Did you ever dream of becoming a member of a K-pop girl group? Well, your chances may have just taken a promising turn. Curated by K-Pop powerhouse HYBE, the force behind BTS, in collaboration with the American label Geffen Records, The Debut: Dream Academy is an audition program aiming to create the world’s next biggest girl group. The venture offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 20 contestants, carefully chosen from over 120,000 submissions, as they engage in a rigorous journey mirroring the K-pop idol trainee system. Their ultimate goal? Securing a coveted spot within the inaugural HYBE x Geffen Records global girl group.
Participants were recruited from all over the world, from Australia to Argentina, Sweden to South Korea, India, Japan, USA, Brazil, and more. Over the next month, they’ll compete in ‘missions’ to stay in the competition, with the final lineup and name of the group being announced on the finale, November 17th. The years-long process of creating this tailor-made girl group will be the subject of an upcoming untitled Netflix documentary series, directed by award-winning filmmaker Nadia Hallgren, portraying the journey to global stardom, including insight into the unique training and development program from HYBE and Geffen Records.
“I have wanted to form an international group based on K-pop methodology for a while,” says Bang Si-Hyuk, chairman of HYBE. “To do this, I believed we needed a capable partner. When I met John [Janick, Chairman & CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M], from the first moment, we both felt instantly that we had a connection, musically and creatively. I am very proud of the rich history we have made and the tremendous talent we have found. I am proud of the opportunities we have created within the K-Pop universe.”
Curious to get a closer look at the participants? You can follow their journey, or missions, on a YouTube series. Here, we connected with stylist Shirley Kurata and creative director Humberto Leon, the creative team behind The Debut: Dream Academy, to get a closer look at what we can expect from the next steps of this venture. Keep scrolling…
Watch The Debut: Dream Academy art film:
