Southern California is heating up as a destination for K-pop auditions.
After the successful conclusion of the ‘2023 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival’ at the Source Mall in Buena Park, hosted by the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles on August 26, major Korean entertainment agencies are holding auditions in the U.S., including Los Angeles.
First, BTS’s agency HYBE held an unveiling event for its ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’ project at Geffen Record Studio in Santa Monica on August 28.
The project is a global girl group audition that HYBE and Geffen Records, a division of global record label under Universal Music Group (UMG), have been holding since 2021. On the day, the 20 finalists were revealed for the first time.
A total of 120,000 people applied for the global audition, and 20 were selected through a competition rate of “6,000 to 1,” and have been undergoing a trainee training program in the United States for the past year.
“For a long time, we have wanted to foster talents from various countries based on the methodology of K-pop and create a global group in the style of K-pop with them,” said Bang Si-hyuk, Chairman of HYBE. “Now, we will apply the methodology of K-pop, which has become a global phenomenon, to invite diverse and talented people from different countries around the world and start a journey together to create a group that is vibrant.”
JYP, one of South Korea’s biggest entertainment companies, is also holding auditions in North America for the first time in four years.
According to JYP, it will hold global auditions starting September 23 in Toronto, Canada, followed by New Jersey (October 7-8) and California (October 14-15).
Anyone born between 2005 and 2013 can apply regardless of nationality and gender, and the auditions will be held in five categories: vocal, rap, dance, acting, and modeling.
Prior to the JYP auditions, YG Entertainment also held auditions in Los Angeles and Orange County on August 26 and 27. During the auditions, YG Entertainment selected future K-pop stars in the fields of vocals, rap, and dance.
BY YEOL JANG [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
