BTS' Jungkook Had Decided to Quit Before Debut, Here's How the Members Convinced the 'Golden Maknae' to Stay

Smashing streaming records and eclipsing the success of their boyband predecessors, BTS has fast become the most popular band in the world. With hyper-synchronised dance moves, personal songs that touch on socially relevant themes, the septet brought K-pop to a worldwide audience. It is safe to say that BTS is primed for global domination. There's no denying that the K-pop group is more than a bunch of singers. The septet is more than just music and is an inspiration for many. Besides being superstars, the Bangtan Boys are known to use important platforms to speak about mental health problems. BTS members RM, Jin, Suga, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook do not hold any qualms to share their own experience with depression.

Jungkook, the youngest member of the band, also once admitted to his struggle with mental health. A few years ago, he opened up about the time he decided against debuting with BTS. Jungkook joined BTS at just 15 and had already appeared on a Korean singing show. But do you know that before joining the band, Jungkook was one of the most in-demand fresh talents in the K-pop industry? With serious vocal chops, Jungkook decided to pursue a career in music when he was in middle school.

He auditioned for a popular Korean talent search show, Superstar K but did not make it ahead in the show. However, after appearing on the show, he attracted the attention of around seven different agencies. He decided to join HYBE (Big Hit Entertainment) because RM was there and he thought it was “so cool.” The journey of a K-pop trainee was gruelling and there was a time when Jungkook wanted to drop out.

Jungkook wrote in a blog post at the time. According to AllKpop, he said, “On the first day, I remember receiving 2-3 dance lessons, but compared to what I imagined, the dance lessons were not that difficult. But from the second lesson on, I started to have a mental breakdown. I didn’t want to debut in BTS and I wanted to be a dancer. So the members bought ice cream to convince me.”

Jungkook celebrates his birthday on September 1. He will turn 24 this year.

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