Ex-CLC’s Sorn on becoming a K-pop idol: “I thought I could be the ‘Thai Princess’”
Former CLC member Sorn has opened up about her journey as a foreigner in the K-pop industry.
In a recent interview with Korea Times, the Thai singer spoke about her decision to pursue her music career in South Korea and her life as a K-pop trainee and idol. Sorn first rose to prominence in 2011, when she won first place on the reality TV competition K-pop Star Hunt and signed with CUBE Entertainment.
The idol shared that she decided to move to Korea after witnessing the success of Nickhun, a Thai member of the boyband 2PM who is often dubbed the ‘Thai Prince’. “I was young and I thought I could be the ‘Thai Princess,’” Sorn revealed, noting that she had not expected the training process to be so “difficult”.
“Only a few weeks later, I called my parents and told them I did not want to stay here anymore because everything was so hard,” confessed the singer. However, she later changed her mindset after realising that “not everyone is given this opportunity to become a K-pop star.”
“I made up my mind to go all-out for it and see how far I could go. Since I was the first foreigner in CUBE, I also wanted to prove to the company that a foreigner can also do the same thing like other Korean trainees,” added Sorn. “Back then, I could not speak Korean very fluently, but that did not mean that I could not sing or dance like the others.”
Last week, Sorn returned with her solo single ‘Sharp Objects’, her first release since her departure from CLC and CUBE Entertainment last November. The singer had previously made her debut as a soloist with the digital single ‘Run’ in March 2021, which was released in collaboration with her current agency WILD Entertainment Group.
Last November, CUBE Entertainment announced the star’s departure from both the agency and CLC, which was decided following “mutual discussion”. Sorn later personally confirmed the news on her social media accounts, and thanked the members of CLC for their time together.
“For the past 10 years, I’ve learnt so much from the whole experience. I’ve met six wonderful girls who have become my second family in Korea,” she wrote. “I’m so proud of all the achievements we have accomplished together as a team and I’ve enjoyed every single moment with them through our ups and downs.”
