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There is no denying that BTS would be a drastically different group if it did not comprise RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook. Each member brings something unique to the table but their personalities together create a harmonious charm that fascinates fans everywhere.
However, before BIGHIT MUSIC discovered these seven gems, the lineup for BTS was to be selected from a slew of BIGHIT trainees, who were mostly rappers gearing up for their debut as a K-pop idol in the music label’s first boy group.
Some of the trainees didn’t make the cut, some jumped ship to look for better opportunities with more established companies, and a few veered away from the K-pop idol life. It is even speculated that rappers such as Beenzino and Basick turned down a spot in the now-acclaimed group BTS.
Out of all the members speculated to have been chosen for the group, RM is the only one to to survive and make the final cut.
After former BIGHIT trainee Kim Ji-hun’s YouTube interview with Vice Asia about him almost becoming a member of BTS went viral, interest amongst fans to learn about the individuals who missed out on this opportunity skyrocketed.
4 K-pop idols who missed out on the chance of becoming a BTS member
1) IRON
Jung Hun-chul, better known for his rapper persona IRON, was one of the original BIGHIT trainees selected to be a part of the music label's hip-hop and rap-focused group. IRON and RM were part of the same under-group rap crew called DaeNamHyup (DNH), and they also trained together for BTS.
However, IRON reportedly did not want to be a K-pop idol anymore and left the company. He later took part in the third season of a rap battle show called Show Me The Money and placed second. In 2021, the rapper passed away due to excessive bleeding, but his death remains a mystery since no details were made public.
2) Supreme Boi
Supreme Boi is not unfamiliar to ARMYs, but what many fans may not know is that he was speculated to be one of the original members of BTS before the lineup was switched to its current form. Shin Dong-hyuk, aka Supreme Boi, was a BIGHIT trainee and member of the DNH crew.
Right before the group debuted, he quit being a trainee but he didn’t leave the company. He chose to become a producer for BIGHIT MUSIC instead of a K-pop idol. He has produced and taken part in many hits by the septet, including the rapline’s Cypher Pt. 3 and j-hope’s Hangsang.
3) Sanggyun
Kim Sang-gyun, better known mononymously as Sanggyun and formerly known as A-Tom, has debuted countless times. He started off his career as a BIGHIT trainee and was part of the debut lineup. However, he decided to switch to Hunus Entertainment and debuted as part of the boy group Top Dogg in 2013.
Soon after, he left the group and went on to participate in the second season of the survival show Produce 101 as a representative of Hunus Entertainment and ranked 26th.
Some of the members who could not be part of the Produce 101 group, Wanna One, decided to form their own group named JBJ, and they debuted together in 2017. Sanggyun was one of them. The group disbanded in 2018, but Sanggyun and fellow JBJ member Kenta debuted again as part of a duo called JBJ95.
4) i11evn
Choi Ik-je, better known as i11evn, was one of the BIGHIT trainees, alongside RM, j-hope, and SUGA, gearing up for the debut of BTS. He was also part of the DNH crew back then. Unfortunately for the rapper, he was cut from the team, just like IRON and Supreme Boi.
Although no reason was cited for i11evn’s departure, it is believed that he was cut because of his age as he was more than a decade older than the current members of BTS.
Many K-pop idols and rappers such as Loco and Reddy auditioned to be a part of BTS but never made it to the final line-up. Some K-pop idols like Suwoong and Park Seo-ham, who were in the final line-up, have even expressed regret for having left the company and such a lucrative group.
However, one thing is for sure. The septet would not have been the powerhouse it is today if not for the current seven members. The majority of former BIGHIT trainees have nothing but respect and praise for the group. They acknowledge BTS’ talent and hard work, with the viral Kim Ji-hun even wishing to have a reunion meal with the members.
