April 30, 2025 • 41 mins
In this powerful episode, Beomhan pulls back the curtain on one of K-pop’s most hidden truths—what it really takes to become an idol, and the emotional journey of those who don’t make it.From grueling training schedules to the pressure to be perfect, Beomhan shares his own experiences and explores the unseen side of the industry—the dreams, the sacrifices, and the heartbreak.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
You know, everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the K Factor Everything k Pop. First
to Buy Bomhan. This is a podcast about everything K pop.
We're going to pull back the curtain and bring you
guys into the world of idols, musicians, songwriters, choreographers, and
this is a deep dive into the making of an idol.
I am your host, Bomhan, and I have been a
(00:33):
trainee for the past six years and I am now
pursuing a solo career here in America, and I kind
of want to give you guys my personal experience, my
personal anecdotes and everything that I experience kind of going
through the system of K pop.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
So what a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Don't understand is that for every successful group that you
see performing these big stages like Mama, Coachella, Lallapalooza, like,
there are thousands of groups that didn't make it. And
I kind of want to pull back the curtain on
what are some of the hardships that would result in
a group not being able to make it? What are
(01:08):
some of the setbacks and the challenges And I'm going
to give you my personal experience. Okay, so about six
years ago, I moved to Korea and as a kid
from New York. I didn't speak a word of Korean.
And there's a bunch of international trainees who go through
this as well. And actually, later we're going to have
a guest who was part of one of the big
(01:28):
three companies and trained for years, moved there when he
was fourteen and kind of had a bad experience and
it came back to America. So we're going to be
talking to him a little bit later in the episode
or making them an idol. But right now, this is
my personal experience. Right I moved to Korea into a
smaller company and I didn't speak.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
A word of Korean.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I literally got there and I was like, where are
the subtitles? And I went to the dorm and I
saw a little dog and I was like, oh, hello dog,
And then the dog barked back in and he spoke
more Korean than I did. That the owners would go
to me like son kitado ottadawa, Oh, what is a
dala wa?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
What is a sultan? You know?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
So that was my experience, and they kind of like
put me through like an intensive language learning program where
I was like learning five hundred words a day and
they would like give me tests like kind of like
a couple of days later, and I have to like
be like okay, like I would get four hundred words
out of five hundred on a good day maybe, and
we would do this every single day. And all this time,
(02:31):
I was like seventeen years old. You know, I'm dealing
with the emotions of leaving home, like first time, kind
of being removed from my family, and just kind of
like like, Okay, I feel lonely. You know, I'm in
this new country and no one speaks English. I can't
be friends with anyone here. And we're just training every
(02:51):
single day. And I actually brought my old training schedule
for you guys, So I'm we're gonna put it up
on the screen if you guys are watching visually, but
if you're listening, check this out.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Okay, this says Boomhan.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
One week plan, all right, ten am, wake up, ten
am to eleven am. I get a shower, have my
meal clean or whatever. So I asks for an hour,
and then from eleven to eleven thirty we'll go to
the practice room. Like we'll kind of bike there or
like have someone drive. That's thirty minutes, okay, and eleven
thirty to two we have Korean study, so I get
to study these words that they give me like five
(03:23):
hundred words a day, and they're like boom Boomhan. You
learn how to annual haseo and I'm like, oh, I'm
seo right, and then I do that right. And then
from two to three we have vocalization or pronunciation, which
is also like pronouncing Korean words, but we're like covering
rap songs, covering English songs in Korean, so I have
to learn how to pronounce these words right. So we
(03:44):
do that. Then from three to seven thirty we have
rap practice. Okay, cool, I get to rap. Boom, I'm
writing raps, I'm performing. And then we practice and we
have these evaluations where it's it's the it's the company's staff,
four of.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Them or however many in front of you.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
They have like their little boards, and then they're like, okay,
perform and you gotta go there and you gotta you
gotta perform and whatever they give.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
You, you just just do it and they give you a score.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
And in these bigger companies, you're kind of competing against
other trainees and like who does better on like the evaluations.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
However, for me, I was.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
The only treaty in my company. So I actually felt
a lot of pressure, but also like no pressure. I
was like, Okay, if I mess up, what are they
gonna do? Like hire someone else? Like I I run.
It's like if I was to like work at a
boboshop and like, what are you gonna do?
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Like fire me?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You know, so I'm the only employee, Like I like, okay,
your business is gonna you know. So I felt the
pressure of like I wanted to do well, but I
was like, I'm not competing against anyone here. So we
would do these evaluations and then that was to kind
of practice for it. Right then from seven thirty to
eight thirty, we have photo missions, and I think this
(04:57):
is something that I don't know if other companies do this.
But I had to do selfie practice. So I had
to take my phone. I had to take a selfie,
and then I would be like fifty to one hundred
selfies and then I would send it to my manager
and my manager would pick like like five or ten
or however many are like good and show off like
(05:18):
my features and then they're like, uh, okay, now do
this again.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
And then and I have to like recreate the seven.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Pictures and then and then at the end of the day,
I would have taken like three hundred selfies and then
like there'll be like two good ones.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
And I have to do this every single day.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
And then like they also have they combine it with
like this thing they call photo mission, and you just
had to like copy pictures at I don't think any
other pop stars in the world have to do that.
And then we'd write lyrics from eight thirty to one
third until eleven thirty and you're like, Okay, it's been
like twelve hours. You know, when does he get to
go home? Okay, I'm writing lyrics from a thirty to
eleven thirty and then okay, maybe it's time to go home.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Just kidding. Twelve forty to twelve o'clock, you.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Go to the dance practice room twelve o'clock like twelve am. Yeah,
then from twelve am to six am go to is
dance practice.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Go to the dance practice room and dance.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
So we're practicing from kind of ten am to six
am every single day. And this was my schedule seven
days a week except for on Sundays, I get to
go to church and I get three hours of rest
and that's just the training schedule, you know, not to
mention kind of the culture shock of learning a whole
(06:34):
new culture. There's a lot of things in Korea where
you have to respect your elders. You can't eat faster
than the oldest person in the room, your force and
your spoons have to be facing a certain way. And
I was like, I don't know any of this, and
when you mess up, a lot of times people wouldn't
tell you.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I was very blessed to be.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
In a welcoming environment where they knew that they were
kind of bringing in an American or someone who was
born and raised in America.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So they gave me a lot of grace with a
lot of the culture stuff.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
But I know a lot of stories a lot of people,
like with the guests that we have coming on later,
where these foreign trainees they wouldn't know the culture and
they wouldn't know like the little hidden rules where you
can't say certain things, where you can't like act as
certain we have to sit with like your hands on
your knees, like all this stuff right, and we don't
know this and a lot of us we pissed someone
off because they're like the why is this kid not
(07:25):
having his hands on his knees right now, and they
get blacklisted from the training and then they kind of
have like sit in like like like these kind of
like like like these away areas and they kind of
they're like secluded because they didn't follow the rules and
they just seem like a rude kid. But we're coming
from a different place, you know, like like we're chasing
(07:46):
our dreams and we moved here when we're fourteen, fifteen,
sixteen and all the only thing we're thinking about is dance.
But there's a bunch of different layers and that's one
of the little hardships, you know. And a couple of
years ago during my time, there was COVID, and COVID
had a huge impact on these foreign trainees who were
(08:09):
coming in because a lot of these smaller companies they
had a mass like firing, I guess of their international
trainees because they couldn't tour and a lot of their
sponsors were getting cut and like they were like, Okay,
(08:30):
we can't house you anymore, so you go home. And
a lot of trainees got let go during this time,
and I was one of them. So I auditioned from
a company and I moved to Korea and then COVID
hits immediately and they're like, oh, like you kind of
have to like go. I was like, what, like, we
(08:50):
can't afford you anymore. They were like oh okay. And
then I just went home and I would call my
other training friends and they're like, yeah, we actually just
literally went home too.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
And I was like, wait, well and I'll.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Call someone else and they're like, yeah, I'm in Boston
right now.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I'm like, what the heck, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (09:06):
You know?
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So I was like, Okay, is this how the dream ends?
Just like that?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
And sometimes it's just that quick, and then your dreams
are over and now you're back in America, you know,
except you spent you spent like three years in career already,
and you missed high school, you missed middle school, and
now you just have to go through with your regular life.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
You know, Like what is that like?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
And actually we have some insight, So please welcome our
guest who's going to talk about all the befoors, all
the durings and all the afters of what it was
like being a training.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Everybody, Please welcome my dear friend Anthony. Hello, what is up?
Speaker 3 (09:46):
It's it's been a minute, bro, it's been a fat.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
It's been a fat. I think I think we used
to hang out when you were like sixteen.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Yeah yeah, and when I was like young. Yeah dude,
I'm guess my age now, dude.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Oh dude, dude, Oh are you twenty eight.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Twenty one, twenty one? No long?
Speaker 4 (10:06):
No way, so long? What the heck? Oh my god, dude,
I remember we used to We used to train together.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Run down college and the little disteelings.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
And everything, and then we have the mirror eighty Georgia heat.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Oh my god, it was terrible.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
Mrrors from like Facebook marketplace for like ten bucks, no for.
We did a festival too. We were rapping about like
Korean barbecue and like Dan.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Yeah no, no, that almost fun though. I envied that
like a lot. Yeah that was fun. Man.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
What's up, man, how are you doing? Thank you for
coming on to my podcast.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
No problem, bro, No, it's honestly, it's an honor. It's
the Bohmont. Bro. I saw you grow man so much
when you went to Korea and everything. I'm just like, wow,
this guy's in no places. I'm so happy that you
grew to this extent.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
The whole time I was going to Korea, because you
went to Korea before I did. Right, the whole time
I was there, I was thinking about, like, dude, like
whatever I'm going through because I went when I was eighteen.
I was like, right, like like Anthony or or like
you go by June now like yeah, like like he
went through this when he was fourteen, So everything that
I was experiencing, I was like, no, it could be worse.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
You know, you know you a whole time dude, right right,
how was it for you? Like look for me?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Okay, I guess not so far off from what you
went through, Okay, but I know that a lot of
entertainments are different, like the way they run things, right,
and especially from what I heard from my other fellow trainees,
because they were like in and out a lot of
other companies. Right, the way they treat international trainees, I
(11:42):
guess back then. I don't know how it is now,
but back then they would treat it differently with me.
Not in a bad way, right, they just treated differently,
you know what I mean? But with my experience, like
I know some trainees are not allowed to have their
phones and everything like that, you know what I mean?
For me, They're like pretty lenient on me, you know,
because I'm like, I'm like a kid, and I like,
I just moved to Korea and everything I can like
(12:03):
somewhat speak Korean. Right, I wasn't as fluent as I
am now, but back then, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I was like communiate Korean.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Yeah, yeah, I am pretty yeah, but you were still
considered like an international trainee.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Technically because I was born in America, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Okay, Wow, English is like like, hey, let's start from
the beginning.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Okay, like, how did you even get into this company.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Because you're you're fourteen, You're like thirteen, You're like you're
running around playing for how did you end up in Korea?
Speaker 3 (12:31):
So pretty much, my uncle is actually has a lot
of connections in the industry. Okay, takes a lot of music.
He made music for like twice, I made music for
like all these big groups, right, and so he was like, hey, Anthony,
you have a lot of talent. Let's work on something, right.
So I started learning producing from him, okay, and I
(12:52):
started to learn like how to sing, and he gave
me points on how to dance because he used to
be an ex K pop idol back then and so
he tried to He technically took me under his wing
because he's like, oh, you have a lot of talent
and everything, like, I feel like you'll be really good
cay right, and I'm like I was interested in it.
So we trained for like I started training under him
when I was twelve, and then for two years we
(13:13):
were just training rigorlously rigorously. And then so and then
my uncle's like, here, I think you're ready to be, like,
I think you're ready to go into like entertayingment. Let
me let me hit on my boys, right, we can
do an audition and everything. And so I technically got
a private audition, right. And so, don't get me wrong,
I filed a lot of auditions. It took a lot
of time, right, but I've managed to get into CJ Entertainment, right,
(13:36):
which is why. And then I went to Korea, right,
and I went to under the company. I did all
this and that, right, and then I was training in
one of their facilities. Luckily for me, I lived with
my grandma there because she lived in Korea. So they
had a choice there, like do you want us to
move you in a dorm or do you want to
live with you like your family members. I was like, yeah,
all of my family members. But what's so bad is
(13:57):
that I had to take a two hour train ride
to the training facility while going to school, right, and
so CJ. They wrote like this letter to the school.
They're like, hey, please excuse Anthony for like the half
of the school day because he needs to go train
and stuff.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
You know what I mean, You're going to school.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
So they wrote, Yeah, I went to school in career. Yeah, yeah,
And when I went there, I gave them the note
and everything, right, and so I would My schedule essentially
will be I will wake up at seven am, right,
I'll walk over to school. The school walk is like
fifteen minutes, so it's not that bad. So I'll walk
over to school, right, and then after that, I would
(14:35):
I will mostly just sleep because I'm I'm not gonna lie.
Like in career, you can't fail a class. You literally
cannot fail, right, as long as you have like you
don't have a zero, you're not going to fail. So
I had like all my classes because I wasn't able
to understand Korean.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Yeah, kids, you're not bro.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
I had like a five or ten out of one hundred,
and my all my classes.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Yeah, I'm not even kidding. Even in English, right, in English,
I had a seventy reason reason why. It is because
the use questions are in Korean. Yeah yeah, but I
spoke English. But I looked at the question. I'm like,
it's in creating. I'm like, uh, Ryan calling off. I'm like,
what does that mean? Right? Yeah? So I'm just like
(15:15):
you screw it? And so I use like I use like,
I just I'm like, there's like a passage right that
you have to read. So I'm like, Okay, I'm reading it.
I know what's going on. And they're just like I
just see multiple choice answer. I'm just like, I'm just
guess I think it's Ryan. His name is Ryan, and
so I'm just like I'm just started circling Ryan. Right.
So that's like my only passing passing class technically, right right.
(15:36):
And so yeah, so anyways, back to the thing. So, yeah,
after I would leave school at twelve thirty, around twelve
thirty to one, right after lunch, and I would go
to the training training. I would go to the train
switch two trains or three trains two three trains, I
don't remember really, but I would take a two hour
train ride, and I have to have to keep switching
(15:56):
and everything. And that's a HiT's adjustment too, because I
was like, man, I guess crea, I kind of like
look for all these things. Right. Luckily I never managed,
like I never missed a single train ride in my life.
I would fall asleep in this train. I would just
wake up when it's my stop, and I'm just I'll
just go right. I don't know how I did that thing.
It's because my like, I think my body was asleep,
but my hearing was still like awake, you know what
I mean, four exactly, and I was at fourteen at
(16:19):
the time. Yeah, and so yeah, two hour chain ride.
Then I'll go to the training facility. I'll practice there
till like twelve to one, sometimes like later till then,
and I'll go back home with the two hour train ride.
Of one and a half hour train ride, right, and
then this is one go to sleep.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Yeah I'm around there, Yeah okay.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
And then sometimes I'll have to take a taxi because
like a lot of the trains will like stop at
the time, you know what I mean, So I would
take the taxi, right, But I feel like because Korea
is like relatively a lot safer than a lot of country.
My parents were okay with it, you know what I mean.
And so and also obviously it's because like I feel
like less vulnerable since I'm like more of like I'm
a guy rather than like a girl, you know what
I mean. And so I was like, okay, you know what,
(16:55):
I'm able to take a taxi later and I think
I'm fine, right, So I would do that and then
I would go home sleep I like two three am, right,
and then I would just repeat the same process day, okay,
and I would go to school and then I look
just mostly fled in class because I'm just like I'm
so tired for this, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
It was like going on in your head during this
because were you like feeling like lonely or you just
like kind of like focused or like.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Definitely lonely at times just because I wasn't able to
speak like, you know, fluently in Korea, right, And there
was a lot of misunderstandings with trainees on my fellow trainees,
but after I spoke to them, you know, and like
the thing is, they were amazing though. There's there were
great people, right, they love foreigners and everything, right, they
were super nice. They were like they always made sure
I ate and everything, and there were some times where
(17:40):
I was like I was like crap, like I forgot
what to bring my wall or they would just pay
for me, you know what I mean. Like yeah, they
were they were like super nice. I never had issue
with the trainees or anything like that, other than like
some instances where it's of miscommunication, I'll have to explain, Oh,
that's not what I meant, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So like culturally too, like like you like, growing up
in America, you don't have that like nun you know,
like you don't have that sense.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Exactly, yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, and you end up like
respending someone accidentally.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Right, Oh, Like I didn't really mean it like this,
but there's like certain people who are like who's gonna
take care of you?
Speaker 4 (18:11):
You know?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Like I also dealt with that a lot, like as
like an international training's like we're like like all like
like anything.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Culturally, like they were like you have to put your
spood in a certain.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Way, you have to like eat at the case of
the eldest at this table, like all these things were
such like a big culture shock, like this affects you
in your training too. You know, it's like it affects
how much training time you get, it affects how much
like attention you get from like the teachers.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
You know, it's pretty a huge thing. Yeah, yeah, I
feel like with my dance teacher, right, I guess my
personal experience, I don't think she liked me very much, okay, right,
but my vocal teacher was amazing. She was very nice.
But like I'm gonna be honest, so I have like
(18:55):
a BTS backup dancer that was actually helping me. Not really,
I want to say the teacher was helping me them
much because she mostly just talked choreo and she catered
to the other trainees. But this one, I'm still I
saw contact with him today. He's like an amazing He's
an amazing home right he I actually learned a lot of
dancing from him, and he taught me like a lot
(19:15):
of things I know today, you know. And yeah, like
he he's just he's like a top g bro. He's amazing.
I love that guy. And I think he's still doing
backup dancing. He's gonna debut in Japan actually, or I
think he's already debuted in Japan.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
You you met him uh in the company?
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Yeah, I met him in the company. He got like
switched around and everything.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Yeah, what was what was it like training in the company,
Like what was your day to day like in the company.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Day to day? Okay. So I would get into the
facility okay, right, and they have like you know the
young youngsu shiz right, Like they'll have the private training
rooms right that you can go into. Right. So I
went in there. I would just packice a little bit
and they have like set schedules for me. They were like, Okay,
this is the time where the lesson's gonna happen. Everyone
has to be there and everything like that, or like
they will split us up into groups. Okay, your group
A group your scoops or something like that, right, and
(20:02):
they'll be like, Okay, group A, you're gonna go in
there first, Group B, you're gonna switch out with them,
blah blah blah x y Z you know you know
what I mean. So that's like I guess how I
was training, right, because this is like a separate facility.
CJ owns a crap Ton facilities and then they just
put a lot of trainings into certain things, right, okay,
And so I would be let's just say, one day,
I'll be Goop Egg, one day I'll be Group C, right,
and I just depending on what time it will be,
(20:24):
I will go into the practice room and then they
have like a piano in there, right, and so I
was start doing my scales like a right, and then
I'll do the scales and everything right, and then a
lot of the times, the dance room was always so packed.
It was always so packed.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
Bro god, yeah yeah. And then the ones who are
oldest always gets to use it first, no.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Exactly, because that's like a respecting and career, you know
what I mean. Yeah, And so like I'm just like, damn,
I can't even practice dance that much, right, And so
I would just wait until it's time. So let's say
it will be five o'clock. That's when you can like
go into the dance room.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
There's a lot of waiting when you're the youngest.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
And you're from like when you're in you're a foreigner,
you're at like the bottom of the food chain exactly.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah. Yeah, you're literally the least prioritized. And then it's
the other people that has been here the long like
the longest longest, right, right, And I guess people that
they see has more potential, right. But luckily for me, right,
there was another guy that actually joined in at the
same time that I did. He got he had worse
than me, honestly, Yeah, me and him, we're really good friends.
(21:29):
We're literally the same age too, all right, But he
had it worse than me. Like, I think they favored
me a lot because when when they were wanted me
to be in the entertainment, right, and they put me
in that group, right, They're like, hey, Anthony, we have
a plan for you. We want you to be like
getting the produced one and won the new season. I
forgot which season it is, right, right, They're like, hey,
(21:50):
we want you to be in the new season. You're
not gonna win obviously, because I don't think you're as
good enough as many people, right, And I don't. I
didn't think I was good enough either. I was like,
there's nobody I can do like that. But they're like, hey,
we're gonna get your name out there, right and do
all this stuff, right, but like there's no that just
trained for that, you know, make sure you get like
improved fast, because this is gonna happen, like in the
year span. That's like after a year, that's when we're
(22:13):
gonna start like recording everything, and that's when we start
filming the thing. You have to like like you know,
get ready right, walk in. And I was like, okay, bet,
and so that was my opportunity. And I think that's
just because I was like a foreigner. I can speak English,
I can speak someone Korean, but they saw me as
like a cute, funny kid, right, and they're like, oh,
this is perfect for TV, right, And so that that
(22:33):
was that was my I guess that was like my
my future journey. I've had myself. So I was just
training and doing that. The other guy, I've got nothing bro,
was just like evaluate and it's like okay, next, you
know what I mean that that's what he was going through.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
They move to Korea and and and they're doing these evaluations.
They're taking the train two hours, but there's no hope
for them to debut, you know, and the but then
like there's kind of like derailing the whole life for
like no reason almost you know.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Yeah, pretty much. I mean yeah, because a lot of
the trainees, like none of them like yeah, like you said,
they don't debut and I know a lot of my
friends that you never debuted as well, So what what happened?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Like, what what led you back to America after like
this whole training thing?
Speaker 3 (23:19):
So pretty much, well, lend me back was so my.
Uh So someone was looking for me because my old
dance facility they uploaded some videos for something I don't know,
I don't remember entirely, but someone was looking for me
who shall not be named, right, okay, but they just
pretty much said, oh, I'm making American K pop entertainment
(23:42):
label or something like that. So then I got called
to go there, right. I didn't want to, right, but
because I was under age, right and everything like that,
my parents obviously from a parents' point of view, they
want me to like just come back to America and
live with them and everything, right, even if it cost
me my verythe tation but whatever, who cares. It's in
(24:02):
the past now, right. But I got into that label, right.
I didn't want to sign with them, but I mean
I had to. I was like, you know what, I'll
give them my all whatever. There were some things in
the contract and everything that I thought I had a
safe nut under, but it didn't. And they also I
(24:23):
guess that was a misunderstanding, right with the with my
schoolwork as well. The boss told me to do this
school program, which I did. Uh, it was not credited
at all, right, and so I essentially was two years
three two to three years behind school. And so when
I went to an actual school and tried to get
(24:44):
my credits for the time I did do school during
that time, I had no credits. Right.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
First of all, First of all, this thinks okay, but
I want you to know that I don't think you
deserve the credits from Korea anyway.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
You told me that from though it's not from Korea,
it was from an actual American homeschool thing. Oh oh, yeah,
that I differ two to three years. Yeah, that one
I did for two three years, and I tried to
go to an actual American school, right, and then they
could accredit me because that program was not credible. Pretty much,
so I wasted two three years, right, And essentially I
(25:23):
actually joined school as a senior as a freshman, like
I'm a senior about a freshman pretty much, wow, And
I would try to do school and everything right. But
then I mean I had to drop out because I
was turning nineteen, right, and so I had to drop
out and I just took the gd which I actually
(25:44):
got last year. So yeah, I finally got my GV
last year like beginning of last year. So I was
like set on that right.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
But pretty much the.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Training, I mean you were, I mean we were both
there right at the American Label. Yeah, it was, it was,
it was, it was it was something right, it was
where we met. Yeah, exactly, that's where you met. That's
when we got all close and everything. You know, we
went to Baldino's Yo, like crying like oh my god. Yeah,
(26:14):
that was that's when all experience happened.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
And that's why I like I thought, like to invite
you onto this podcast because I saw all the stuff
that you were going through in like school and like
all this stuff. I was like, damn, like like he
really got pushed back like four.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
Whole years in school because of the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
You know. Yeah, pretty much pretty much.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Yeah, And it's like like, if if you could if
you could give advice to someone who's listening right now,
if there was a kid who's like, oh my god,
like maybe maybe he or she is thirteen years old,
and like they they they want to pursue a dream
in k pop, and like, what would you say to
this person?
Speaker 3 (26:57):
Always just have a backup plan, right, I would say
one thing with our other boss, right or our boss right.
One thing that didn't make sense to me was that
whoever tells you you have to put all this in
there shouldn't be a backup plan. I think that's the
most BS thing that anyone can say. You can still
give your all into doing k pop, right, like you
(27:19):
should if you really want to make this into your career, right,
But if someone tells you you should not have a
backup plan, I'm just like, that makes no sense because
let's say you don't have control of what you can do.
You can just try and you know what I mean.
But let's say, hypothetically, if you're one of those trainees
that just trained for years and then you just don't
have anything up for it, right, Like, what are you
gonna do? You know, if you don't have a backup plan,
(27:40):
if you don't finish school and everything, like, what are
you gonna do? You know, if you don't pass high school,
which that almost was me, you know, but luckily I
did the GD I got it, I passed it and everything,
so I was good and even now, like you know,
my backup plan right now is I'm actually a teacher
at a new studio called K Dance Studios, right, an
amazing studio. We're growing so fast in Georgia, Atlanta, right,
(28:03):
John scrag everything right?
Speaker 4 (28:04):
What's their Instagram handle?
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Instagram? It's let me let me, let me show it
to you right now. As a matter of fact, it's, uh,
you're ready for this all right? Act So KAY Dance
Studio underscore, right, amazing studio. The boss there, he has
a big background of backup dancing background, danced for Chris Brown,
like Ussher and all those big people, even all these
(28:27):
other teachers that have a huge background. We have a dude,
we have an ex j pop idol too here right,
Like that was essentially my backup. But what I'm so
happy about is even when I went through that training
right in the American label, I actually met the boss,
like my dance boss from there, right, So I still
got something good out of everything, right, But I guess
(28:48):
back to like what the advice is, always have a backup, right,
and you have to really make sure are you willing
to put like you're all through it. You're gonna have
some hatters. You're gonna have some people that are gonna
like see all these things about you, right, you can't
let it get to your head, right, because even when
I was doing this stuff, right, there was a lot
of people like that were like fake friends to me
and said that I wasn't never going to be like
(29:08):
a good trainee and all that stuff like that. Right,
you got to keep a good mental you know, you
just get push through all that stuff, you know, and please,
I cannot reorate with this stuff. Have a backup plan.
If you don't, you're gonna just set yourself up for failure.
You really are, so I guess that's my my my
advice for everything like that.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
But like basically you're like you're you're saying, like, always
have a backup plan, and things aren't always going to
go the way that you expect it. And if you're
coming from a similar position where you're gonna be an
international trainee and you're moving far away, you're gonna be lonely.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
You're gonna have.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
To like go through things that a lot of people
don't around you don't understand. The people at home aren't
going to understand, and then you have to kind of
push through and like, remember why you're doing it exactly?
Ask what was it that motivated you to keep going?
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Oh? One is like not only because I want to perform, right,
but my parents have done so much for me in
my like because we were like little they were literally
like immigrants, right. We start from the motom right. We
lived in a one bedroom apartment and everything. I see
how hard they worked right to get us to the
place that we are. Essentially, it's like, sure, I want
(30:19):
to perform. I love creating music, I love doing all
this stuff. Right, And also on top of that, it's
like like I also do want to like retire my family,
you know, and everything like that. I don't want them
to worry about like money or anything like that. And
also because I want to make my dad proud because
he also told me when I was very young, He's like,
I feel like you're going to go some places, you know,
(30:40):
because he because when I was a little kid, I
actually like played piano by myself, right, Like I was like,
I like, I just watch YouTube videos of people playing
and I would just mean the prodigy.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
You're being super humble, but you're like a prodigy, Like
it's pretty incredible.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
I wouldn't say that, no, no, no, because I mean,
like I mean I stopped producing and everything like that.
It's it's been a minute.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
I was there. I was like, oh my god, guys
literally sorry, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
But I mean yeah, I just did like little piano
and everything. My dad really pushed me to become like
in the music business, right. He knew there's something in me, right,
and he's like, I literally feel like you can do
something out of this, right, And so that's what pushed me,
you know. It's like all these people like pushed me
right to become the person that I am during that
time and as I am today, right, I still have
(31:23):
that goal of like retiring my parents and everything like that,
you know, and essentially, yeah, that's I just want to
like care for my family and like make a difference
in the world. Right. And I was like so close
because I was going to produce, produce, I was gonna debut,
debut and see the produce one one thing, right, But
then it was just really discouraging the fact that I
(31:45):
got taken away just like that, you know, and then
I was stuck in the American thing. I was most
depressed moments of my life one hundred percent I was
going through. You were literally there, and I was to
you every day. I'm just like, oh my god, I'm
I'm gonna crash out, bro, And You're just like, no, no,
you're good. You're good. Bro, You're good, You're good. No, no, no, no,
Let's go get some fun. Let's get some Baldino's real quick,
(32:07):
you know. So yeah, no, but I've met a lot
of good people. I met you, I met Mike Young
right the beatas backup dancer. I met my boss, right,
I met a lot of great people from all this.
So I guess, I guess if let's say some people
some people out someone out there is that's some thing's
been in someone my situation. Try to take the dif
from bed right, trying to make like the bads, you know,
(32:29):
just sign where that all right, you can move on
from it, all right, but take the different.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
The situations are gonna happen, and like it's never a
straight road to the end. And I was actually thinking
about your story when I was in Korea because I
experienced something super super similar, like uh like they were like, okay,
uh this kids, he's international, he's born Chinese. And then
(32:53):
there's a there's a sur bival show program that was
coming up.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I remember you talked about that.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Yeah. Yeah. It was a huge show, the biggest one
in China. And then they casted me directly and they're like, okay,
uh you Bohan, We're gonna change your name to Bohan.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
You know, I'm gonna debut in China.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
And I'm like, you're gonna start training for all this stuff, right,
So we went through a special training program for this
show and they're like, Okay, this training has this opportunity
to do this.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
And then COVID came and.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Then like they they denied all visas from America and Korea,
and then just like that, everything started crumbling down. And
then now my company didn't have a backup plan, and
I didn't have a backup plan, you know. And then
and then a bunch of trainees during that time got
sent home. And that was also like the most depressing
time of my life too. I was like walking around,
(33:42):
I was sitting in shopping carts listening to like Barbin
Room by Drake and my headphone up to the Rose,
you know, and it's like, just like that, I would
have been down too, Like I would have not have
gone to college you know, and then I would have
to go home and like find a new thing. But
then for me, like my backup plan, like like it's
(34:02):
funny that you episide backup plan so much like my
backup plan with social media, you know, I was like, Okay,
I'm gonna start a TikTok. Then watch this like I'm
not gonna let you take this away from me. I'm
gonna start people doing this like you're like, Okay, I'm
gonna dance, you know. And then that my TikTok like exploded,
and my company like they're like, yo, like we can
(34:22):
do something out of this. And then from that backup plan,
we we built everything that we have now, right And
you bro.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Man, I remember like like again, we would go so
far back from the Meriton label and everything, and I've
just seen you girl. I'm just like, damn, what a guy.
What a guy. I'm so proud of him, you know.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
And you you have so much influence in that path too,
So I'm really grateful that you're able to like kind
of join me on this podcast. Yeah, And it's like
I hope that like like the same way that your
story inspired me, and I hope that my story can
like kind of push you to keep going to you know,
I hope that you find some crazy big job or
something that like.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
Motivating to keep going. This this is what it's about.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Yeah, dude, I hope so too. Yeah. I guess like
right now, what I'm doing too is so I'm actually
currently in the studio right, like the dance studio. I'm
technically scouting right because I want the kids here that
want to do capop and everything like that. I'm actually
trying to give them a chance because I have all
these connections now with like the capeop industry and stuff
(35:25):
like that. My uncle, I have like all these other
people which I'm not a name, but I have all
these other people, right, And essentially I'm like, because they're
they're actually asking me, Hey, we actually want some more
international kids. Do you have any kids that may have
talent and everything like that right and that wants to
do kpop? And I have a few, a few, you know,
So I'm like, I'm actually currently working with the kids
right now, and I'm like, oh, do you guys want
(35:47):
to do this? This is like a good opportunity. It's
not a guarantee that you guys will pass. However, we
can set up maybe a private audition or something like that,
so your chances would be a lot easier to get in,
you know. So I'm just trying to make a difference, right,
and like I guess, give kid, it's opportunities as well.
How like how the opportunity was so easy for me,
you know, because my uncle and everything. I'm like, you
know what, I want to, like spare my wings, you know.
(36:08):
Let's let's see if anyone else can get in and everything,
and hopefully they can pursue their dream.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Dis Well, Okay, let's say there's someone listening, all right,
and they're like, man, I busted down on the dance floor.
You know, I can hit some notes, you know, and
they want to. They want to, they're interested in this.
Where can they find you?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
It's so I'm located in John's Creek right in Georgia. Right,
it's at at KA Dance Studios. Right. The thing is,
I want to reiterate this, y'all.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
All right.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
The thing is it's do not bug the other instructors,
all right, it's just me personally, Okay, do not bug them.
If you guys want to follow our dance studio, please
do right, We're growing very rapidly. We have an awesome studio.
Do not just come here just to like talk to
me or like think you can just get an opportunity
for me. Okay, please don't do that, all right, Just
come to the studio, try to dance to all right.
(36:58):
It's so it's so nice there, all right. We have
amazing people. All the students there too are very nice.
We never have issues, all right, Just come on through
dance and everything like that, all right, don't don't just
just don't just come to be like Anthony, can I
get a prime? Please don't do that, please don't. All right,
it was like six years you haven't changed at all.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
Really, guy, I love you so much. Bro, I love
you too.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Bro. Yeah no, I literally like my older brother too
and everything that really brothers from my whole.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Literally when I left the company, I was so sad,
like I felt like I lost like my best friend.
And then I felt that there's like rules that like
we can't talk and stuff, and I just had to
move on.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
And I was just like going to Korea, like you know.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
What's you know what's crazy though, right, dude? That same
day when that like when you have to leave and
everything that the boss actually came to my house personally
and was like telling me to not talk to you
and stuff like that, right, And she was like like
check my phone and everything too, right, and it's like, oh,
you don't talk to them and everything right. And I
(38:05):
was like trying. I was like what what why?
Speaker 4 (38:06):
Why?
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Why? Why? What the hell? Right? I'm just like what
what what do you do? Right? And but anyways, that's
that's like a whole other thing. But yeah, I was
I was pretty I was pretty upset about it.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
All right, man, thank you, thank you for your time. Yeah,
of course, anything you want to say to the audience
with people watching before we go, I just want.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
To say, y'all pull up to the studio. It's super
fun if you guys want to go into my personal
lessons or not like like private lessons, but like my
actual lessons. Right, I'm on, I'm on Saturdays. Right, I'll
be teaching on Saturdays, right, four forty five, six o'clock.
And really, just like if you guys want like a
very good vibe environment of like a dance studio with
(38:51):
all levels, pull up to the studio, all right. It's
it's so it's such a vibe, it really is. And
our instructors are super nice and everything. You have any questionquestions,
you know, you guys can always talk to them, right,
And they also have amazing backgrounds too. I feel like
mine is like nothing compared to them. Like we got
an XJ pop idol, people that dance. Sure, we have
a Disney channel. It's personnel, it's some Disney channel. Right.
(39:12):
In the Descendants movie, she danced in the in the
in those movies and everything. She's the backup dance and
everything there too. Yeah, we have these crazy people, right.
I'm just like, oh my god, these guys are insane, right,
and I'm just like, I have an x K pop
training hello everyone, So yeah, you guys should have to
pull up. And dude, I just want to say thank
you for putting me on the podcast, Like it's it's
amazing talking to you again because I know you're so busy,
(39:34):
you know, and also just meet being here, It's like
it's truly an honor, dude, Like, I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
I think what you're doing with the dance studio is amazing.
And I remember being in Georgia and being like, yo,
there's nothing to do. Yeah, you know, yeah, like being
able to bring that to a community and like it's
a little bit outside of Atlanta, you know, so like
it's like a little bit more tight. I think what
you're doing for the community is amazing. So I hope
(40:00):
that people can come and check out the studio. I
appreciate it, support you and support all the other amazing talent.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
Last thing, last thing, I learned a lot of my
dances from this guy right here from from from Boom Hunt.
He's actually insane. It's a great dancer, bro Sudden. When
I was at that that entertainment, right, I learned a
lot of my stuff from this guy, all right. He
he was literally the dance teacher. I'm not even gonna lie,
he literally was. And then he left and I was like, Fred, now,
(40:29):
who am I gonna learn dance? And then I have
to teach myself. But a lot of the stuff I
gotta give this man Pops from the stuff that he
taught me. You know, so very thank you for that,
so very very un.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Later figure all right, that was Anthony.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Thank you guys for listening to the K Factor everything
k top posted by Bompa and I'll see you Guys
next week,
You know, everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the K Factor Everything k Pop. First
to Buy Bomhan. This is a podcast about everything K pop.
We're going to pull back the curtain and bring you
guys into the world of idols, musicians, songwriters, choreographers, and
this is a deep dive into the making of an idol.
I am your host, Bomhan, and I have been a
(00:33):
trainee for the past six years and I am now
pursuing a solo career here in America, and I kind
of want to give you guys my personal experience, my
personal anecdotes and everything that I experience kind of going
through the system of K pop.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
So what a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Don't understand is that for every successful group that you
see performing these big stages like Mama, Coachella, Lallapalooza, like,
there are thousands of groups that didn't make it. And
I kind of want to pull back the curtain on
what are some of the hardships that would result in
a group not being able to make it? What are
(01:08):
some of the setbacks and the challenges And I'm going
to give you my personal experience. Okay, so about six
years ago, I moved to Korea and as a kid
from New York. I didn't speak a word of Korean.
And there's a bunch of international trainees who go through
this as well. And actually, later we're going to have
a guest who was part of one of the big
(01:28):
three companies and trained for years, moved there when he
was fourteen and kind of had a bad experience and
it came back to America. So we're going to be
talking to him a little bit later in the episode
or making them an idol. But right now, this is
my personal experience. Right I moved to Korea into a
smaller company and I didn't speak.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
A word of Korean.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I literally got there and I was like, where are
the subtitles? And I went to the dorm and I
saw a little dog and I was like, oh, hello dog,
And then the dog barked back in and he spoke
more Korean than I did. That the owners would go
to me like son kitado ottadawa, Oh, what is a
dala wa?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
What is a sultan? You know?
Speaker 2 (02:09):
So that was my experience, and they kind of like
put me through like an intensive language learning program where
I was like learning five hundred words a day and
they would like give me tests like kind of like
a couple of days later, and I have to like
be like okay, like I would get four hundred words
out of five hundred on a good day maybe, and
we would do this every single day. And all this time,
(02:31):
I was like seventeen years old. You know, I'm dealing
with the emotions of leaving home, like first time, kind
of being removed from my family, and just kind of
like like, Okay, I feel lonely. You know, I'm in
this new country and no one speaks English. I can't
be friends with anyone here. And we're just training every
(02:51):
single day. And I actually brought my old training schedule
for you guys, So I'm we're gonna put it up
on the screen if you guys are watching visually, but
if you're listening, check this out.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Okay, this says Boomhan.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
One week plan, all right, ten am, wake up, ten
am to eleven am. I get a shower, have my
meal clean or whatever. So I asks for an hour,
and then from eleven to eleven thirty we'll go to
the practice room. Like we'll kind of bike there or
like have someone drive. That's thirty minutes, okay, and eleven
thirty to two we have Korean study, so I get
to study these words that they give me like five
(03:23):
hundred words a day, and they're like boom Boomhan. You
learn how to annual haseo and I'm like, oh, I'm
seo right, and then I do that right. And then
from two to three we have vocalization or pronunciation, which
is also like pronouncing Korean words, but we're like covering
rap songs, covering English songs in Korean, so I have
to learn how to pronounce these words right. So we
(03:44):
do that. Then from three to seven thirty we have
rap practice. Okay, cool, I get to rap. Boom, I'm
writing raps, I'm performing. And then we practice and we
have these evaluations where it's it's the it's the company's staff,
four of.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Them or however many in front of you.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
They have like their little boards, and then they're like, okay,
perform and you gotta go there and you gotta you
gotta perform and whatever they give.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
You, you just just do it and they give you a score.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
And in these bigger companies, you're kind of competing against
other trainees and like who does better on like the evaluations.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
However, for me, I was.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
The only treaty in my company. So I actually felt
a lot of pressure, but also like no pressure. I
was like, Okay, if I mess up, what are they
gonna do? Like hire someone else? Like I I run.
It's like if I was to like work at a
boboshop and like, what are you gonna do?
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Like fire me?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You know, so I'm the only employee, Like I like, okay,
your business is gonna you know. So I felt the
pressure of like I wanted to do well, but I
was like, I'm not competing against anyone here. So we
would do these evaluations and then that was to kind
of practice for it. Right then from seven thirty to
eight thirty, we have photo missions, and I think this
(04:57):
is something that I don't know if other companies do this.
But I had to do selfie practice. So I had
to take my phone. I had to take a selfie,
and then I would be like fifty to one hundred
selfies and then I would send it to my manager
and my manager would pick like like five or ten
or however many are like good and show off like
(05:18):
my features and then they're like, uh, okay, now do
this again.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
And then and I have to like recreate the seven.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Pictures and then and then at the end of the day,
I would have taken like three hundred selfies and then
like there'll be like two good ones.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
And I have to do this every single day.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
And then like they also have they combine it with
like this thing they call photo mission, and you just
had to like copy pictures at I don't think any
other pop stars in the world have to do that.
And then we'd write lyrics from eight thirty to one
third until eleven thirty and you're like, Okay, it's been
like twelve hours. You know, when does he get to
go home? Okay, I'm writing lyrics from a thirty to
eleven thirty and then okay, maybe it's time to go home.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Just kidding. Twelve forty to twelve o'clock, you.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Go to the dance practice room twelve o'clock like twelve am. Yeah,
then from twelve am to six am go to is
dance practice.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Go to the dance practice room and dance.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
So we're practicing from kind of ten am to six
am every single day. And this was my schedule seven
days a week except for on Sundays, I get to
go to church and I get three hours of rest
and that's just the training schedule, you know, not to
mention kind of the culture shock of learning a whole
(06:34):
new culture. There's a lot of things in Korea where
you have to respect your elders. You can't eat faster
than the oldest person in the room, your force and
your spoons have to be facing a certain way. And
I was like, I don't know any of this, and
when you mess up, a lot of times people wouldn't
tell you.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I was very blessed to be.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
In a welcoming environment where they knew that they were
kind of bringing in an American or someone who was
born and raised in America.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So they gave me a lot of grace with a
lot of the culture stuff.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
But I know a lot of stories a lot of people,
like with the guests that we have coming on later,
where these foreign trainees they wouldn't know the culture and
they wouldn't know like the little hidden rules where you
can't say certain things, where you can't like act as
certain we have to sit with like your hands on
your knees, like all this stuff right, and we don't
know this and a lot of us we pissed someone
off because they're like the why is this kid not
(07:25):
having his hands on his knees right now, and they
get blacklisted from the training and then they kind of
have like sit in like like like these kind of
like like like these away areas and they kind of
they're like secluded because they didn't follow the rules and
they just seem like a rude kid. But we're coming
from a different place, you know, like like we're chasing
(07:46):
our dreams and we moved here when we're fourteen, fifteen,
sixteen and all the only thing we're thinking about is dance.
But there's a bunch of different layers and that's one
of the little hardships, you know. And a couple of
years ago during my time, there was COVID, and COVID
had a huge impact on these foreign trainees who were
(08:09):
coming in because a lot of these smaller companies they
had a mass like firing, I guess of their international
trainees because they couldn't tour and a lot of their
sponsors were getting cut and like they were like, Okay,
(08:30):
we can't house you anymore, so you go home. And
a lot of trainees got let go during this time,
and I was one of them. So I auditioned from
a company and I moved to Korea and then COVID
hits immediately and they're like, oh, like you kind of
have to like go. I was like, what, like, we
(08:50):
can't afford you anymore. They were like oh okay. And
then I just went home and I would call my
other training friends and they're like, yeah, we actually just
literally went home too.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
And I was like, wait, well and I'll.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Call someone else and they're like, yeah, I'm in Boston
right now.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I'm like, what the heck, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (09:06):
You know?
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So I was like, Okay, is this how the dream ends?
Just like that?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
And sometimes it's just that quick, and then your dreams
are over and now you're back in America, you know,
except you spent you spent like three years in career already,
and you missed high school, you missed middle school, and
now you just have to go through with your regular life.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
You know, Like what is that like?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
And actually we have some insight, So please welcome our
guest who's going to talk about all the befoors, all
the durings and all the afters of what it was
like being a training.
Speaker 4 (09:37):
Everybody, Please welcome my dear friend Anthony. Hello, what is up?
Speaker 3 (09:46):
It's it's been a minute, bro, it's been a fat.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
It's been a fat. I think I think we used
to hang out when you were like sixteen.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Yeah yeah, and when I was like young. Yeah dude,
I'm guess my age now, dude.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Oh dude, dude, Oh are you twenty eight.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Twenty one, twenty one? No long?
Speaker 4 (10:06):
No way, so long? What the heck? Oh my god, dude,
I remember we used to We used to train together.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Run down college and the little disteelings.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
And everything, and then we have the mirror eighty Georgia heat.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Oh my god, it was terrible.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
Mrrors from like Facebook marketplace for like ten bucks, no for.
We did a festival too. We were rapping about like
Korean barbecue and like Dan.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Yeah no, no, that almost fun though. I envied that
like a lot. Yeah that was fun. Man.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
What's up, man, how are you doing? Thank you for
coming on to my podcast.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
No problem, bro, No, it's honestly, it's an honor. It's
the Bohmont. Bro. I saw you grow man so much
when you went to Korea and everything. I'm just like, wow,
this guy's in no places. I'm so happy that you
grew to this extent.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
The whole time I was going to Korea, because you
went to Korea before I did. Right, the whole time
I was there, I was thinking about, like, dude, like
whatever I'm going through because I went when I was eighteen.
I was like, right, like like Anthony or or like
you go by June now like yeah, like like he
went through this when he was fourteen, So everything that
I was experiencing, I was like, no, it could be worse.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
You know, you know you a whole time dude, right right,
how was it for you? Like look for me?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Okay, I guess not so far off from what you
went through, Okay, but I know that a lot of
entertainments are different, like the way they run things, right,
and especially from what I heard from my other fellow trainees,
because they were like in and out a lot of
other companies. Right, the way they treat international trainees, I
(11:42):
guess back then. I don't know how it is now,
but back then they would treat it differently with me.
Not in a bad way, right, they just treated differently,
you know what I mean? But with my experience, like
I know some trainees are not allowed to have their
phones and everything like that, you know what I mean?
For me, They're like pretty lenient on me, you know,
because I'm like, I'm like a kid, and I like,
I just moved to Korea and everything I can like
(12:03):
somewhat speak Korean. Right, I wasn't as fluent as I
am now, but back then, you know.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
I was like communiate Korean.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Yeah, yeah, I am pretty yeah, but you were still
considered like an international trainee.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Technically because I was born in America, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Okay, Wow, English is like like, hey, let's start from
the beginning.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Okay, like, how did you even get into this company.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Because you're you're fourteen, You're like thirteen, You're like you're
running around playing for how did you end up in Korea?
Speaker 3 (12:31):
So pretty much, my uncle is actually has a lot
of connections in the industry. Okay, takes a lot of music.
He made music for like twice, I made music for
like all these big groups, right, and so he was like, hey, Anthony,
you have a lot of talent. Let's work on something, right.
So I started learning producing from him, okay, and I
(12:52):
started to learn like how to sing, and he gave
me points on how to dance because he used to
be an ex K pop idol back then and so
he tried to He technically took me under his wing
because he's like, oh, you have a lot of talent
and everything, like, I feel like you'll be really good
cay right, and I'm like I was interested in it.
So we trained for like I started training under him
when I was twelve, and then for two years we
(13:13):
were just training rigorlously rigorously. And then so and then
my uncle's like, here, I think you're ready to be, like,
I think you're ready to go into like entertayingment. Let
me let me hit on my boys, right, we can
do an audition and everything. And so I technically got
a private audition, right. And so, don't get me wrong,
I filed a lot of auditions. It took a lot
of time, right, but I've managed to get into CJ Entertainment, right,
(13:36):
which is why. And then I went to Korea, right,
and I went to under the company. I did all
this and that, right, and then I was training in
one of their facilities. Luckily for me, I lived with
my grandma there because she lived in Korea. So they
had a choice there, like do you want us to
move you in a dorm or do you want to
live with you like your family members. I was like, yeah,
all of my family members. But what's so bad is
(13:57):
that I had to take a two hour train ride
to the training facility while going to school, right, and
so CJ. They wrote like this letter to the school.
They're like, hey, please excuse Anthony for like the half
of the school day because he needs to go train
and stuff.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
You know what I mean, You're going to school.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
So they wrote, Yeah, I went to school in career. Yeah, yeah,
And when I went there, I gave them the note
and everything, right, and so I would My schedule essentially
will be I will wake up at seven am, right,
I'll walk over to school. The school walk is like
fifteen minutes, so it's not that bad. So I'll walk
over to school, right, and then after that, I would
(14:35):
I will mostly just sleep because I'm I'm not gonna lie.
Like in career, you can't fail a class. You literally
cannot fail, right, as long as you have like you
don't have a zero, you're not going to fail. So
I had like all my classes because I wasn't able
to understand Korean.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Yeah, kids, you're not bro.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
I had like a five or ten out of one hundred,
and my all my classes.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Yeah, I'm not even kidding. Even in English, right, in English,
I had a seventy reason reason why. It is because
the use questions are in Korean. Yeah yeah, but I
spoke English. But I looked at the question. I'm like,
it's in creating. I'm like, uh, Ryan calling off. I'm like,
what does that mean? Right? Yeah? So I'm just like
(15:15):
you screw it? And so I use like I use like,
I just I'm like, there's like a passage right that
you have to read. So I'm like, Okay, I'm reading it.
I know what's going on. And they're just like I
just see multiple choice answer. I'm just like, I'm just
guess I think it's Ryan. His name is Ryan, and
so I'm just like I'm just started circling Ryan. Right.
So that's like my only passing passing class technically, right right.
(15:36):
And so yeah, so anyways, back to the thing. So, yeah,
after I would leave school at twelve thirty, around twelve
thirty to one, right after lunch, and I would go
to the training training. I would go to the train
switch two trains or three trains two three trains, I
don't remember really, but I would take a two hour
train ride, and I have to have to keep switching
(15:56):
and everything. And that's a HiT's adjustment too, because I
was like, man, I guess crea, I kind of like
look for all these things. Right. Luckily I never managed,
like I never missed a single train ride in my life.
I would fall asleep in this train. I would just
wake up when it's my stop, and I'm just I'll
just go right. I don't know how I did that thing.
It's because my like, I think my body was asleep,
but my hearing was still like awake, you know what
I mean, four exactly, and I was at fourteen at
(16:19):
the time. Yeah, and so yeah, two hour chain ride.
Then I'll go to the training facility. I'll practice there
till like twelve to one, sometimes like later till then,
and I'll go back home with the two hour train ride.
Of one and a half hour train ride, right, and
then this is one go to sleep.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Yeah I'm around there, Yeah okay.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
And then sometimes I'll have to take a taxi because
like a lot of the trains will like stop at
the time, you know what I mean, So I would
take the taxi, right, But I feel like because Korea
is like relatively a lot safer than a lot of country.
My parents were okay with it, you know what I mean.
And so and also obviously it's because like I feel
like less vulnerable since I'm like more of like I'm
a guy rather than like a girl, you know what
I mean. And so I was like, okay, you know what,
(16:55):
I'm able to take a taxi later and I think
I'm fine, right, So I would do that and then
I would go home sleep I like two three am, right,
and then I would just repeat the same process day, okay,
and I would go to school and then I look
just mostly fled in class because I'm just like I'm
so tired for this, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
It was like going on in your head during this
because were you like feeling like lonely or you just
like kind of like focused or like.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
Definitely lonely at times just because I wasn't able to
speak like, you know, fluently in Korea, right, And there
was a lot of misunderstandings with trainees on my fellow trainees,
but after I spoke to them, you know, and like
the thing is, they were amazing though. There's there were
great people, right, they love foreigners and everything, right, they
were super nice. They were like they always made sure
I ate and everything, and there were some times where
(17:40):
I was like I was like crap, like I forgot
what to bring my wall or they would just pay
for me, you know what I mean. Like yeah, they
were they were like super nice. I never had issue
with the trainees or anything like that, other than like
some instances where it's of miscommunication, I'll have to explain, Oh,
that's not what I meant, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So like culturally too, like like you like, growing up
in America, you don't have that like nun you know,
like you don't have that sense.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Exactly, yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah, and you end up like
respending someone accidentally.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Right, Oh, Like I didn't really mean it like this,
but there's like certain people who are like who's gonna
take care of you?
Speaker 4 (18:11):
You know?
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Like I also dealt with that a lot, like as
like an international training's like we're like like all like
like anything.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Culturally, like they were like you have to put your
spood in a certain.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Way, you have to like eat at the case of
the eldest at this table, like all these things were
such like a big culture shock, like this affects you
in your training too. You know, it's like it affects
how much training time you get, it affects how much
like attention you get from like the teachers.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
You know, it's pretty a huge thing. Yeah, yeah, I
feel like with my dance teacher, right, I guess my
personal experience, I don't think she liked me very much, okay, right,
but my vocal teacher was amazing. She was very nice.
But like I'm gonna be honest, so I have like
(18:55):
a BTS backup dancer that was actually helping me. Not really,
I want to say the teacher was helping me them
much because she mostly just talked choreo and she catered
to the other trainees. But this one, I'm still I
saw contact with him today. He's like an amazing He's
an amazing home right he I actually learned a lot of
dancing from him, and he taught me like a lot
(19:15):
of things I know today, you know. And yeah, like
he he's just he's like a top g bro. He's amazing.
I love that guy. And I think he's still doing
backup dancing. He's gonna debut in Japan actually, or I
think he's already debuted in Japan.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
You you met him uh in the company?
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Yeah, I met him in the company. He got like
switched around and everything.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Yeah, what was what was it like training in the company,
Like what was your day to day like in the company.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
Day to day? Okay. So I would get into the
facility okay, right, and they have like you know the
young youngsu shiz right, Like they'll have the private training
rooms right that you can go into. Right. So I
went in there. I would just packice a little bit
and they have like set schedules for me. They were like, Okay,
this is the time where the lesson's gonna happen. Everyone
has to be there and everything like that, or like
they will split us up into groups. Okay, your group
A group your scoops or something like that, right, and
(20:02):
they'll be like, Okay, group A, you're gonna go in
there first, Group B, you're gonna switch out with them,
blah blah blah x y Z you know you know
what I mean. So that's like I guess how I
was training, right, because this is like a separate facility.
CJ owns a crap Ton facilities and then they just
put a lot of trainings into certain things, right, okay,
And so I would be let's just say, one day,
I'll be Goop Egg, one day I'll be Group C, right,
and I just depending on what time it will be,
(20:24):
I will go into the practice room and then they
have like a piano in there, right, and so I
was start doing my scales like a right, and then
I'll do the scales and everything right, and then a
lot of the times, the dance room was always so packed.
It was always so packed.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
Bro god, yeah yeah. And then the ones who are
oldest always gets to use it first, no.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Exactly, because that's like a respecting and career, you know
what I mean. Yeah, And so like I'm just like, damn,
I can't even practice dance that much, right, And so
I would just wait until it's time. So let's say
it will be five o'clock. That's when you can like
go into the dance room.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
There's a lot of waiting when you're the youngest.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
And you're from like when you're in you're a foreigner,
you're at like the bottom of the food chain exactly.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah. Yeah, you're literally the least prioritized. And then it's
the other people that has been here the long like
the longest longest, right, right, And I guess people that
they see has more potential, right. But luckily for me, right,
there was another guy that actually joined in at the
same time that I did. He got he had worse
than me, honestly, Yeah, me and him, we're really good friends.
(21:29):
We're literally the same age too, all right, But he
had it worse than me. Like, I think they favored
me a lot because when when they were wanted me
to be in the entertainment, right, and they put me
in that group, right, They're like, hey, Anthony, we have
a plan for you. We want you to be like
getting the produced one and won the new season. I
forgot which season it is, right, right, They're like, hey,
(21:50):
we want you to be in the new season. You're
not gonna win obviously, because I don't think you're as
good enough as many people, right, And I don't. I
didn't think I was good enough either. I was like,
there's nobody I can do like that. But they're like, hey,
we're gonna get your name out there, right and do
all this stuff, right, but like there's no that just
trained for that, you know, make sure you get like
improved fast, because this is gonna happen, like in the
year span. That's like after a year, that's when we're
(22:13):
gonna start like recording everything, and that's when we start
filming the thing. You have to like like you know,
get ready right, walk in. And I was like, okay, bet,
and so that was my opportunity. And I think that's
just because I was like a foreigner. I can speak English,
I can speak someone Korean, but they saw me as
like a cute, funny kid, right, and they're like, oh,
this is perfect for TV, right, And so that that
(22:33):
was that was my I guess that was like my
my future journey. I've had myself. So I was just
training and doing that. The other guy, I've got nothing bro,
was just like evaluate and it's like okay, next, you
know what I mean that that's what he was going through.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
They move to Korea and and and they're doing these evaluations.
They're taking the train two hours, but there's no hope
for them to debut, you know, and the but then
like there's kind of like derailing the whole life for
like no reason almost you know.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Yeah, pretty much. I mean yeah, because a lot of
the trainees, like none of them like yeah, like you said,
they don't debut and I know a lot of my
friends that you never debuted as well, So what what happened?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Like, what what led you back to America after like
this whole training thing?
Speaker 3 (23:19):
So pretty much, well, lend me back was so my.
Uh So someone was looking for me because my old
dance facility they uploaded some videos for something I don't know,
I don't remember entirely, but someone was looking for me
who shall not be named, right, okay, but they just
pretty much said, oh, I'm making American K pop entertainment
(23:42):
label or something like that. So then I got called
to go there, right. I didn't want to, right, but
because I was under age, right and everything like that,
my parents obviously from a parents' point of view, they
want me to like just come back to America and
live with them and everything, right, even if it cost
me my verythe tation but whatever, who cares. It's in
(24:02):
the past now, right. But I got into that label, right.
I didn't want to sign with them, but I mean
I had to. I was like, you know what, I'll
give them my all whatever. There were some things in
the contract and everything that I thought I had a
safe nut under, but it didn't. And they also I
(24:23):
guess that was a misunderstanding, right with the with my
schoolwork as well. The boss told me to do this
school program, which I did. Uh, it was not credited
at all, right, and so I essentially was two years
three two to three years behind school. And so when
I went to an actual school and tried to get
(24:44):
my credits for the time I did do school during
that time, I had no credits. Right.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
First of all, First of all, this thinks okay, but
I want you to know that I don't think you
deserve the credits from Korea anyway.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
You told me that from though it's not from Korea,
it was from an actual American homeschool thing. Oh oh, yeah,
that I differ two to three years. Yeah, that one
I did for two three years, and I tried to
go to an actual American school, right, and then they
could accredit me because that program was not credible. Pretty much,
so I wasted two three years, right, And essentially I
(25:23):
actually joined school as a senior as a freshman, like
I'm a senior about a freshman pretty much, wow, And
I would try to do school and everything right. But
then I mean I had to drop out because I
was turning nineteen, right, and so I had to drop
out and I just took the gd which I actually
(25:44):
got last year. So yeah, I finally got my GV
last year like beginning of last year. So I was
like set on that right.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
But pretty much the.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Training, I mean you were, I mean we were both
there right at the American Label. Yeah, it was, it was,
it was, it was it was something right, it was
where we met. Yeah, exactly, that's where you met. That's
when we got all close and everything. You know, we
went to Baldino's Yo, like crying like oh my god. Yeah,
(26:14):
that was that's when all experience happened.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
And that's why I like I thought, like to invite
you onto this podcast because I saw all the stuff
that you were going through in like school and like
all this stuff. I was like, damn, like like he
really got pushed back like four.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
Whole years in school because of the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
You know. Yeah, pretty much pretty much.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Yeah, And it's like like, if if you could if
you could give advice to someone who's listening right now,
if there was a kid who's like, oh my god,
like maybe maybe he or she is thirteen years old,
and like they they they want to pursue a dream
in k pop, and like, what would you say to
this person?
Speaker 3 (26:57):
Always just have a backup plan, right, I would say
one thing with our other boss, right or our boss right.
One thing that didn't make sense to me was that
whoever tells you you have to put all this in
there shouldn't be a backup plan. I think that's the
most BS thing that anyone can say. You can still
give your all into doing k pop, right, like you
(27:19):
should if you really want to make this into your career, right,
But if someone tells you you should not have a
backup plan, I'm just like, that makes no sense because
let's say you don't have control of what you can do.
You can just try and you know what I mean.
But let's say, hypothetically, if you're one of those trainees
that just trained for years and then you just don't
have anything up for it, right, Like, what are you
gonna do? You know, if you don't have a backup plan,
(27:40):
if you don't finish school and everything, like, what are
you gonna do? You know, if you don't pass high school,
which that almost was me, you know, but luckily I
did the GD I got it, I passed it and everything,
so I was good and even now, like you know,
my backup plan right now is I'm actually a teacher
at a new studio called K Dance Studios, right, an
amazing studio. We're growing so fast in Georgia, Atlanta, right,
(28:03):
John scrag everything right?
Speaker 4 (28:04):
What's their Instagram handle?
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Instagram? It's let me let me, let me show it
to you right now. As a matter of fact, it's, uh,
you're ready for this all right? Act So KAY Dance
Studio underscore, right, amazing studio. The boss there, he has
a big background of backup dancing background, danced for Chris Brown,
like Ussher and all those big people, even all these
(28:27):
other teachers that have a huge background. We have a dude,
we have an ex j pop idol too here right,
Like that was essentially my backup. But what I'm so
happy about is even when I went through that training
right in the American label, I actually met the boss,
like my dance boss from there, right, So I still
got something good out of everything, right, But I guess
(28:48):
back to like what the advice is, always have a backup, right,
and you have to really make sure are you willing
to put like you're all through it. You're gonna have
some hatters. You're gonna have some people that are gonna
like see all these things about you, right, you can't
let it get to your head, right, because even when
I was doing this stuff, right, there was a lot
of people like that were like fake friends to me
and said that I wasn't never going to be like
(29:08):
a good trainee and all that stuff like that. Right,
you got to keep a good mental you know, you
just get push through all that stuff, you know, and please,
I cannot reorate with this stuff. Have a backup plan.
If you don't, you're gonna just set yourself up for failure.
You really are, so I guess that's my my my
advice for everything like that.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
But like basically you're like you're you're saying, like, always
have a backup plan, and things aren't always going to
go the way that you expect it. And if you're
coming from a similar position where you're gonna be an
international trainee and you're moving far away, you're gonna be lonely.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
You're gonna have.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
To like go through things that a lot of people
don't around you don't understand. The people at home aren't
going to understand, and then you have to kind of
push through and like, remember why you're doing it exactly?
Ask what was it that motivated you to keep going?
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Oh? One is like not only because I want to perform, right,
but my parents have done so much for me in
my like because we were like little they were literally
like immigrants, right. We start from the motom right. We
lived in a one bedroom apartment and everything. I see
how hard they worked right to get us to the
place that we are. Essentially, it's like, sure, I want
(30:19):
to perform. I love creating music, I love doing all
this stuff. Right, And also on top of that, it's
like like I also do want to like retire my family,
you know, and everything like that. I don't want them
to worry about like money or anything like that. And
also because I want to make my dad proud because
he also told me when I was very young, He's like,
I feel like you're going to go some places, you know,
(30:40):
because he because when I was a little kid, I
actually like played piano by myself, right, Like I was like,
I like, I just watch YouTube videos of people playing
and I would just mean the prodigy.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
You're being super humble, but you're like a prodigy, Like
it's pretty incredible.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
I wouldn't say that, no, no, no, because I mean,
like I mean I stopped producing and everything like that.
It's it's been a minute.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
I was there. I was like, oh my god, guys
literally sorry, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
But I mean yeah, I just did like little piano
and everything. My dad really pushed me to become like
in the music business, right. He knew there's something in me, right,
and he's like, I literally feel like you can do
something out of this, right, And so that's what pushed me,
you know. It's like all these people like pushed me
right to become the person that I am during that
time and as I am today, right, I still have
(31:23):
that goal of like retiring my parents and everything like that,
you know, and essentially, yeah, that's I just want to
like care for my family and like make a difference
in the world. Right. And I was like so close
because I was going to produce, produce, I was gonna debut,
debut and see the produce one one thing, right, But
then it was just really discouraging the fact that I
(31:45):
got taken away just like that, you know, and then
I was stuck in the American thing. I was most
depressed moments of my life one hundred percent I was
going through. You were literally there, and I was to
you every day. I'm just like, oh my god, I'm
I'm gonna crash out, bro, And You're just like, no, no,
you're good. You're good. Bro, You're good, You're good. No, no, no, no,
Let's go get some fun. Let's get some Baldino's real quick,
(32:07):
you know. So yeah, no, but I've met a lot
of good people. I met you, I met Mike Young
right the beatas backup dancer. I met my boss, right,
I met a lot of great people from all this.
So I guess, I guess if let's say some people
some people out someone out there is that's some thing's
been in someone my situation. Try to take the dif
from bed right, trying to make like the bads, you know,
(32:29):
just sign where that all right, you can move on
from it, all right, but take the different.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
The situations are gonna happen, and like it's never a
straight road to the end. And I was actually thinking
about your story when I was in Korea because I
experienced something super super similar, like uh like they were like, okay,
uh this kids, he's international, he's born Chinese. And then
(32:53):
there's a there's a sur bival show program that was
coming up.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I remember you talked about that.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Yeah. Yeah. It was a huge show, the biggest one
in China. And then they casted me directly and they're like, okay,
uh you Bohan, We're gonna change your name to Bohan.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
You know, I'm gonna debut in China.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
And I'm like, you're gonna start training for all this stuff, right,
So we went through a special training program for this
show and they're like, Okay, this training has this opportunity
to do this.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
And then COVID came and.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Then like they they denied all visas from America and Korea,
and then just like that, everything started crumbling down. And
then now my company didn't have a backup plan, and
I didn't have a backup plan, you know. And then
and then a bunch of trainees during that time got
sent home. And that was also like the most depressing
time of my life too. I was like walking around,
(33:42):
I was sitting in shopping carts listening to like Barbin
Room by Drake and my headphone up to the Rose,
you know, and it's like, just like that, I would
have been down too, Like I would have not have
gone to college you know, and then I would have
to go home and like find a new thing. But
then for me, like my backup plan, like like it's
(34:02):
funny that you episide backup plan so much like my
backup plan with social media, you know, I was like, Okay,
I'm gonna start a TikTok. Then watch this like I'm
not gonna let you take this away from me. I'm
gonna start people doing this like you're like, Okay, I'm
gonna dance, you know. And then that my TikTok like exploded,
and my company like they're like, yo, like we can
(34:22):
do something out of this. And then from that backup plan,
we we built everything that we have now, right And
you bro.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Man, I remember like like again, we would go so
far back from the Meriton label and everything, and I've
just seen you girl. I'm just like, damn, what a guy.
What a guy. I'm so proud of him, you know.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
And you you have so much influence in that path too,
So I'm really grateful that you're able to like kind
of join me on this podcast. Yeah, And it's like
I hope that like like the same way that your
story inspired me, and I hope that my story can
like kind of push you to keep going to you know,
I hope that you find some crazy big job or
something that like.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
Motivating to keep going. This this is what it's about.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
Yeah, dude, I hope so too. Yeah. I guess like
right now, what I'm doing too is so I'm actually
currently in the studio right, like the dance studio. I'm
technically scouting right because I want the kids here that
want to do capop and everything like that. I'm actually
trying to give them a chance because I have all
these connections now with like the capeop industry and stuff
(35:25):
like that. My uncle, I have like all these other
people which I'm not a name, but I have all
these other people, right, And essentially I'm like, because they're
they're actually asking me, Hey, we actually want some more
international kids. Do you have any kids that may have
talent and everything like that right and that wants to
do kpop? And I have a few, a few, you know,
So I'm like, I'm actually currently working with the kids
right now, and I'm like, oh, do you guys want
(35:47):
to do this? This is like a good opportunity. It's
not a guarantee that you guys will pass. However, we
can set up maybe a private audition or something like that,
so your chances would be a lot easier to get in,
you know. So I'm just trying to make a difference, right,
and like I guess, give kid, it's opportunities as well.
How like how the opportunity was so easy for me,
you know, because my uncle and everything. I'm like, you
know what, I want to, like spare my wings, you know.
(36:08):
Let's let's see if anyone else can get in and everything,
and hopefully they can pursue their dream.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Dis Well, Okay, let's say there's someone listening, all right,
and they're like, man, I busted down on the dance floor.
You know, I can hit some notes, you know, and
they want to. They want to, they're interested in this.
Where can they find you?
Speaker 3 (36:25):
It's so I'm located in John's Creek right in Georgia. Right,
it's at at KA Dance Studios. Right. The thing is,
I want to reiterate this, y'all.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
All right.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
The thing is it's do not bug the other instructors,
all right, it's just me personally, Okay, do not bug them.
If you guys want to follow our dance studio, please
do right, We're growing very rapidly. We have an awesome studio.
Do not just come here just to like talk to
me or like think you can just get an opportunity
for me. Okay, please don't do that, all right, Just
come to the studio, try to dance to all right.
(36:58):
It's so it's so nice there, all right. We have
amazing people. All the students there too are very nice.
We never have issues, all right, Just come on through
dance and everything like that, all right, don't don't just
just don't just come to be like Anthony, can I
get a prime? Please don't do that, please don't. All right,
it was like six years you haven't changed at all.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
Really, guy, I love you so much. Bro, I love
you too.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Bro. Yeah no, I literally like my older brother too
and everything that really brothers from my whole.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Literally when I left the company, I was so sad,
like I felt like I lost like my best friend.
And then I felt that there's like rules that like
we can't talk and stuff, and I just had to
move on.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
And I was just like going to Korea, like you know.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
What's you know what's crazy though, right, dude? That same
day when that like when you have to leave and
everything that the boss actually came to my house personally
and was like telling me to not talk to you
and stuff like that, right, And she was like like
check my phone and everything too, right, and it's like, oh,
you don't talk to them and everything right. And I
(38:05):
was like trying. I was like what what why?
Speaker 4 (38:06):
Why?
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Why? Why? What the hell? Right? I'm just like what
what what do you do? Right? And but anyways, that's
that's like a whole other thing. But yeah, I was
I was pretty I was pretty upset about it.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
All right, man, thank you, thank you for your time. Yeah,
of course, anything you want to say to the audience
with people watching before we go, I just want.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
To say, y'all pull up to the studio. It's super
fun if you guys want to go into my personal
lessons or not like like private lessons, but like my
actual lessons. Right, I'm on, I'm on Saturdays. Right, I'll
be teaching on Saturdays, right, four forty five, six o'clock.
And really, just like if you guys want like a
very good vibe environment of like a dance studio with
(38:51):
all levels, pull up to the studio, all right. It's
it's so it's such a vibe, it really is. And
our instructors are super nice and everything. You have any questionquestions,
you know, you guys can always talk to them, right,
And they also have amazing backgrounds too. I feel like
mine is like nothing compared to them. Like we got
an XJ pop idol, people that dance. Sure, we have
a Disney channel. It's personnel, it's some Disney channel. Right.
(39:12):
In the Descendants movie, she danced in the in the
in those movies and everything. She's the backup dance and
everything there too. Yeah, we have these crazy people, right.
I'm just like, oh my god, these guys are insane, right,
and I'm just like, I have an x K pop
training hello everyone, So yeah, you guys should have to
pull up. And dude, I just want to say thank
you for putting me on the podcast, Like it's it's
amazing talking to you again because I know you're so busy,
(39:34):
you know, and also just meet being here, It's like
it's truly an honor, dude, Like, I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
I think what you're doing with the dance studio is amazing.
And I remember being in Georgia and being like, yo,
there's nothing to do. Yeah, you know, yeah, like being
able to bring that to a community and like it's
a little bit outside of Atlanta, you know, so like
it's like a little bit more tight. I think what
you're doing for the community is amazing. So I hope
(40:00):
that people can come and check out the studio. I
appreciate it, support you and support all the other amazing talent.
Speaker 4 (40:06):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
Last thing, last thing, I learned a lot of my
dances from this guy right here from from from Boom Hunt.
He's actually insane. It's a great dancer, bro Sudden. When
I was at that that entertainment, right, I learned a
lot of my stuff from this guy, all right. He
he was literally the dance teacher. I'm not even gonna lie,
he literally was. And then he left and I was like, Fred, now,
(40:29):
who am I gonna learn dance? And then I have
to teach myself. But a lot of the stuff I
gotta give this man Pops from the stuff that he
taught me. You know, so very thank you for that,
so very very un.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Later figure all right, that was Anthony.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Thank you guys for listening to the K Factor everything
k top posted by Bompa and I'll see you Guys
next week,
Host
Beomhan
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