6 replies to this topic

[hanawopun]

This may sound like an odd question, but I recently read how for a Jpop group called Idol Renaissance, when they formed in 2013, there were 13 finalists chose among 9,107 applicants.

You read that correctly.  Now think about that... there are already TONS of Jpop idol groups among various media companies outside of H!P, plus idols in the alternative scene, and then if there were over nine thousand young idol-worthy female applicants for just ONE group... who is giving birth to all of these girls who obviously must be talented and attractive???  Japan is only so big!!

 

 

[rinafest'19]

youre assuming all girls who audition are talented

[hanawopun]

obviously.  Why bother trying if you don't have talent?  The agencies also have strict standards.

[minaeshi]

i would assume 1/8th of the girls applying are "talented", others may just be average girls who want to try out being an idol (it's not uncommon, as even the biggest groups have very popular members who joined just because). you could have 9,000 applicants but only 3,000 of them could be passed through to the next stage based on looks and written personality, then a third of the 3,000 applicants will be passed onto the next stage due to potential/talent. Even when us fans get to see the finalists, we still pick out the "non talented" ones so it's really not about talent but rather just a bunch of girls wanting to be an idol. which isn't a bad thing, that's what being an idol is about, the talent is only a plus. 

 

I would also assume that the pool of girls auditioning for IR probably also auditioned for many other idol groups. 

[ShiningLight445]

An idol is a field (I guess it can be known as a "field") that has many different routes.

 

A girl can have a passion for music and singing starting from a young age. She can be influenced by a particular group (as some from Momusu and AKB have stated).

Idols can go in many different directions - modeling, acting in movies/dramas/plays, voice acting, solo artist, announcer, tv talent - endless possibilities. A way to get into a particular field is taking that audition chance for an idol group.

 

For instance:

A girl gets into an idol group. She might not sing or dance well, but she practices and learns techniques and skills to better herself. Meanwhile, her group actively performs in front of an audience. The group gets CM opportunities, and her face can be seen on national tv. The next year, she gets scouted by a tv drama for a minor role. The year following she's lead actress in a movie. Some time later, she decides to leave her group after finding her passion for acting.

 

There are girls out there who want to do it, literally, just because. It's fun and exciting and as a group they tend to travel to perform. Some idol groups are local, and could bring hope and happiness. Such as when the earthquake and tsunami devastated the Tohoku region.

For some girls, it's a huge chance just to get their name out there. A popular agency can look at her previous experiences and choose her out of a handful of others simply because she has acting experience and can present herself well in front of a camera.

 

 

So, for 9,000+ to audition for one group, it's really something.

[Kinjiru]

Er...tons of girls don't audition because they think they're necessarily talented, part of the appeal of becoming an idol is that you can become famous without any prior experience at all. These are just normal girls applying, only a fraction of them would actually be pretty on the level of what is expected of an idol.

[Nao-kun]

Some girls will also simply keep auditioning until they get in somewhere, so you can't take applicant numbers as gospel as some of the girls will have been counted more than once.