After eight years and eight months in AKB48, Takeuchi Miyu graduated from the J-pop supergroup to try her luck in Korea. She was coming off a relatively successful stint on Produce 48, the Mnet survival show that created IZ*ONE. Although Miyu didn’t get to debut, she did well enough on the show that Korean entertainment agency Mystic Story signed her to an exclusive contract.

Unfortunately, she left the agency back in May after things didn’t work out like she hoped they would. Now, she’s opening up about her time as a K-pop trainee on her YouTube channel MiyuTube. In a recent video, Miyu revealed that she would practice up to 10 hours a day, six days a week—her only day off was Sunday.

Miyu’s daily schedule was divided into two parts: individual practice time and lessons with the other aspirants on Mystic Story’s roster. She would make daily to-do lists in order to use her time well. Among the things on her list was to drink three liters of water every day. Miyu also set aside time for breathing exercises, dance practice, and vocalization.

When she was in AKB48, Miyu didn’t have to work as hard because J-pop trainers aren’t as strict as Korean trainers. So when she came to Korea, she had to put in a lot of effort to learn the basics. Miyu ended up filling several notebooks with notes on how to perform better, as well as lyrics and translations.

Her backbreaking schedule didn’t give her much of a life outside training, but she put up with all of it by keeping her eyes firmly on the prize. She knew that if she stuck it out, her dream of debuting in Korea would come true. Unfortunately, it never did.

Her original deal with Mystic Story was to debut as a soloist. While she did manage to release the solo singles “Forbidden Game” and “My Type,” her actual debut kept getting delayed due to political tensions between Japan and Korea. She was advised to join a girl group, but Miyu declined and left Mystic Story instead. At the moment, she has no plans except to keep posting covers and original songs on her YouTube channel.

Although she was unable to debut, Miyu bears no ill will towards Mystic Story. In fact, she considers herself lucky to have been with the agency. Miyu says she learned a lot about music from producer Yoon Jong Shin, and that working with him was very stimulating.

All things considered, Miyu didn’t lose anything when things with Mystic Story didn’t work out. She learned new things and met many people who helped her grow personally and professionally. Now she can take all that and apply it elsewhere—hopefully under an agency that will help her shine the way she deserves to.

Watch Miyu's YouTube video on her departure from Mystic Story here: