kim Jiyeon made her way into the k-industry initially as a trainee is SM, who'd debut in 2021 in a girl band. but the project was cancelled in 2020 after a scandal that involved three out of six members blew up SM refused to then further include her in any upcoming project groups. Jiyeon left the company, auditioning for jyp, yg and hybe, only to he accepted by the last company mentioned.