Jackson Wang has opened up about his “memorable” past experience as an idol trainee under South Korean music label JYP Entertainment.

The GOT7 singer-rapper was a recent guest on the popular Thai radio show WOODY FM, where he recalled his time as a trainee under JYP Entertainment in preparation for his debut with the K-pop group.

When asked to name one memorable event with GOT7, Wang told show host WOODY about a time prior to GOT7’s debut, when all seven members were “back in JYP’s trainee system”. “We were going through this project – cycle – where they eliminate different trainees every week,” the Hong Kong-born musician reminisced.

“That was very memorable to me, because it’s so nervous, it’s like every week we [felt] like we were about to die,” Wang admitted. “But then we were the seven that made it to the final round. That journey was another memorable chapter, definitely.” Wang then described the experience as “intense” for everyone involved. “[I] cried a lot. Everybody cried,” he told WOODY.

“I remember once we were back in our dorm. The Korean members were like, ‘If we don’t make it through this week then I feel so sorry because we’re in Korea, but you guys gave everything up and came here. You guys would have to go back to your hometown’,” Wang said. “That moment I remember, I think it was in the kitchen. Everyone cried.”

The septet returned last month with their brand-new self-titled EP, which featured the title track ‘NANANA’. The project marks GOT7’s first official comeback since departing from JYP Entertainment in January 2021, after which the seven members have since gone on to sign with seven different agencies.

As for Wang, he previously revealed in an interview plans to release an as-yet-unannounced single this month, in anticipation of his wider ‘Magic Man’ solo project due out in September. Wang’s forthcoming song will be his first since he released ‘Blow’ in March, which marked the first single from ‘Magic Man’.