[Sportschosun, Reporter Kim So-hee] Singer Sandara Park has revealed the behind-the-scenes story of how she went from becoming a top star in the Philippines to making her debut at YG Entertainment.
A video titled "Sandara Park | The Tough Journey from Philippine Superstar to 2NE1" was recently uploaded to the YouTube channel "Yoon Do-hyun's Guitar Etc."
In the video, Sandara Park looked back on her childhood, saying, "I moved to The Philippines in fourth grade and stayed there until my early 20s. I spent all the important years there."
She continued, "I was so shy that I think I barely spoke for 10 years. I couldn't speak English or Filipino. Once, I spoke at school, but the kids laughed because my pronunciation was wrong. I was hurt as a child, and after that, I just shut my mouth."
She added, "One time, my teacher spoke to me in sign language. She thought I was a child who couldn't speak," drawing sympathy.
Her difficult childhood instead became the turning point that deepened her dream of music. Sandara Park said, "Going through hard times as a child made me fall in love with music. Back then, first-generation idols in Korea were hugely popular." She explained that this was what led her to dream of becoming a singer.
She later appeared on a local audition program in The Philippines and quickly rose to stardom. Sandara Park said, "It really blew up. I came in second. I was 19 or 20, and it suddenly hit me that I had become a star overnight."
But behind the glamorous popularity came an exhausting period. She recalled, "Right after my debut, I barely slept for more than an hour for over a year. I had four regular programs, and I was also busy with dramas, music shows, MC work, films, and album promotions."
She went on, "I wasn't okay. I started filming when I was around 19, and from then on I couldn't sleep, couldn't go to school, and couldn't see my mother. I wanted to quit because I was still so young."
Sandara Park also shared how she came to work with YG Entertainment.
She said, "I became known in Korea through a program called 'Screening Humanity.' At the time, I had Fin.K.L and Seven posters in my room, and YG came all the way after seeing them."
She added, "Yang Min-seok, who was vice president at the time, came in person. But I was so busy that I couldn't even meet him, so he had a meeting with my mother."
Sandara Park was also candid about why she chose YG. She said, "Many people still ask, 'Dara feels like SM Entertainment, so why did she go to YG?'" She added, "But I think I had hip-hop DNA. I really admired the YG Family."
She concluded by saying, "It wasn't about the signing bonus or anything else. I went to YG because I said I was going to YG," showing how strongly she felt about the company at the time.
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
