BIGBANG member T.O.P got candid to shed light on the ‘harsh’ realities of South Korean pop industry as he condemned the robotic regime.
During his conversation with Prestige Hong Kong, the rapper, real name Choi Seung-hyun, shed light on the training regime of K-pop and its effects on young artists’ mental well-being.
“I, myself, am fortunate that I only spent less than a year as a trainee before I debuted – a relatively short time – but after, I saw all the trainees, the boys and girls, they’re under a very harsh system,” said the rapper who debuted in 2006 as a part of one of the most influential boy bands.
“They’re told what to do and trained just like robots. They might get popular, they might get bigger, but in their heart and in ways we can’t see, they’re being isolated, and feel lonely inside,” he spilled to the publication.
“I don’t want to be a robot maker,” he said. “I want to make a real artist and help real artists. I’m positive about making a group that’s completely different from Big Bang in the future,” T.O.P expressed.