Female singer has had no income for 7 years

Recently, idol singer Jiwon (member of Kpop group fromis_9) appeared as a special guest in JTBC's Knowing Bros program, along with Billlie's Tsuki.

Mentioning that fromis_9 has now entered its 8th year of operation, Jiwon shared about the difficulties that the group had to go through in the first 7 years: "Honestly, we went through a very difficult time because we had no income for 7 years.

MC Kim Shin Young asked in surprise: "Does that mean you are not allowed to finalize and receive money because you have no income?".

Jiwon replied: "That's right. We work without being paid, and I live on mom's pocket money.

Jiwon revealed that the lack of income once caused many difficulties for members fromis_9: "There were times when I had to pay for food myself. Throughout that time, I was always worried, afraid that my card would be rejected because I didn't have enough money.

She added: "Even worse, that time coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, so we could not carry out many activities.

However, according to Jiwon, despite facing difficult times, the members are still persistent because they are very attached to the group. "The members are still working hard because we cherish and are attached to the group," the female singer emphasized.

Then, the MCs asked Jiwon: "Have you guys been paid now?", Jiwon replied: "Now... there's a part...", then left the sentence unfinished, making everyone laugh.

Previously, in the "Workman" program on YouTube released in June, Jiwon also revealed: "Until last year, the other year, I really didn't have a penny in my pocket.

For 8 years, I lived no differently from a poor person, and I only received the settlement money not long ago. Now I can start saving seriously.

Jiwon's sharing shows a noteworthy reality in the Korean music industry (Kpop), which is that famous idols may not have high incomes.

Unlike the job that receives a fixed monthly salary, idol's income often depends on revenue and the settlement mechanism between the artist and the management company. Revenue from albums, streaming, performances, advertising, events, copyrights... can be divided according to the contract after calculating related expenses.

To establish and maintain the operation of a Kpop group, the management company must spend a large amount of investment. Idols are only paid when they have recovered the investment for the company, so they always have to work hard. Many groups operate for many years but still do not have a significant amount of real money received.