Everyone has to take those first few steps—even the shining stars who now dazzle us with flawless performances onstage. We spoke to these artists, now role models to so many, and asked them about the first chapters of their journeys. Here to talk about the songs they auditioned with and practiced to are MiMi (OH MY GIRL), SIYEON (Dreamcatcher), SUNGHOON (ENHYPEN), HONG EUNCHAE (LE SSERAFIM), SUNGHO (BOYNEXTDOOR), DOHOON (TWS), and MINJU (ILLIT).

“Killing Me Softly With His Song” (Fugees)
MiMi (OH MY GIRL): I sang this song when I auditioned. I can hardly remember anything now, but even though I only prepared a short section of the song, I was really nervous. For dance, I auditioned with the dance break from 2NE1’s debut performance. Back then, I was completely focused on practicing the song, but now I can really get into the music because I can now grasp the message and the vibe.

“Fate” (Lee Seung Chul)
SIYEON (Dreamcatcher): I loved this song when I was in high school, and I used to sing it all the time. When I found out I suddenly got an audition, I went with a song I liked and l was really happy how well things turned out. I feel like I could show off what I’m made of without being nervous, because I always hummed the song to myself anyway.

“Mercy” (Shawn Mendes)
SUNGHOON (ENHYPEN): This song stands out in my memory because it’s what I sang at my very first singing lesson after becoming a trainee. It took me some time to adjust since it was my first time taking lessons as a trainee and also practicing singing, but I remember it was really fun working on it.

“How You Like That” (BLACKPINK)
HONG EUNCHAE (LE SSERAFIM): I did a number of auditions and this was the song I selected most. I practiced it more than any other song before I became a trainee. It holds a lot of memories for me.

“Only Then” (Roy Kim)
SUNGHO (BOYNEXTDOOR): I liked this song at the time, so it only made sense for me to work on it for auditioning. I was really nervous for that—probably especially because I didn’t have any experience being a trainee before that and I’d never even stepped foot in the world of entertainment. Roy Kim’s voice is so sweet and mellow, and I worked hard to emphasize my own personal vocals when I sang it. I’m pretty sure I could sing it better now than I did back when I auditioned.

“Every day, Every Moment” (Paul Kim)
DOHOON (TWS): For my audition, I chose the most popular song at the time, “Every day, Every Moment” by Paul Kim. I couldn’t memorize all the lyrics, so I was looking at the lyric sheet when I auditioned. I was just a student who really didn’t know much about music or singing before I auditioned. It fills me up with emotions to think about those days.

“By Myself” (TIFFANY)
MINJU (ILLIT): I chose this song for my audition because I thought it could show how clear and beautiful my vocals are best. It was my first time really singing in front of people and I was so incredibly nervous that my mind went blank. Thankfully, though, since I practiced a lot, I just started singing automatically. (laughs) When I hear the song now, I can remember how much I was shaking and even how it smelled in the place I was auditioning in.


MiMi’s (OH MY GIRL) most memorable vocals practice track: Corinne Bailey Rae - ‘Like a Star’
SIYEON’s (Dreamcatcher) most memorable vocals practice track: Christina Aguilera - ‘You Lost Me’
SUNGHOON’s (ENHYPEN) most memorable vocals practice track: Bazzi - ‘Alone’
HONG EUNCHAE’s (LE SSERAFIM) most memorable vocals practice track: Tori Kelly - ‘Paper Hearts’
SUNGHO’s (BOYNEXTDOOR) most memorable vocals practice track: JONGHYUN - ‘End Of A Day’
DOHOON’s (TWS) most memorable vocals practice track: I.O.I - ‘DOWNPOUR’
MINJU’s (ILLIT) most memorable vocals practice track: Tori Kelly - ‘Paper Hearts’