Apple TV+ is giving fans a peek behind the curtain of the Korean entertainment industry with their new docuseries, K-Pop Idols. The 6-episode show offers insight into the lives of three talented acts at different stages of their career: newly debuted girl group BLACKSWAN, boy group CRAVITY, and veteran soloist Jessi. While the latter recently left her label P-Nation to strike out on her own, the younger-generation groups are still adjusting to life as K-Pop idols after debuting in 2020.
CRAVITY’s motivation for success in K-Pop Idols is to live up to the expectations set by their ultra-popular seniors, Monsta X, but BLACKSWAN’s story is a little more complicated. As a girl group paving the way for diversity in the industry, they have had an uphill climb to being accepted as truly “K-Pop.” The idol life is also not suited to everyone, as highlighted with member Leia in the docuseries, leading to lineup changes that make the girl group of today different than when the series was shot.
Screen Rant interviewed the current members of BLACKSWAN about their journey to being K-pop Idols and their thoughts on the industry. As the only original member left, Fatou chronicled her reaction to becoming part of Apple TV+’s docuseries, while the newest member NVee shared her excitement about coming together to form such a cohesive unit. Sriya and Gabi also detailed their unique opportunity to participate in 2023’s Visit Korea ad.
BLACKSWAN Members Couldn’t Believe Apple TV+ Wanted To Put Them In K-Pop Idols Docuseries
“I hope they can pick up that we are all just human beings.”
Screen Rant: What was your first reaction when you heard you’d be a part of this series?
Fatou: I was really surprised that they were actually interested in BLACKSWAN. I was like, “Oh, really? You want a film us? Wow, thank you. Obviously, go ahead.” I’m very thankful.
Gabi: Well, I came in the middle. When they told me, “Actually, we are recording a documentary series for Apple TV,” I was like, “Wait, what?” And they said, “Yes, you’re going to be filmed – from the side and everything.”
Do you each have aspects of your life as idols or truths about the industry that you hope audiences understand better because of the series?
Fatou: When viewers watch the docuseries, I hope they can pick up that we are all just human beings. We have our ups, our downs, our sad sides, our happy sides, and our scared sides. We cry, we laugh…
I hope they just get the whole concept of us as human beings who are just following their dreams, working hard and everything.
Sriya: They say [idols are] the perfect figure, but we are not actually not perfect. It’s hard sometimes. It’s really hard, but the support we get is amazing.
Despite Member Changes, BLACKSWAN Are A Unified Front
“There was a natural chemistry that came between the four of us.”
The group has gone through some member changes before reaching its current form. What was the bonding experience like, and how do you feel you’ve gelled together as a quartet?
NVee: I would say, working with these three, there was a natural chemistry that came between the four of us. Honestly, it was very surprising how fast we came together because normally it takes some time, but it was an instant click. I think that was one thing that surprised me very, very much when we all started working together, especially after everything. Me being just a random girl, then suddenly, “Yeah, she’s going to be the new [member].”
It’s hard to really adapt, and not personally for me, but for the original members to adapt to new people can be hard. But the fact that we did it very quickly was very surprising.
Fatou: For me personally, as you probably can see in the docuseries, it was very hard at first to accept that I had to restart again without the original members. It took a long time for me to accept because I did not want to [restart]. I’m like, “No, no, no, no, no, no. It’s not going to happen. How am I going to do this?”
I had a lot of worries, but luckily I have these three amazing human beings now, thank God. I’m very happy that I just got out of that mindset that it had to be the original [team]. “No, it has to be this way. It has to be this way.” I’m happy that I got out of that mindset because now I have these three human beings, whom I’m very happy about.
Sriya: We’re happy too!
BLACKSWAN really paved the way in terms of more diverse representation in K-pop. What has that meant for you, and have you seen changes in the industry’s inclusion in the last few years?
Sriya: Actually, BLACKSWAN is a group formed not by nationality, color, or age, but by uniqueness and talent. We’re nice people who chase one dream. It’s more diverse, and it doesn’t matter your skin color or Asian [descent] because you can do whatever you like, and you can be whatever you like.
Fatou: The fans, too, they’re very supportive. They just treat us as every other group; as K-pop idols. It’s really nothing too different.
There are obviously going to be some like, “But are you sure you’re a K-pop group? There’s no Korean in here.” But I remember when we heard for the first time that we were going to be a K-pop group without Korean members, we were also a little bit like, “Is it possible?” Because it wasn’t done before. But I was like, “Okay, let’s try. Let’s do it.”
Shoutout To Korean Tourism And Cha Eunwoo Sunbaenim
“It was really fun, and something new to experience.”
Sriya and Gabi, you both got to be in a Visit Korea ad with Cha Eunwoo last year. How did it feel to participate in the expansion of Korean tourism?
Gabi: When we heard we were going to do the advertisement for Korean tourism, we were like, “Oh my God, really? Oh my God.” And we had a lot of fun filming it.
Sriya: It was really fun to shoot because we didn’t expect that we would get to do something like that, and it was a really amazing advertisement. Thank you so much to the team for working so hard and giving us the best. It was really fun, and something new to experience. And thank you so much to Cha Eunwoo sunbaenim, it was a pleasure to work with you.
Last but not least, if someone who watches the docuseries wanted to get into BLACKSWAN, which song would you tell them to listen to first?
NVee: “Tonight.” [Begins singing] I gotta go bad, tonight like a babe…
Fatou:
“Roll Up.”Gabi: Yeah, “Roll Up,” I would say. I think it’s a really good song to start with. It’s catchy to the listener, you know what I’m saying?
More About Apple TV+’s K-Pop Idols
Glitz meets grit in this backstage pass to artists from around the world. Through trials and triumphs, Jessi, CRAVITY and BLACKSWAN give everything they’ve got to an art form that demands nothing less than perfection.
For more interviews about the Korean entertainment industry, check out the following:
All 10 episodes of
K-Pop Idols
premiere August 30 on Apple TV+.