[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Park Hee-eun] Singer Kang Daniel spoke about the difficult times before his debut.
On the 7th, Kang Daniel appeared on KBS2's 'Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook' after releasing his second mini-album 'Magenta (MAGENTA)'.
During the broadcast, he recalled that his interest in dance began when he joined a b-boy club in the second year of middle school.
Afterwards, Kang Daniel entered the modern dance department at an arts high school but dropped out after one year. He said, "An older brother told me there was a practical dance department, so I went, but there were only modern dance, ballet, and Korean dance departments. When I actually tried it, it was fun. I even got interested in ballet, but since it was a private school, the tuition was too expensive. I dropped out and immediately took the qualification exam," recalling those days.
He continued, "When I was 20, an older brother who attended the dance academy with me joined a company and was in the debut team. One member left, so they contacted me. That was the first time I came up to Seoul," he said.
He added, "When I first came up to Seoul, I lived in a goshiwon with a monthly rent of 170,000 won. There was barely any space to lie down. I lived like that for one year and eight months," he revealed.
Kang Daniel recalled the goshiwon he used at the time, saying, "It was really cozy for me. That place remains in my memory. Meals were also provided at the goshiwon."
He said he found comfort by watching videos of seniors whenever he was having a hard time. Kang Daniel said, "Watching videos of seniors, I felt the thrill on stage. I watched a lot of concert videos. That made reality feel even colder. It was a place where bugs crawled around, but I think I didn't give up."
In a subsequent interview, Kang Daniel also mentioned his reason for participating in Mnet's 'Produce 101 Season 2.' He said, "I didn't see a chance to debut, so I was going to enlist in the military, but there were too many enlistees, so I was rejected. I even looked into getting certifications to learn skills, but when I heard about the audition, I decided to participate as a last challenge."
Kang Daniel shared his mindset during the audition, saying, "If I was eliminated halfway, I thought it meant it wasn't my path, so I planned to wrap it up neatly. It was a lifeline."
Yoo Hee-yeol, listening to this, asked, "The Kang Daniel who was like that now has a company in Gangnam, right?" Kang Daniel replied, "I started a company in Gangnam and became the CEO. I will work even harder."
Now a CEO of an agency, Kang Daniel spoke about the changes in his environment after debuting as a singer, saying, "I went down to Busan, bought clothes for my mother, and went on dates with her. My mother is very happy, and I get chills seeing the traces she left behind," sharing a heartwarming story.
He then expressed his aspiration, saying, "Because I have longed for the stage, I want to become synonymous with the stage. I hope that when people think of the stage, they think of Kang Daniel."
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