From BTS to EXO's Lay; 5 K pop stars who were once back up dancers to some famous idol groups

From being in the back to now stealing the spotlight; these K-pop idols had some humble beginnings for sure. Read on to find out.

Updated on Mar 30, 2021  |  11:04 PM IST |  1.8M
BTS members were back-up dancers to the girl group GLAM
From BTS to EXO's Lay; 5 K pop stars who were once back up dancers to some famous idol groups

What makes K-pop different from other music industries in the world is the extensive training members go through, before they make their debut as K-pop idols. Idols train rigorously, work on their dance, vocals and rap skills and practice diligently before they come into the limelight. It is their humble beginnings, that makes them different from other artists in the world. From being in the back to now stealing the spotlight, these k-pop idols had an adventurous, and frankly inspiring journey to stardom. We pick 5 K-pop stars who were once back up dancers to famous idol groups! 

1. BTS members

Surprised? It's true! Before they conquered the world as arguably the biggest artists in the world, BTS members embarked upon their journey with some humble beginnings. J-Hope and Jungkook were backup dancers for Jo Kwon’s live performances, while Jimin, Suga, J-Hope, and Jungkook worked with the girl group GLAM.

2. EXO's Lay

Want to know how Lay was inducted into SM Entertainment? Simple, his amazing dance performances. Lay was a backup dancer for SHINee's Ring Ding Dong. We love legends meeting legends!

3. MONSTAX's Shownu

Fans may know him as the talented and inspiring leader Shownu of MONSTA X, but he once served as a back-up dancer for Lee Hyori and her song, Bad Girls.

4. Kang Daniel

A successful idol-entrepreneur today, Kang Daniel was once a back-up dancer for FIESTAR’s Cao Lu and SPICA’s Sihyun even before appearing on the competition reality show. Talk about humble beginnings to super-stardom.

5. IZ*ONE's Eunbi

There have been few and far in between successful female idols, who were once famous back-up dancers, one such inspiring idol is IZ*ONE's Kwon Eun Bi! Eun Bi was a back-up dancer to Girl's Day. On an episode of ‘Amazing Saturday,’ Eunbi reunited with Girl’s Day member Hyeri, who mentioned that Eunbi had dreamed of becoming a singer while she was a backup dancer. Talk about life coming to a full-circle.

ALSO READ: BTS speak up against hate crimes towards the AAPI community; Recall moments when they faced racism themselves

How do you like our list? Share your thoughts with Pinkvilla in the comments below.

Credits: Woolim Entertainment,Getty Images,Instagram

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