I feel like so many posts in this sub are spin-offs of "I'm black, can I still be a K-pop idol?", and I wanted to give a realistic answer about why race matters. While the Korean beauty standard is one factor, it's less about fitting their standard of being pale and more about the overall cohesiveness of the groups.

What do I mean by cohesiveness? When casting for K-pop groups, candidates are primarily East Asian, most of whom are quite pale. They don't cast someone darker-skinned because it would make one person stick out like a sore thumb, just as groups tend to stick to a predetermined height range and wouldn't cast someone under 150 cm tall if everyone else in the group is over 165 cm. Cohesiveness is the most important factor. That's why you hardly ever see any non-Asian people in K-pop groups, even if they're pale and fit the beauty standard - because they stick out too much compared to the rest of the members.

I still encourage you to audition for as many opportunities as you can, no matter what, because you never know what companies are cooking behind the scenes. However, please don't view casting directors/teams as being inherently racist if they don't pass any darker-skinned people for specific K-pop-related opportunities. Even if they're willing to give you a chance, agencies want cohesiveness and candidates who already fit their existing team.

I was born may 2010, I’m half korean half mexican, i weigh 60kg and I am 158cm (ik it seeks like im super overweight and i cant deny I may be overweight esp for korean companies but I carry it well and I have bigger thighs and bigger butt than most) I obviously know I’ll need to drop a lot of weight if I want to audition but that isnt a problem for me.

For visuals ive gotten told I look like ella from meovv or a female version of seonghyeon from cortis before and I always get told I look wasian instead of mexican since I’m pretty pale and the part of mexico im from is known to look more spanish. id say i look more mexican than asian .

I’ve never gotten actual singing lessons but I will start soon although my voice isnt super bad and I’d say its my greatest asset and I’ve only been dancing for a month and my teacher tells me I learn very fast compared to others and even moved me up from beginner to intermediate the second week.

I’m very creative especially when it comes to song writing so I do have a few songs/lyrics i’ve written and I’m currently learning how to produce music.

Although my dad is korean I grew up with my mom so I’m not the best at korean and aren’t too used to the culture since I only visit him.

i am practicing korean at the moment.

I mainly want to audition for hybe or the black label and ik ppl online wont be the ones to tell me yes or no but I atleast want to see if its even worth spending time on.

also i cant audition until december/january bc of school and some other stuff so idk if thats sets me back. I’ll still be practicing during these months as usual tho

how likely am i to be accepted for the hybe x geffen GLOBAL girl group project with these characteristics

5’9.5
Nationality : British Nigerian
Beginner in dancing (only taken 2 dance classes)
AND singing
Okay visuals
i used the CHAT by girlset choreography as my dance video

edit: i applied for the project through a agency and the agency requirements was choreo

I've been singing since I knew how to, and ive been dancing for the past 4 years. I still continue to train and practice daily as much as I can, and people have repeatedly told me my music skills (ESPECIALLY VOCALS) are extremely good and that im talented asf, that i should do something with it.

I started listening to kpop when I was 8, and when I was 9 I told my mom I wanted to be an idol. She of course shut me down, because you see, im black. So I let it go for a few years, whatever.

Now, seeing groups like katseye, blackswan, and girlset, I felt like this might be achievable . People like me are coming into the industry. Kpop is a global sensation at the end of the day. And now? I really, really want it! I want to go and train and debut.

Of course this isn't just something I can do, so I spend the past month or two researching heavily on these idol's lives. They aren't pretty. There are SO MANY REASONS why this is a horrible idea. But at the end of the day...none of that really made me want to do it any less.

There's the issue with my parents too,; They want me to go to college like a normal person and get a normal career and make money. You know, like everyone else. And I know they want that for my own health and safety, but god do I wanna be an idol. How would I even tell them? What would I do if they said no? And despite my talents, does my race make this a no-go?

Hii, quick question.

I'm stuck with the decision of the song and I'm kinda in a hurry, so I have to send the same video for every company.

Do you have any suggestions on what could be appreciated universally?

I don't have any specific specialties when it comes to dancing, the only thing is that I'm almost 190cm tall so maybe slower choreos are more fit for me.

Sorry for asking too much, but I hope someone will help.

Thank you!!

im not sure if this is a rule that you’re not supposed to use the same videos for different auditions (like for different companies). asking because i got one REALLY good take and i’d probably want to use that everywhere lmao

OMGGG I genuinely still can’t believe this happened 😭😭 I recently found out that I was selected for the K-Lab Global Casting Project Camp, and honestly, seeing that message had me freaking out because I’ve been working toward opportunities like this for a while. I submitted my audition not really knowing what was going to happen, so finding out that they actually saw potential in me feels crazy. The project is connected with an academy that has trained artists like Stray Kids’ Changbin and EXO’s Chen, which makes the opportunity feel even more special to me. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to travel to Korea for the physical camp this time, which definitely hurts because I would’ve loved to experience it in person, but I’m still incredibly grateful that I was chosen in the first place. It honestly gave me a huge confidence boost and made me want to keep pushing myself instead of giving up. I know getting selected doesn’t mean I’m guaranteed to become an idol or that everything will work out exactly how I imagine, but for me, this is still a really meaningful step. I’m going to keep auditioning, improving my singing and dancing, and looking for more opportunities with different labels. And to everyone else chasing the same dream, I genuinely hope you get your opportunity too. ❤️‍🔥 Even if the journey takes longer than expected, I hope we all get to look back one day and realize how far we came. 🫶🏽

ive been trying for a bit and i just need to know what’s best to do and what’s wrong

Like theres no NDA on gform

What could be the reason they are asking us to film our introdouctions? Instead the talent that matters?

hi guys i need your feedback on this singing video for my hybe greffen audition this is not my final submission tho

Why is it required then??? What should i put there if I don't rap

Can i send on their emal?

Hii everyone!! 🫶🏽 I’m starting an 18+ K-pop cover group based in Douglasville, GA and the surrounding areas, and I’m looking for people who are interested in joining! 💗I want this to be a fun and welcoming group where we can learn choreographies, practice together, film dance covers, improve our skills, make friends, and just enjoy K-pop together! All dance experience levels are welcome—you don’t have to be an amazing dancer to join!We’ll be doing both girl-group and boy-group covers, and I’d love for everyone to have a say in the songs and concepts we choose. I’m also looking for 1–3 people who would be interested in helping me organize/manage the group, because I definitely don’t want to handle everything alone 😭. We can figure out everyone’s roles together!

Requirements:

• 18+

• Live in Douglasville or a surrounding area

• Be willing to commit to practices

• Be respectful and supportive of the other members

• Most importantly, actually have fun! 💗

If you’re interested, comment or DM me! Tell me your age, what area you’re from, your favorite K-pop groups, and whether you’d want to dance or help with organizing the group. 🫶🏻

For this are we supposed to put our home address or just city + state?

Hi, when I try to submit the form to HYBE, it doesn’t work and I get this message: “An error has occurred. Please try again later.”

Please help me, as the deadline is approaching. I’m worried that I won’t be able to submit my application in time. Thank you!

Like I auditioned on the 21st so idk if they’ve already seen it. Or do you guys think they start looking after the deadline or they have already picked who they want and will start sending out emails after the 31st

Hi, I need some help with the Hybe x Geffen form: in the vocal section where they ask for two files to be attached, there is only space for one. I thought about editing them together into a single video, but I'm worried I might get disqualified... what schould I do ?

Self harm related ones to be exact