WATCH: Why JUNGKOOK of BTS Chose to Sign with Big Hit over JYP Entertainment

중앙일보

입력

There was a time when BTS' leading vocalist Jungkook was auditioning at a number of different agencies to train and debut as a pop group. As you might have already guessed, Jungkook had gotten callbacks from seven different entertainment labels after a single audition at a broadcasting station, some of which include big-name firms such as JYP Entertainment. However, Jungkook chose to sign with Big Hit Entertainment for a special reason.

This person made Jungkook debut with BTS.

Back in 2011, Jungkook auditioned on the season 3 of the audition reality show Superstar K broadcast on Mnet. He chose to sing "Mia" by IU, an artist whom he has long admired, and "This Song" by 2AM - however, the entire clip of his performance got edited out, never making it on air. Jungkook, who was 15 at the time, was staring at his feet, seemingly shy to make eye contact with the camera. When asked if he had "anything prepared," he replied "no."

His decision to sign with Big Hit Entertainment was prompted by his admiration for RM. "I signed with Big Hit because RM seemed so cool," Jungkook said in an interview. "You look at all the name cards Jungkook had gotten from all these big-name companies and it is really lucky for us that Jungkook chose to go with Big Hit," confessed the rest of the BTS members.