Male Idol Confesses SM Entertainment’s Casting Team Rejected Him 3 Times

Because SM Entertainment is one of the top K-Pop companies in the industry, becoming a trainee under them isn’t an easy process. SHINee‘s Key knew that better than anyone and recently shared his experience of being rejected multiple times by the company—until he found out why.

When Key gave singer Lee Seok Hoon a tour of SM Entertainment for SSULPLY, they stopped by the casting department and saw employees searching for potential idols through social media. Key pointed out how different the casting process has become. When he was a teenager, he remembered going all the way to the office himself to audition.

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Key was so dedicated to being an idol that he auditioned at least three times. Unfortunately, he was rejected each time by the casting team.

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Even though Key debuted fifteen years ago in one of the most iconic groups, he still couldn’t understand why he’d initially been denied. Confronting the casting team’s director, Key asked, “Then why did this company turn me down three times?”

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The casting director revealed she hadn’t been at the company during the time Key was auditioning. In fact, Key already knew what had happened to the previous casting director.

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Making everyone laugh, Key revealed that the casting director who rejected him so many times had left the company and formed another popular boy group. He said, “That person went somewhere else and made THE BOYZ.”

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The next time Key auditioned, Lee Soo Man himself was the one who finally gave Key a chance. Now the rest is history.