K-Pop Powerhouse Teams Up with Geffen Records to Unveil Promising Artists on International Stage

in a YouTube video earlier this week (HYBE)

In a strategic move to uncover the next wave of musical talent, HYBE, the influential K-pop conglomerate, announced on Friday its newest endeavor: "The Debut: Dream Academy," a groundbreaking audition program aimed at assembling its upcoming girl group.

This remarkable audition, a joint collaboration between HYBE and Geffen Records, a subsidiary under the Universal Music Group umbrella, stems from the dynamic partnership established in 2021. The venture was born with the precise mission of identifying and nurturing fresh voices poised to make a lasting impact in the industry.

Set to be unveiled on Tuesday, the participants of this global endeavor will convene in the United States for a span of 12 weeks, promising a diverse spectrum of backgrounds, nationalities, and ethnicities among the contenders.

With the audition proceedings scheduled to be streamed on YouTube, the world will have an unprecedented window into the talent-seeking process, an innovation poised to revolutionize the industry's transparency.

In a candid YouTube conversation earlier this week, Bang Si-hyuk, the visionary founder and chairman of HYBE, discussed his longstanding aspiration of providing gifted youth with the chance to become integral parts of a remarkable musical collective—a dream he shares with John Janick, the chairman and CEO of Geffen.

Bang Si-hyuk also shared his thoughts on the evolution of K-pop, noting that for the genre to transcend borders and become universally embraced, the "K" might need to be removed from "K-pop," transforming it into "pop" music that can seamlessly integrate into the global soundscape, with the American market playing a pivotal role in this transformation.

A staggering testament to K-pop's worldwide appeal, the preceding two years saw an astonishing 120,000 hopefuls vying for a spot through this prestigious audition platform. Impressively, within the initial week of submissions alone, 70,000 contestants submitted their audition videos, showcasing the immense reach and magnetism of this endeavor.

HYBE articulated the significance of "The Debut: Dream Academy" in a press release, heralding its determination to extend the K-pop production model beyond borders to uncover hidden talents that span the globe. This audacious undertaking stands as a testament to HYBE's commitment to shaping the next era of musical artistry.

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