Hybe to launch girl group audition project in the US

Hybe x Geffen Records logo (Hybe x Geffen Records)

South Korea's Hybe and Universal Music Group affiliate Geffen Records are embarking on a global girl group project together, Tuesday.

Hybe, the company behind global K-pop phenomenon BTS, on Monday in Korea announced it is set to hold a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon there to unveil its global girl group audition project called "The Debut: Dream Academy."

The event will give a first look into the long-awaited female pop group project that the two companies have been preparing for around two years.

Twenty trainees from around the world, who have beaten out a rigorous competition of some 120,000 applicants, will take the stage at the presser. Here, the aspiring K-pop stars will introduce themselves, flaunting their charms and sharing their stories and ambitions before kicking into game mode to pursue their debut.

Bang Si-hyuk, founder and chairman of Hybe, and John Janick, Interscope Geffen A&M Records' CEO and chairman, will attend to speak on the project's initiative, goals and procedures.

Behind the new project is Hybe x Geffen Records, the joint venture established by the two companies for the program. HxG President Mitra Drab and Executive Creator Son Sung-deuk will also attend Monday.

Meanwhile, Monday's media event will mark the start of the 12-week audition process, which is set to air globally via Hybe's YouTube channel and its fan community platform Weverse. Additional means of broadcast will be disclosed soon, Hybe added.

Through its aggressive global expansion, Hybe has grown into a major multilabel company whose roster of artists includes not just big K-pop names the likes of BTS, TXT, Seventeen and NewJeans, but global musicians such as Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

"The Debut: Dream Academy" began to take shape in November 2021, when the two companies opened submissions for applicants. In the announcement made at the time, it was noted the girl group created from the project will debut under the joint venture label affiliated to Hybe and partnered with Geffen Records.

The forthcoming project represents the first time that a pop group will be produced in the US through the "K-pop training system" from the ground up. Until now, while many local labels went overseas to search for international talent, eventually the trainees would fly in to Korea for their training and debut.

"This project will set a monumental precedent for not just K-pop, but the US and the global music scene as well in making its first bid to discover and develop a talent through the K-pop production system in America, the heart of the global music market," Hybe said in a statement Monday.

It added, "With this global project, in which we invested all our resources, from the artist production skills to know-how and the human network in the US, we will present an unprecedented experience to worldwide music fans."

By Choi Ji-won(jwc@heraldcorp.com)