(G)I-DLE’s Yuqi reveals why she turned down an offer to join SM Entertainment

Song Yuqi of K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE has opened up about why she turned down SM Entertainment in order to join CUBE Entertainment.

The Chinese-born singer recently made a guest appearance on the South Korean TV show Radio Star, alongside Epik High‘s Tablo, during which she shared more about her journey to becoming a K-pop idol. Yuqi spoke about how she had always been interested in K-pop and K-drama.

“I’ve been a fan of today’s another guest Epik High’s Tablo for ages; from the time when he sang the soundtrack for Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” Yuqi said, per SBS Star. “I didn’t know any Korean, but I absolutely loved the drama. Looking at you, Tablo, takes me back to that time. It’s my first time meeting you in person, and I’m kind of excited.”

The singer then spoke about how it was her “dream to get into SM Entertainment” because of her love for Super Junior, adding that she had auditioned for the company four different times. “After the fourth one, while waiting for them to tell me my result, CUBE Entertainment held an audition,” she said.

“I was just like, ‘Shall I try it? Why not? Let’s do it!’,” Yuqi continued, saying that she eventually got a call from both companies around the same time thereafter. “Back then, CUBE Entertainment’s [girl group] 4MINUTE was sweeping the K-pop scene […] I was torn between the two companies.”

However, Yuqi was eventually convinced to join CUBE Entertainment after a member of the company’s board of directors had provided her with “amazing information”. She said: “[They] informed me that I would be able to debut next year if I signed with them. I couldn’t say no to that!”

Yuqi then went on to talk about how she feels she made the right choice in the end. She said that even though she has “the SM Entertainment look”, her “deep voice” is a better first with CUBE Entertainment. “It all worked out for the best anyway,” she added.

Meanwhile, Yuqi recently made a cameo in the teaser for Netflix’s upcoming murder-mystery K-drama series, Celebrity, starring Sweet Home‘s Park Gyu-young and CNBLUE’s Kang Min-hyuk. It’s currently unclear if the singer will play a bigger role in the series.