Here’s How BigHit Entertainment Chooses The Leader Of Their Groups

Ever wondered how TXT chose its leader? Although older generation K-Pop groups may have generally gone with the oldest member, times are changing. As leadership is increasingly valued in the industry, agencies have to be meticulous in choosing a good leader.

Bang Shi Hyuk shared through an interview how BigHit Entertainment chooses its leaders. When a debut team has been formed, the members will move into a dorm together. It is during this time that the group will provide evaluations of each member after three to six months of living together. This helps the company determine the leader of the group as well as decide on a direction for the group.

| BigHit Entertainment

TXT’s Beomgyu also once shared that the members all underwent a trial period of a few weeks, where they would become leaders in rotation. The members would give points to each other and the one who was the highest-ranked would become the leader. He shared this little tidbit during a fan sign.

• Fan: “Didn’t you say that you guys went through a leader test before debut? What do you do?
• Beomgyu: “We all try to be the leader for 2 to 3 weeks each. Then we do up the scores together and the most okay person…”
• Fan: “Do the members decide on the score?”
• Beomgyu: “Yes.”
• Fan: “But Taehyun said he didn’t do it.  Is it that you can choose not to do it, but Beomgyu, you wanted to?”

범규
데뷔 전에 리더테스트 했다고 했잖아요 뭘 하는 건가요?
2~3주씩 다 리더를 해봐요 그래서 점수를 다같이 해서 제일 괜찮은 사람이..
멤버들이 매기는 거예요? (네) 근데 태현인 안 했다고 했잖아요 안 할 수도 있는 건데 범규는 하고 싶었던 거예요?

— 츄츄루츄츄 (@ppakkachu_3) November 13, 2019

• Beomgyu: “More than me wanting to do it, I just thought it would be okay to try it out once, and that it would enable me to understand how the leader feels later on.”
• Fan: “Who did you give the highest points to?”
• Beomgyu: “Soobin hyung.”
• Fan: “Yeonjun is the oldest, but why didn’t he…”
• Beomgyu: “That’s because the oldest hyung is doing well in his role as the oldest, and if he ends up becoming the leader on top of that, doing both would be…”

하고 싶었다기보다는 한 번쯤 해봐도 괜찮겠다 그래야지 나중에 리더의 마음을 이해할 수 있으니까
범규는 누구 제일 점수 높게 줬어요?
수빈이형
연준이 맏형인데 왜 맏형을 안 하구..
왜냐하면 맏형은 맏형 역할글 잘하구 있으니까 거기에 리더랑 같이 이렇게 둘이서 하면은..

— 츄츄루츄츄 (@ppakkachu_3) November 13, 2019

What an interesting way to determine a leader, and a fair one too! With all members given a chance to prove themselves, this is surely the best way to choose someone that can bring the group to greater heights.