Former Idol Who Debuted In Two Girl Groups Reveals The Shocking Amount She Earned In K-Pop

Vocalist Kim Yechan, who is now best known for her breathtaking performances as a contestant on the show Sing Again 4, appeared on JTBC‘s Knowing Bros to talk about her past as a K-Pop idol.

In the episode, Kim Yechan opened up about having debuted twice already.

I first debuted in 2015 with a team called Awesome Baby, and then debuted once again in 2018 as part of Pink Fantasy.

— Kim Yechan

Her time as a girl group member, though, was not easy. After candidly admitting that she made absolutely nothing from her K-Pop idol days, Kim Yechan revealed she had to work all kinds of side jobs to make ends meet.

Kim Yechan: We weren’t able to promote actively, so there was no settlement at all. It was a really difficult time.

Lim Woo Il: How old were you when you started as a trainee?

Kim Yechan: I started when I was nineteen… I had to work all kinds of jobs—delivery, factories, PC cafés—and until recently, I was even working part-time at a barbecue restaurant.

Lim Woo Il: You must’ve been really popular when you worked at a PC café.

Kim Yechan: That’s why the owner wanted me to keep working there and even raised my hourly wage.

It was only after Kim Yechan started singing competitively on “survival” programs like Sing Again 3 and Undercover that she was finally able to make money with her vocal skills.

I started with Superstar K and even appeared on Sing Again 3. On Undercover, I received ₩100 million KRW (about $67,900 USD) for winning the show!

— Kim Yechan

Pink Fantasy was originally an eight-member girl group under MYDOLL Entertainment. The group debuted on October 24, 2018, with the digital single “Iriwa (Come Here),” which drew attention for being Super Junior Shindong‘s work. After roughly six years of activity, the group eventually disbanded on July 5, 2024.

Watch Kim Yechan sing on Knowing Bros here: