How BTS, Blackpink, Twice and more K-pop idols struggled as trainees: RM had nine roommates, Rosé remembers a roach-infested flat and Jimin would practise til 4am

Jul 16 , 2021

K-pop idols BTS and Blackpink have opened up about the hardships of being trainees. Photos: BTS Official/ Facebook, @Blackpink/YouTube

In Netflix’s Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, the girls recall long practises while on their reality show, they revealed they lived on eggs and jam

Twice snacked in a toilet to avoid punishment, f(x)’s Luna practised for 20 hours a day and SNSD had to clean the bathroom, training room and cafeteria

Becoming a huge K-pop idol doesn’t happen in a day – it takes years of training and thousands of hours of practice. Even record-breaking bands like BTS speak of their harsh trainee days when they were squeezed together into a tiny shared flat, a far cry from the enormous and lavish homes they now live in.

Today we look back at some bitter, old memories that idols can now recall with a laugh.

RM used to share a room with nine other trainees

BTS’ old dorm life. Photo: @blackswanjimin/Twitter

In a March episode of You Quiz on the Block, BTS’ RM shared that he used to live together with up to nine other people at one time, with around 30 different trainees moving in and out over that period. It definitely must have been hectic, and RM added that they would share clothes along with a single bathroom and computer. Sometimes RM even had to go to the public bathroom outside or run to the toilet at nearby shops.

BTS – no longer needing to share a room! Photo: @btshelpsindia/Twitter

Even after their debut, BTS is known for going through harsh early years in their career when the seven members moved from place to place, with one living space being a remodelled office, according to The Korea Economic Daily.

Blackpink used to live with cockroaches and centipedes

Besides sharing a room, Blackpink had some uninvited guests at their place as well. On the fifth episode of the reality show 24/365 with Blackpink, the girls looked back on the times when they lived together ... in a room that had cockroaches and centipedes.

How BTS, Blackpink, Twice and more K-pop idols struggled as trainees: RM had nine roommates, Rosé remembers a roach-infested flat and Jimin would practise til 4am

In Netflix’s Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, the girls recall long practises while on their reality show, they revealed they lived on eggs and jam Twice snacked in a toilet to avoid punishment, f(x)’s Luna practised for 20 hours a day and SNSD had to clean the bathroom, training room and cafeteria