5 Idols Who Singlehandedly Turned Their Small Agencies into Powerful K-Pop Companies

It’s common for idols of bigger agencies to get more attention, but there are some who debuted with small agencies and made themselves and the agency succeed.

Here are the 5 stars who worked hard to make themselves as well as their small agencies take off:

1. BTS

BTS has gained tremendous popularity through their amazing production and clever marketing via social media.

But it wasn’t easy for them in the beginning.

BTS debuted in 2013, started receiving a great deal of love from Korean fans through “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2” in 2015, and started to gain international popularity through their choreography in “DOPE”.

It was 4 years after their debut when they received their first grand prize.

Thanks to BTS’ success, Big Hit Entertainment made 35.5 billion won in 2016, which allowed them to upgrade their agency building and BTS’ accommodation.

2. IU

IU is known to have gone through a hard time before her debut as a solo singer and actress.

After getting rejected from multiple agencies, IU entered LOEN Entertainment and became “the nation’s little sister” with her hit song, “Good Day”.

After increasing LOEN Entertainment’s profits by 10 billion won in a single year, IU resigned with Kakao M/LOEN Entertainment.

As a thank you to IU for her loyalty, LOEN Entertainment gave her an entire floor of the company building for her to use as a practice room.

3. Chungha

Chungha, who appeared on Mnet’s PRODUCE 101 and debuted with I.O.I., is also from a small agency.

By appearing on Mnet’s PRODUCE 101 and leaving a strong impression on the show, she made her agency, MNH Entertainment‘s name known.

Following her activities with I.O.I., Chungha is continuing to grow with her agency as their only singer.

4. GFRIEND

GFRIEND is also well-known for being from a small agency.

They went for an innocent and friendly image as they released hit songs such as “Glass Bead”, “Me Gustas Tu”, and “Rough”.

Despite having debuted with a small agency, they won 15 music show awards with their song, “Rough”.

Thanks to GFRIEND, Source Music upgraded from the basement to the 1st floor.

5. Park Bo Gum

Park Bo Gum is a part of Blossom Entertainment.

Just from having Park Bo Gum in their agency, they became more widely known in a short period of time.

As a result, they’re continuing to grow by creating content with various actors and other celebrities.