Entertainment
Meet The Inaugural Class Of 'The Debut: Dream Academy'
A new type of girl group is on the way.
The music industry loves putting together a good girl or boy group. Shows like the The X Factor brought us both One Direction and Fifth Harmony, and in South Korea, fan-voted competition shows to find the next big K-pop stars have created groups like TWICE and IVE. Now, these two seemingly opposite industries are teaming up to create a girl group like no other; South Korea’s HYBE entertainment company and the U.S.’s Geffen Records have partnered to create the first-ever truly global girl group that will be trained under the K-pop method. After a worldwide search and over 120,000 submissions, the 20 young women who will be vying for a role in the girl group were unveiled on Aug. 29. Soon, their efforts to make it in the group will be broadcast in a new show titled The Debut: Dream Academy, premiering on Sept. 1 on YouTube and Abema.
The 20 young women range from ages 14 to 21 and hail from as far as Belarus to Japan and the U.S. Over the course of The Debut: Dream Academy broadcast, they’ll undergo the famous K-pop training process and audition to be in the new group. Crucially, fans will get to vote via WeVerse or TikTok on their favorite members each week to determine who moves on and who doesn’t. In the show’s final episode, the remaining contestants will form the group, and the group’s official name will also be revealed.
In addition, the entire process will be documented in an upcoming untitled Netflix series. Set to premiere in 2024, the show will feature unprecedented access to the contestants and their auditions. It “will be a compelling portrayal of the journey to global stardom,” as well as offer “insight into the unique training and development program from HYBE and Geffen Records,” per a press release. The series will be directed by Nadia Hallgren, who also helmed the Michelle Obama documentary, Becoming.
As for the contestants themselves, they were formally introduced in a seven-minute boarding school-themed video where they dance, sing, perform, and otherwise showcase their talents. Watch it above, and get a closer look at The Debut: Dream Academy’s inaugural class, below.
Adela
Name: Adela
Age: 19
Country: Slovakia
Brooklyn
Name: Brooklyn
Age: 17
Country: USA
Celeste
Name: Celeste
Age: 19
Country: Argentina
Daniela
Name: Daniela
Age: 19
Country: USA
Emily
Name: Emily
Age: 17
Country: USA
Ezrela
Name: Ezrela
Age: 20
Country: Australia
Hinari
Name: Hinari
Age: 14
Country: Japan
Iliya
Name: Iliya
Age: 21
Country: Belarus
Karlee
Name: Karlee
Age: 19
Country: USA
Lara
Name: Lara
Age: 17
Country: USA
Lexie
Name: Lexie
Age: 19
Country: Sweden
Manon
Name: Manon
Age: 21
Country: Switzerland
Marquise
Name: Marquise
Age: 17
Country: Thailand
Megan
Name: Megan
Age: 17
Country: USA
Mei
Name: Mei
Age: 17
Country: Japan
Nayoung
Name: Nayoung
Age: 21
Country: South Korea
Samara
Name: Samara
Age: 17
Country: Brazil
Sophia
Name: Sophia
Age: 20
Country: Philippines
Ua
Name: Ua
Age: 15
Country: Japan
Yoonchae
Name: Yoonchae
Age: 15
Country: South Korea
Photos courtesy of HYBE x Geffen.
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