Former Third-Gen Girl Group Member Admits She Quit Idol Career Due To BLACKPINK And TWICE

She was shockingly honest.

ChoA, a former member of the popular girl group AOA, recently made a candid confession about why she left the group.

ChoA | @queenchoa_/Instagram

On August 20, KST, Choa appeared as a guest on a popular YouTube show called Pajama Party, along with former Crayon Pop member Soyul. The two girl group members talked about their careers and personal lives candidly during the episode.

ChoA and Soyul on “Pajama Party”

During their conversation, ChoA opened up about her decision to become an idol and what moved her to step away from that dream. She reflected on the bitter realization that being a K-Pop idol required a lot more than just hard work.

I dreamed of being an idol and made my debut, but…it’s not something that can be achieved just by working hard.

— ChoA

“It was the hardest period,” she continued, expressing how the realization hit close to home.

She then added, “That’s when BLACKPINK and TWICE debuted. With new groups like them coming out, I realized this was my peak.” ChoA confessed that she felt as if she had nothing more to give, and needed to quit while “the applause was still loud.”

ChoA’s surprisingly honest revelation has shed light on the complicated career struggles of K-Pop idols and the reality of how hard work doesn’t always guarantee proportional success. Having made her debut as a powerhouse vocalist of AOA, ChoA left the group in 2017, citing mental health reasons. Since then, she has been constantly out of the spotlight for eight years until recently, when she returned to the public eye through YouTube and occasional TV appearances.