[Joy News24 Reporter Im Miyoung] The faces of 20 global girl group trainees from HYBE have been revealed. On the 30th, HYBE and Geffen Records, jointly conducting the international girl group audition program The Debut: Dream Academy, released profiles of the participants through their official social media channels, including their photos, nationality, age, nickname, and words that represent themselves.
Among the 120,000 applicants from around the world who have been supported over the past two years, the 20 participants who were selected after fierce competition with a ratio of 6,000 to 1 are, on average, 18 years old and come from 12 countries (6 Asian countries, 6 from the United States, 4 from Europe, 2 from South America, 1 from Australia, 1 with dual citizenship from the Philippines and the United States).
In the photos, the participants strike various poses with natural makeup and outfits. The images representing their “true selves” exude the participants’ confidence and dignity. A HYBE official explained, “We freely shot them on campus in their most flattering looks. We wanted to show the participants’ charm without embellishment.”
Each participant wrote a brief self-introduction using “hello” in their native language. The different languages used for “hello,” such as English “Hi,” Slovak “Ahoj,” Spanish “Hola,” and Swedish “Hej,” hint at the program’s emphasis on diversity.
In addition, the participants’ three-word self-descriptions have sparked curiosity. Among them, Yoon Chae, a 15-year-old Korean trainee, chose “sexy, cute, innocent,” while another Korean participant, Na Young, stood out with “innocent, lively, bright.”
At the global press conference held in the morning, Bang Si Hyuk, the chairman of HYBE, said, “Just as these trainees have diverse cultural backgrounds, we will do our best to showcase their best selves connected to the countries and cultural spheres they are associated with.” He also expressed high expectations for future activities in Korea, saying, “We will not forget to respect K-pop, and Korea will become a significant country for our group.”
The broadcast of The Debut: Dream Academy will be available on the official YouTube channel, Japanese ABEMA, and the global fandom life platform Weverse starting from midnight on September 2nd. Official voting to select the final members will also be conducted through Weverse, and the Weverse official community, where participants can communicate directly, opened on the 29th.
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