Two K-Pop stars shared the economic reality of idols, revealing the truth hidden behind their glamorous image.
On October 16th, a video titled “‘If you’re in Dal Shabet, people think you own a house’… A girl group asking for concern for celebrities too” was uploaded on the YouTube channel.
When asked if she received profit distribution during her Dal Shabet days, Serri revealed, “I didn’t receive any profit distribution until my third year.” She continued, “Since I was the leader, I held my members’ hands and went to the CEO saying, ‘Please give us our payment.’ After that, they started paying us little by little.”
Cao Lu, originally from the group Fiestar, said, “We didn’t get any profit distribution until our contracts ended,” expressing regret, “I was the eldest, and I think I should have been more assertive. I should have held the members’ hands and gone with them.”
Serri recalled, “Back then, unless you were with a major agency, profit distribution just didn’t happen.”
Both agreed there’s a gap between the public’s perception of idols’ income and reality. Cao Lu said, “People say, ‘Idols make a lot of money,’ ‘You don’t have to worry about celebrities,’ but honestly, only the top 5 to 10% actually earn well.”
Serri added, “With Dal Shabet’s name recognition, people may not know each member personally but they recognize the group in Korea and think we must have bought houses or all be rich. But unless you’re in the top 10%, it’s mostly the same situation.”
Cao Lu commented, “Even if you’re in the top 10%, I don’t know if you can afford to buy a house.”
Serri described the idol reality, saying, “If a song gets into the top five on the charts, your lifestyle is somewhat comfortable. Otherwise, it’s tough.”
They also expressed their opinion on the practice of charging trainees for expenses incurred during training. Serri stated, “To be frank, I believe companies should invest in trainees’ expenses.”
She added, “Even after debut, there are so many costs like music videos, song production, dancers, costumes, etc. If they make you pay for your trainee days on top of that, you’ll drown in debt. I don’t think that’s right.”
Cao Lu shared, “There are talks about why idols have to repay all expenses, but actually, if you can’t repay everything by the time your contract ends, you don’t have to pay more.” She continued, “We left the company before repaying all our debt. Thinking that way is somewhat comforting.”
Serri emphasized that contract terms vary by company and added, “Nowadays, profit distribution works better than in the past.” She also expressed gratitude, saying that her time in Dal Shabet laid the foundation for her current career as a singer.