The pre-debut stories of K-Pop groups often intrigue fans as many are curious to know what happened before the groups hit big. However, claiming to train with one of the most popular groups in the industry now will raise some questions.
As the new season of Produce 101 Japan kicks off, viewers are introduced to many trainees – some of whom have more experience than others. One trainee getting a lot of attention after the release of the first trailer was Sakurai Miu (櫻井美羽), who many recognised as a former contestant of the survival shows ‘NiziU Project’ and “Girls Project 999’ which debuted the girl groups NiziU (ニジュー) and Kep1er (케플러).
櫻井美羽New Jeansのデビュー組にいて一緒に練習してたんだって本当に泣きそう pic.twitter.com/UXN2ZwjTZH
— きな粉餅 (@daifukuwotabero) September 27, 2023
While her appearance caught the attention of many viewers and fans, her remarks have sparked controversy amongst netizens. In the trailer for the program, the trainee said she almost debuted with K-Pop girl group NewJeans (뉴진스) and added that she had also practised with the quintet before their debut.
As NewJeans is now one of the biggest girl groups in K-Pop, the bold claim was immediately met with scepticism. Many netizens debated her training period, saying the time does not match NewJean’s supposed pre-debut period. Some even said that the girl group never had a pre-debut group because the members were already determined beforehand.
Several netizens even criticised Sakurai, saying she knew better than to lie when she could easily be exposed and called out. Some even equated her to the woman who claimed to be part of the Girls Generation (소녀시대) pre-debut line-up but was exposed as fake by leader Taeyeon (태연). Despite the criticism, many also acknowledged that Produce 101 programmes are known for malicious editing, which has previously caused misunderstandings.
What do you think about Sakurai Miu’s claims? Watch the full Produce 101 Japan trailer below:
Source: Theqoo, Twitter, YouTube
