Banking on the recent commercial success of KATSYE, HYBE and Universal Music Group‘s Geffen Records are launching a new talent search for their second global girl group.
The collaboration, which produced the six-member global act through The Debut: Dream Academy in 2023, is now expanding operations with World Scout : The Final Piece, with Japanese auditions already underway and exclusively streaming on Japanese platform ABEMA.
KATSEYE‘s performance metrics suggest the strength of HYBE and Geffen’s partnership. The group’s EP Beautiful Chaos appeared on both Billboard and UK Official charts while their 13-city North American tour sold out completely.
The group’s singles Gnarly and Gabriela also saw multi-week runs on the Billboard Hot 100.
KATSEYE were among the performers during the recent Lollapalooza in Chicago. In an interview with The Korea Times on Saturday, KATSEYE’s Manon said: “It’s our first festival ever… We’ve worked so hard for it, and now we’re at a point where we’re just ready to take over the stage and let Chicago know who we are.”
According to HYBE’s latest earnings report, just 1% of the group’s Spotify listeners are based in Korea. Over 20% are in the United States, 17% in Europe, and 12% in the Philippines. The data supports HYBE’s strategy of developing acts for international markets rather than exporting Korean-developed groups.
Back in March, HYBE CEO Jason Jaesang Lee said: “The group has received so much attention and affection from listeners and music critics worldwide. The success of KATSEYE demonstrate[s] that the K-pop system can work in the U.S.”
The first round of auditions for the new girl group has kicked off in Japan.
The Japan-based auditions target women and “non-binary” individuals aged 15 to 24 through nationwide auditions running from August 6 through September 22. Selected candidates will undergo training in Japan from October through December, followed by a Los Angeles-based training ahead of a US debut in 2026.
The selection process involves document review, three rounds of Tokyo-based screenings, and final judging in the US.
According to the upcoming show’s website: “A top-tier scouting team with a proven track record of discovering global stars such as BTS will come to Japan to hold a nationwide, large-scale audition.”
The website for the HYBE and Geffen partnership stated that only one person will be selected from the Japan leg of auditions.
The website said: “A scouting project that is attracting attention from all over the world has been launched to find that one person who will inspire the world.”
Music Business Worldwide
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