For this weeks ‘Thursday 13’ we check out 13 K-Pop leaders of both boy and girl bands.
1) SHINee’s Onew – Now 24, Onew has been SHINee’s leader for 6 years. He was discovered at the 2006 SM Academy Casting, then following this he trained under SM Entertainment for 2 years before debuting in 2008 as SHINee’s lead vocalist and leader.
2) SNSD’s Taeyeon – Taeyeon debuted with SNSD in 2007, meaning she has been leader and main vocalist for almost 7 years. Taeyeon trained under SM Entertainment for over 3 years before she debuted.
3) EXO K’s Suho – Debuted in 2012, Suho has been EXO K’s leader for 2 years. Suho auditioned for SM Entertainment at the age of 16 and is also the member with the longest training period at 7 years.
4) EXO M’s Kris – Kris was cast into SM Entertainment through SM’s Global Auditions that were held in Canada in 2007. He then trained for 5 years before debuting with EXO in 2012 as EXO M’s main rapper and leader.
5) 2NE1’s CL – At the age of 23, CL has been 2NE1’s leader for almost 5 years. Prior to her debut with 2NE1 in 2009, CL was featured on Big Bang’s “Intro (Hot Issue)” in 2007.
6) B.A.P’s Yongguk – Prior to his debut with B.A.P in 2012, Yongguk made his solo debut in 2011 with a feature on Song Jieun’s “Going Crazy” and also under sub-unit “Bang&Zelo” with fellow B.A.P member Zelo later that year. He was been B.A.P’s leader and main rapper for 2 years.
7) BTS’s Rap Monster – Debuted under a year ago in June 2013, Rap Monster is BTS’s leader and rapper.
8) BIG BANG’s G-Dragon – G-Dragon trained under YG Entertainment for 6 years before debuting in 2006 with BIG BANG, meaning he has been leader for almost 8 years!
9) Epik High’s Tablo – Debuted in 2003 under Epik High, alongside Mithra and DJ Tukutz, Tablo has been Epik High’s leader for 11 years.
10) B2ST’s Doojoon – At the age of 24, Doojoon holds the position of leader, lead rapper and vocalist in B2ST. Debuted in 2009, he has been B2ST’S leader for almost 5 years.
11) SISTAR’s Hyorin – Hyorin has been SISTAR’s leader and main vocalist since debut in 2010. She has also been involved in the sub-unit SISTAR 19, with fellow member Bora since 2011.
12) VIXX’s N – Debuted in 2012, N has been VIXX’s leader for almost 2 years. He is also one of the main dancers.
13) 4Minute’s Jihyun – Eldest in the group, Jihyun is 4Minute’s leader and one of the vocalists. She has been leader for almost 5 years.
Can you list more leaders from other bands? List them below!