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Two of the world’s biggest record labels have revealed 20 talented contestants who will be competing for a spot in the first-ever global girl group.
HYBE, the K-pop label behind BTS, and Universal Music’s Geffen Records have teamed up to put together and their collaboration will be the subject of an untitled 2024 Netflix documentary series. The program called ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’ is based on the long-developed system for K-pop idol training.
It’s the first time a major American and K-pop label has teamed up to handpick and develop a group like this. “I have wanted to form an international group based on K-pop methodology for a while,” said HYBE chairman Bang Si-Hyuk in a press statement.
The whole training and selection process of ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’ will be filmed and eventually captured in a docuseries for Netflix, directed by Becoming’s Nadia Hallgren and set for release in 2024.
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HYBE and Geffen introduced the 20 contestants during a livestream event on Monday, and with a video directed by Andrew Thomas Huang below. They were selected from over 120,000 applicants following the project’s announcement in November 2021.
Aged between 14 and 21, they hail from a range of countries across the world — not just South Korea and the U.S. where the project’s labels are based.
The Dream Academy contestants are Adela (Slovakia), Brooklyn (U.S.), Celeste (Argentina), Daniela (U.S.), Emily (U.S.), Ezrela (Australia), Hinari (Japan), Iliya (Belarus), Karlee (U.S.), Lara (U.S.), Lexie (Sweden), Manon (Switzerland), Marquise (Thailand), Mei (Japan), Megan (U.S.), Nayoung (South Korea), Samara (Brazil), Sophia (Philippines), Ua (Japan), Yoonchae (South Korea).
