When you’re deep-diving through Google for photos of your new favorite idol, you may find yourself coming across ‘pre-debut’ photos. If you’re starting to become active on the K-Pop side of Twitter or Instagram, you’ll see the word pop up there often too.
Not sure what pre-debut means, or where these photos come from? Keep reading for our full, easy explanation.
Pre-debut meaning in K-Pop
In a nutshell: ‘Predebut’ (or ‘pre-debut’) is the period of time before a K-Pop idol or group releases and promotes their first song. Keep reading to learn when the pre-debut period is, how to pronounce pre-debut in English and Korean, where pre-debut photos come from, and more.
What are pre-debut photos
Simply put, pre-debut photos are pictures of idols taken before they debuted with their first song. These images may come from the idol’s time as a trainee, or they may date back to the idol’s teenage, childhood, or even baby years.
How do fans get pre-debut photos?
Wondering how fans get hold of pre-debut photos? These images surface on the internet in a variety of ways, and may be:
- Officially released by the company after the idol is introduced to the public
- Officially released by the company while the idol is still training
- Publicly posted on the internet by idols’ parents, friends, or classmates
- Publicly posted by schools, dance and vocal academies, and other groups the idol has been a part of
- Taken without permission from the social media account of an idols’ friend or family member
Where does the word ‘pre-debut’ come from?
Technically, pre-debut isn’t a term exclusive to K-Pop. The root word, ‘debut’, comes from an old French word meaning ‘to begin’ — hence the unusual pronunciation.
The word ‘debut’ gained popular usage in English-speaking countries around the 1700s, when wealthy, upper-class aristocrats would hold ‘debutante balls’. During these events, young women would ‘debut’ in the world of high society, presenting themselves to eligible bachelors for marriage for the first time.
Nowadays, the word has been adopted as everyday Korean lingo. Similarly to debutantes, when K-Pop idols debut, they present themselves to the public and the entertainment world for the first time. ‘Pre-debut’ is a natural extension of ‘debut’, with the prefix ‘pre’ meaning ‘before’.
How to use the word ‘pre-debut’
How to pronounce ‘pre-debut’
Pre-debut is pronounced “pree-deh-BYOO” or “pree-day-BYOO” — emphasis on the final syllable.
How to say ‘pre-debut’ in Korean
Sometimes, Korean’s use the same word for pre-debut as English-speaking fans do — though it’s pronounced slightly differently. Translated literally, pre-debut is spelled ‘프리데뷔’ in Hangul (the Korean writing system) and pronounced “peu-ree-deh-bwee’.
Koreans may also use the words ‘데뷔 전에’ to mean pre-debut. Pronounced ‘deh-bwee juhn-eh’, ‘데뷔 전에’ translates to ‘before debut’.
How to use ‘pre-debut’ in a sentence (examples)
When using the word pre-debut to talk about an idols earlier life, you can use sentences such as:
- “GOT7’s BamBam and BLACKPINK’s Lisa have been friends since pre-debut.”
- “During pre-debut, Red Velvet’s Seulgi went through a hard time and couldn’t muster the strength to sing.”
- “Take a look at these pre-debut era photos of ZICO.”
Conclusion
Now you know: Pre-debut is the period of time before idols make their official debut, ranging from their early childhood to their trainee life.
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