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Hong Seung-woo might be an unfamiliar name for K-pop fans, but to three of TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s (aka TXT) members, he was a key player in getting them to debut as BIGHIT MUSIC’s second boy group.
Seung-woo is BIGHIT MUSIC’s Casting Head, and was at least partially responsible for bringing TXT’s Beomgyu, Taehyun, Huening Kai on board, and casting four ENHYPEN members - Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, and Sunghoon.
All of this came to light when Weverse Magazine published an in-depth interview with Hong Seung-woo on April 10, 2023, speaking to him about “the inner workings of idol casting.”
The lengthy report emphasizes the importance of bringing different people with various sets of talent together, from different parts of their world, and making them a team that can make an incredible impact globally.
In the interview, Hong revealed that BIGHIT MUSIC (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) was looking to scout artists with a global appeal. He added that TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Beomgyu caught his eye on the street, he knew Huening Kai from a different audition, and tried his best to reason with Taehyun to join the company.
How were TOMORROW X TOGETHER members Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai cast? Casting Head Hong Seung-woo reveals
In the K-pop industry specifically, casting or scouting for a future successful K-pop idol is probably one of the toughest jobs, since it requires a keen eye for not only visuals, but the hidden talent that a trainee could be unaware of. It is these factors and more that make casting supervisors at entertainment agencies very crucial.
BIGHIT MUSIC’s Casting Head, Hong Seung-woo, recently sat with Weverse Magazine to talk about casting several famous K-pop idols, including TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s maknae line, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai.
Beomgyu
Hong began by talking about Beomgyu’s “strongly defined” face outside his middle school in Daegu that had the casting director knocking on his father’s car window. He mentioned that he “chased after him” with all his might.
Hong added that BTS member SUGA, hailing from Daegu, helped convince Beomgyu’s parents to send him for an audition for the now-famous TOMORROW X TOGETHER (in which he plays an important role).
Where good looks definitely matter in street casting, despite the trained being young, casting directors typically have an ability to predict one’s charms.
However, the next step - “potential” - is one where Weverse Magazine says the “true casting” takes place. At the auditions, Beomgyu’s voice was enough to earn him an opportunity to become a trainee of what was then known as Big Hit Entertainment.
Recalling his experience, Hong said:
“As soon as I heard BEOMGYU’s voice, I knew he would be great with some training.”
Taehyun
Arguably the sharpest member of TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Taehyun is the second-youngest in the team. Hong didn’t have a direct hand in casting Taehyun, but he was the first person to recommend the now TOMORROW X TOGETHER member to a peer.
One of the many things that took the BIGHIT MUSIC Casting Head by surprise was Taehyun’s roadmap of his future, despite being just a teenager.
He was interested in studies and seemed mature for his age - which is also why the casting directors were realistic about his future in the entertainment industry:
“TAEHYUN’s so shrewd that he already had his whole life planned out despite being so young… He was really passionate about his studies and was determined to get into a good school. He was mature and realistic, so we didn’t feed him an idealized version—we told him everything straight and we were realistic about it.”
Huening Kai
Huening Kai wasn’t cast on the street, but he had previously auditioned for another company where Hong worked before joining BIGHIT MUSIC. The now-maknae of TOMORROW X TOGETHER was stuck in Hong’s mind since then.
He mentioned that young Huening Kai’s voice particularly stood out for him and fit right in with what the agency was searching for. Moreover, the agency was looking for its second boy group to have more of a global appeal. As a Korean-American with good vocals, Huening Kai seemed to fit in the new TOMORROW X TOGETHER group.
He added:
“HUENINGKAI looked particularly young for his age but it’s his voice that really stands out in my memory. He had the pop vibe Big Hit Entertainment was going for at the time and I thought he would go a long way to making the team succeed not only in Korea but worldwide.”
Complete with TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s hyung line Yeonjun and Soobin, the group was finally able to debut in March 2019. They recently made a comeback with The Name Chapter: Temptation, which broke several records. They are currently on the ACT : SWEET MIRAGE World Tour.
