There are over 300,000 young Korean idol hopefuls and the competition is intense. In order to fulfill their dreams of being a star, they’ll need a strategy and their biggest asset in their strategy – their mothers.
Idol Moms, which premiered on Feb. 1 and airs on Lifetime every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. (9:50 p.m. on FYI), follows the daily lives of five mothers and their young children as they navigate through grueling training and compete with each other to succeed. In collaboration with SM Entertainment, one of Korea’s “Big Three” music labels, the series also gives a sneak peek into SM Entertainment’s winning formula in training K-Pop stars.
Now let’s get to know the first-generation K-Pop idols that play host, coach and mentor to the next stars who will dominate the K-pop stage.
Kangta
Ahn Chil-hyun (born October 10, 1979), better known by his stage name Kangta is a South Korean singer, record producer, actor and radio personality. He was a member of South Korean boygroup H.O.T.. He debuted as a back-up dancer together with future band member Moon Hee Jun for singer Yoo Young-Jin. Kangta eventually decided to become a singer with Moon Hee Jun and three others, Jang Woo Hyuk, Tony An, and Lee Jae Won to form H.O.T. in 1996.
Kim Tae-Woo
Born on May 24, 1991, he is also known as Kasper. He is a choreographer at 1 MILLION Dance Studio and dance trainer with SM Entertainment. He is most well-known for his work with the popular K-pop boy band EXO on songs such as “Call Me Baby” and “Super Junior.” His recent appearance on Korea’s reality series, Star King has gained him much attention from fans for his good looks and dance skills.
Jang Jin Young
Born on July 1, 1983, he is currently the vocal coach for SM Entertainment and the former lead singer of the boy group Black Beat. He is currently training for S.M. Entertainment with artists such as EXO and Red Velvet. Jang Jin-young made his debut as the lead singer of the boy group Black Beat which was formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2002. The seven-member group released their first album Volume 1 – Black Beat #2002 but has been inactive since 2006. Along with long time colleagues Kim Do Hun and Kim Sung Pil, he is currently making a comeback in a new male vocal group called Question.