Kim Sejeong Reveals that She Initially Did Not Want to Join 'Produce 101'

K-pop artist Kim Sejeong revealed that she did not want to join 'Produce 101' at first. 

On September 12, Kim Sejeong and two other K-pop soloists Lee Chae Yeon and Eric Nam guested on SBS POWER FM's radio show 'Cultwo Show'. 

It may seem quite random for 'Cultwo Show' to have invited these three celebrities at the same time, but they actually had one thing in common; they made debut after survival audition shows. 

Naturally, the hosts asked them about their experiences appearing on those shows.
Reminiscing about the time when she was on 'Produce 101' in 2016, Kim Sejeong commented, "There were so many cameras around everywhere. It was hard not to be conscious of them." 

"I couldn't practice even when I wanted to, because I was scared that people might judge me through those lenses, saying things like, 'Oh, she's just practicing hard only because she knows she is being filmed.'"  

Lee Chae Yeon, who made debut as disbanded project girl group IZ*ONE following her appearance on 'Produce 48', agreed and said Kim Sejeong was not alone, "It was exactly the same for me. I couldn't rest for long, as I would start to think, 'Have I been resting for too long?' and become anxious." 

Eric Nam also said, "On 'Star Audition : The Great Birth' that I was on, I had to sing a different K-pop song every week. Since I wasn't from here, I didn't really know many K-pop songs. Learning all those songs was the hardest part for me." 
Then, Kim Sejeong surprised everyone in the studio by saying that she delined a 'Produce 101' offer at the beginning, saying, "I turned it down because I was already part of the pre-debut team at my agency that was going to make debut as gugudan. So, I thought to myself, 'Is joining the show really that necessary?'" 

She laughingly added that she was so glad that she decided to join the show in the end though. 
Kim Sejeong ranked second at the end of 'Produce 101', managing to make debut as a member of project girl group I.O.I. 

The 11-member group promoted together until the end of January 2017, then each of them returned to their initial management agency following that.

(Credit= Mnet Produce 101, SBS POWER FM Cultwo Show) 

(SBS Star)