Former EXO member Tao aka Huang Zitao has shared his experience as a member of the popular South Korean record label SM Entertainment.
"For starters, I will never forget that this company led me to debut in Korea. They would tell us, we would not be here today if it were not for every single person around us; each person who contributes is precious. They would say, if one day we reach the number one spot, we must stay humble. They taught me a lot," he said in an interview with Chinese media outlet Sina.
Tao left the boy band last April and asked SM Entertainment to terminate his contract with him. When asked about his departure from the entertainment agency, the 22-year-old singer said, "No company, no person is ever perfect," according to Koreaboo.
Explaining further about his stint at the record label, he said: "Every day was an eight to ten-hour practice day. In the first three months, I averaged 4-5 hours of sleep a night. I would stay at the company to practice until four or five in the morning, eat a big meal, then fall straight asleep until we debuted. I knew that if I did not work hard, I might fall behind and not even debut."
Although Tao cited unfair treatment and health issues as reasons for his departure from EXO, he reportedly left South Korea in May to pursue a solo career. He launched his first mini digital album on 22 July and more than 670,000 copies of the album were sold in a week's time.
