Grit and glamour: Behind-the-scenes docuseries asks what it takes to become a K-pop idol

By Lex Harvey, CNN

(CNN) — A new docuseries gives viewers an intimate look at the lives and struggles of K-pop stars, exploring the true cost of making it in South Korea’s cut-throat music industry.

Apple TV+’s “K-Pop Idols” follows Jessi (Jessica Ho), a Korean American rapper forging a new path after leaving “Gangnam Style” artist Psy’s record label; girl group Blackswan, on the quest for global stardom but set back by interpersonal conflicts; and rookie Cravity, a nine-member boy band trying to make a name for itself after debuting during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While Jessi has been on the Korean music scene since releasing her debut single in 2005, Cravity is a splashy newcomer trying to carve out its own style and space in a crowded market. Blackswan has existed for more than a decade with different members and names, but is trying to find its way in its current iteration, which evolves as the show develops.

South Korean cultural exports have exploded over the past decade, with super-groups like BTS and Blackpink topping international music charts and K-drama series achieving mass popularity on streaming platforms.

Following the performers as they embark on world tours, share emotional moments and undergo grueling hours-long training sessions, the new show offers insight into the highly competitive, multibillion dollar industry that holds its young stars to extremely high standards.

K-pop idols, many of whom begin training as young teens, are often subjected to intense pressure from their strict management, a work culture that has been linked to a mental health crisis in the industry. Several K-pop stars have taken their own lives in recent years, prompting outpourings of grief from fans.

Mental health struggles

One of the major storylines centers on the conflict between Blackswan members Leia (Larissa Ayumi Cartes Sakata) and Fatou (Fatou Samba), which begins when Leia posts on social media that she is bored during a social gathering at Fatou’s family home after the group’s first concert in Brussels.

Leia later says she found the gathering hard because she missed her own family back home in Brazil, a struggle she discusses at length throughout the series. She also addresses her depression, and the stigma that comes with speaking openly about mental health.

“I know I am sick,” the Brazilian singer said. “Here in Korea, depression is not a sickness.”

In another vulnerable moment, an emotional Jessi speaks about the sacrifices that come with the job, particularly in terms of prioritizing work over relationships.

“When I go back home (to) Korea, I go back to an empty house,” Jessi tells viewers. “It’s so lonely. I thought this was a pretty dream, but it wasn’t.”

The series also documents the K-pop industry’s recent efforts to increase the genre’s global appeal by recruiting foreign talent.

In June, South Korea’s finance ministry announced that the country would soon launch a new visa scheme, called the “K-Culture Training Visa,” for foreigners who want to train in K-pop dancing, choreography and modeling.

Having started as a Korean-only band, Blackswan’s ever-evolving lineup is today exclusively made up of overseas-born members.

Gabi and Sriya beat thousands of young women to become Blackswan “trainees,” in large part due to their nationalities according to Philip YJ Yoon, director of DR Music, the company that manages the group.

Gabi’s home country, Brazil, is one of K-pop’s biggest markets outside South Korea. And India, where Sriya is from, is the world’s most populous country — and somewhere K-pop is starting to make inroads.

The women undergo six months of backbreaking training in Korean language, rap, dance, and much else, testing not only their physical capabilities, but their mental resilience as well.

Labels also face challenges when recruiting foreign K-pop stars, according to Yoon Deung-ryeong, DR Music’s founder and CEO – one of them being the looser reins expected by band members.

“With other K-pop groups or girl groups, the company heavily controls the members. If the company says ‘don’t fight,’ they won’t fight,” he says in an early episode, referring to the conflict between Leia and Fatou.

“But, with a multinational group, everyone’s language, culture and the way they express themselves is different. So, it doesn’t make sense to try to control them the way Korean groups are controlled.”

High standards

Another topic in the show is the body image standards all K-pop idols must adhere to, and the extreme measures required to achieve it. The stars frequently speak about how little they eat and how much they train, even as their parents express concern.

Gabi and Sriya are both placed on diets when they begin training – Gabi to lose weight, Sriya to gain it.

Elsewhere, Cravity vocalist Wonjin says that when he first auditioned for his entertainment agency, Starship, he was instructed to lose weight, so he only ate one egg a day for two weeks, shedding 15 pounds.

These tougher scenes are interspersed with moments of levity: the heartwarming friendship between Gabi and Sriya, a touching embrace between Fatou and her mother, the brotherhood between the Cravity members, the excitement of fans and the artists’ high-octane performances.

Blackswan’s Fatou told CNN in an e-mail that filming the series was “freeing because we had an outlet for all of our bottled-up emotions.”

“I felt like the camera was my therapist,” added Sriya.

Blackswan’s members said they hoped the series would humanize K-pop artists in viewers’ eyes.

“We are not perfect, and we go through just as many hardships as anyone else,” said group member NVee, also by email. “But we still persevere because of our love for music.”

“K-Pop Idols” is available on Apple TV+ from August 30.

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CNN’s Jessie Yeung contributed reporting.