Exclusive K-Pop Idols Clip and Interview with Blackswan and CRAVITY

K-Pop Idols is out on Apple TV+ tomorrow, and to celebrate, we’ve got a little bit of a treat. Not only did we get the chance to interview the stars of the documentary, Blackswan and CRAVITY, but Apple has offered us an exclusive clip from the series for you to watch ahead of its launch.

Before we get stuck in, make sure you check out our K-Pop Idols review . It’s a fantastic six-part documentary that documents the lives of three K-pop artists: Blackswan, Cravity, and solo artist Jessi over the space of about a year. It can be a frustrating watch, at times, but it’s phenomenally well-shot and directed, and it really shines a light on all parts of the K-pop industry — the good and the bad.

K-Pop Idols Exclusive Clip

Before we get into the clip, let me set the scene. Solo artist Jessi has had a bit of a rough time touring, with her last tour in Europe being a pretty spectacular bundle of misfortune in terms of logistics. Eager to avoid a repeat, Jessi takes a more active role in organizing her next tour, and it all comes to a head in Cambodia. Despite efforts to make sure everything goes right, her performance is put at risk due to a huge amount of rainfall. Ever keen to please her fans, though, Jessi wants to do the right thing. The clip below is what follows.

CRAVITY Interview

We had the opportunity to ask a few questions of CRAVITY, the boy group featured in K-Pop Idols. A bit more background here, but CRAVITY was set to debut in front of a crowd in 2020, but COVID-19 meant their opening performance took place in an empty amphitheater instead. Since then, the group has struggled to grow its audience somewhat, but throughout the documentary we see them building up to a huge performance in LA.

GLHF: How did it feel having to wait so long for your in-person performance debut due to COVID-19?

CRAVITY : It was a really difficult time because we finally made our debut after training and preparing, but it didn’t really feel like it since we didn’t have an audience in front of us. We had to perform only in front of cameras so it was hard to feel the real energy and excitement from performing, but we still worked hard by just imagining what it would be like with our fans in front of us one day. It felt surreal when we finally met our fans in person and it was emotional to meet the people who had been showing us so much love and support from the beginning.

KCON LA was a huge moment for you, what was it like performing on that stage in front of thousands of people?

It was a really big moment for us because we finally got to meet our fans in the US and it was exciting to perform in front of such a big audience. It was our first time in LA as CRAVITY and it was especially meaningful for Allen because he got to perform in his hometown in front of his friends and family after debuting.

Partway through the documentary, it was announced that there would be major changes to your style, was this difficult to adapt to?

We tried different styles in order to find what fits CRAVITY the best and that growth process is captured in the show. It always takes effort to adapt to a new style, but we thought it was an important process for us to learn and grow from to become the group we are today.

Many of you expressed difficulty with the harsh regime of diet and practice, does it get any easier with time?

Following a strict diet and practice schedule is not easy, but we all do it willingly because we want to show our fans only the best. We practice so that we can show them the best performances and diet when we have to in order to show them our best image. We’ve found what works best for us and we make an effort to balance everything out.

How is it living together? Do you ever fight or argue with each other?

Living together has made us so close and we’re basically like family. Of course we have times when we disagree, but we make sure to gather together and talk it out as a team. Being open about things we disagree about and working through it together ends up making us closer as a team.

What’s the next step for CRAVITY?

We have more exciting things in store for the rest of the year! We’re participating in a Korean show called “Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace” that’s airing in September. We’re practicing really hard so you can look forward to a lot of cool performances after seeing our story on “K-pop Idols”. We hope you look forward to all our future activities and we hope to meet our global fans in person soon too!

Blackswan Interview

We also got to ask a few questions of Blackswan, a girl group featured in K-Pop Idols. Blackswan has had a rocky time in the spotlight, with multiple changes to its lineup and a lot of behind the scenes drama, plenty of which is captured on film in the series. We won’t spoil too much here, but it’s a frustrating, tear-filled journey that is really at the heart of the series — it’s worth watching for Blackswan’s journey alone (but everything else is great, too).

Note: Some answers have been edited for clarity.

GLHF: What are the biggest pressures you face as a member of a k-pop group?

Fatou : The pressure of always having to be perfect, but that was at first now I don’t think about it as much.

Nvee : Actually I don’t feel I receive too much pressure from outside. I feel the biggest pressure I receive is from myself. Because I’m a perfectionist I always want to be better. So I always end up putting pressure on myself, but as long as I’m confident. I don’t worry too much.

Gabi : With the combination of all the already known pressures that Kpop Idols pass through, in my opinion, being in this industry, mental and emotional health are the most difficult thing to manage. There will be days that are just not your best days, emotionally, and even though you have to put a smile on your face and go to work as nothing is happening, as everything is okay.

Sriya : I think in my opinion there is a mixed pressure of everything. But mostly it comes down to delivering good music and a good performance.

What’s the next step for Blackswan?

F : Releasing new music and touring!

N : WORLD TOUR! MEET MORE LUMINA! NEW SPICEY MUSIC!

G : I really want to release more songs, try different concepts and styles and for sure go on a World Tour to meet our Luminas from all over the world!

S : Keep making music.

If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be?

F : In Senegal for me!

N : My dream has always been to perform at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas

G : Even though I want to meet every single Lumina in the world, I am really aspiring to perform at my home country, Brazil.

S : Wanna perform all around the world. Hahaha

Fatou, what are the unique challenges you face as an African-born idol in the k-pop industry?

F : I’m put under an even bigger microscope, so every little thing I do can be made bigger than it actually is. But I don’t pay any mind to it lately.

Nvee, what was it like coming into a group with such a rich history as the newest member? Did you struggle at all to find your place?

N : Actually I didn’t have a hard time finding my place. I struggled more with catching up to skill level of my members. Something that is still a work in progress. Something that will always be a work in progress because we all are always growing.

Gabi, you struggled with the harsh regime and strict diet required of you by DR Music, has it gotten any easier for you?

G : Well, this is a really difficult topic to go through. But despite that now we all are focusing more on maintaining a healthy body. I cannot say that the pressure is not there.

Sriya, how does it feel being the first Indian idol in the k-pop industry?

S : I feel honored and grateful to be able to achieve something that I never expected, it still feels surreal, I just want to continue working hard and keep doing my best.

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