DKB Reveals They Have Earned Zero Dollars Despite Debuting And Actively Performing For The Past 6 Years
Members of DKB with seven years of experience opened up about their difficult reality of promoting in a kpop group.
Recently, the YouTube channel Human Story uploaded a video titled “Seven idols living diligently for their dream with 0 won income for 7 years.”
In the video, member Junseo, born in 2001, said, “I devoted my youth to this,” explaining that he spent half of his twenties living as an idol. He added, “Because I devoted my most beautiful years, I really like this job. When I stand on stage, the cheers and that thrill are amazing,” showing pride in his career.
Leader D1 also shared, “We debuted at a relatively older age. In our group, the oldest is thirty and the youngest is twenty-three.” He continued, “In BTS, the youngest member Jungkook was born in 1997. From what I know, they have been active for over ten years,” which surprised viewers.
The members later visited their agency Brave Entertainment, led by producer Brave Brothers, who created many hit songs for groups such as Sistar and Brave Girls.
D1 recalled his past, saying he was born and raised in Sokcho in Gangwon Province and had no academies or dance studios there. “In the evenings, I practiced looking at my reflection in the glass windows. If you don’t truly love this job, you can’t endure it for six or seven years. I thought everything would end once we debuted, but that was just the beginning. When we debuted, COVID-19 happened, so we only performed on stages without audiences. I’ll never forget the first moment we performed in front of a crowd.”
Regarding income, he explained that their main possible earnings come from performances and songwriting royalties. “If we write songs and they are included in the album, we receive incentives,” he said.
Later in their studio, member Lee Chan shared his concerns about the future. “I’m scared and worried. I’m now thirty years old. In my twenties I chose this path because I loved music, but in my thirties I feel like maybe I shouldn’t keep going like this,” he confessed.
He continued, “I have a family I need to protect, and I also need to protect myself. At some point the endless uncertainty started to scare me. Our income is completely 0 won. There may come a time when I have to let go, but because we have fans, I hold on desperately. I can’t let myself lose who I am, so I continue this job because of the fans.”
Member Lee Chan said, “I cover food expenses with 20,000 won [$13] per day. Earnings are a sensitive issue. It’s also something to be cautious about. If you try to make money, you should never do this job. Compared to the amount of time and passion you put in, the money that comes back is actually very little. There are seven of us, and even just going to the shop every day costs a lot of money, and mixing fees, styling fees, album costs are really high. The company must have a hard time too, managing all this. There are also about 20 employees. They all need to be paid salaries.”
Member Yuku said, “For us to make a profit, we would have to earn double the amount the company provides, but that’s not the case,” and said they have not received settlements yet because they have not surpassed the break-even point.
DKB debuted in the music industry on February 3, 2020, with their debut album “Youth.”
The video shocked fans, many were surprised to learn that despite being active for 6 years, the group has yet to earn any income from what they’ve been doing.
