has been 100% cured.
With this clean bill of health, Eunha began to practice by joining the crazy dance academy and school
Also continuing with her regular studies Eunha found her way into LOEN Entertainment as a trainee in 2011
But would take a break from training however to finish up her education
She would come back to the training life by being one of the two GFRIEND members who famously trained in Big Hit Entertainment.
Yup, GFRIEND all the way back then were closely tied to Big Hit
After training there for only a year, Eunha was invited by Source Music's team leader at the time in 2014 to join the company
Since they were just starting to create what would become GFRIEND
Finally, Eunha joined the lineup and debuted as the lead vocalist of GFRIEND
Yuju was born in 1997 in Ilsan, South Korea
Although she had trouble with her eyesight in her childhood, Yuju had a talent for writing lyrics, composing, and yes, singing
So she quickly found herself on the stage and even on the stage of the popular competition show K-POP Star
This is where the story of JYP rejecting Yuju came from.
Not really from a JYP audition, but when Park Jinyoung was a judge on K-POP STAR
He didn't give Yuju a pass in the first round
Which led her to be eliminated, saying she sounded like a common singer
This didn't keep her down though as she continued to get better.
Becoming another trainee at LOEN Entertainment and then Source Music.
Yuju is known to have powerful vocals far from what is common
She also lends her voice to many dramas and shows today.
As the main vocalist, Yuju debuted in GFRIEND.
SinB was born in 1998 in Cheongju, South Korea
And she was almost destined to be a star when SinB was young and I mean young
She was a child model for kids clothing and she was even an ulzzang
Which basically means "best face" in Korean to provide a little bit more of an understanding of this term
This is a status given to people who are voted best looking by entering contests online
Where they are chosen by voters who believe they indeed have the best face
It is something very unique and that started in Korea with many notable idols that received that title are in K-POP groups today
And this status can even lead to K-POP companies finding their next big idol.
Back to SinB, she did quite a lot of work as a kid appearing on some tv shows
But as she got older SinB ended up on the path of K-POP
By being the other GFRIEND member who trained in Big Hit Entertainment.
You can even spot her as an extra in Jo Kwon's Music Video - I'm Da One
SinB would actually be in Big Hit for 5 years
Although this wouldn't be where SinB debuted
She moved over to Source Music and debuted as the main dancer and vocalist of GFRIEND
Last but not least
Umji was born in 1998 in Incheon, South Korea
From birth, Umji's future was already very very bright
Umji's family is pretty wealthy with her father being the CEO of a distinguished dentist group with numerous locations across Korea
Umji would go to an English preschool making her one of the two English speakers in GFRIEND, the other being Yuju
We really don't know what she wanted to study or do with her life until fate came along.
In the form of the CEO of Source Music actually stopping Umji on the street out of nowhere
And inviting her to audition for the company.
It's crazy to imagine that these people's lives can take a turn just like that
Umji did indeed pass and join Source Music as a trainee where she trained for one year, one of the shortest training times anyone in the group had.
Debuting as the lead rapper, vocalist, and maknae of GFRIEND
And that's it for me guys
And that's it for this video
Hopefully you enjoyed and hopefully you learned a little bit more about GFRIEND.
Believe it or not, GFRIEND is up there with one of my favorite groups, like their music
I remember specifically like I was having anxiety and I listened to like the most recent GFRIEND album at the time
And I was like, oh my god
My heart is at peace
Let me know down in the comments what you learned and especially your GFRIEND bias.
Uh, I got to say, it's Yuju.
If you didn't know, I love her voice.
It's so powerful, man, not only that.
She's like
She's like a human specimen. You know, I can't even, I can't look, I can't look
I can't look.
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Sorry, y'all it doesn't look like we're going to have a 'What Happened video' for tomorrow for Friday
But i'll come back next week with a brand new one
If you haven't, checked out my previous one, What happened to Infinite, such an amazing story
Check it out. If you haven't already.
Also check out another video on how KPOP groups are formed, maybe BLACKPINK right here
But yeah that's it. Hopefully you enjoyed and have a fantastic weekend. I'll catch you guys in the next one