HYBE Labels Japan’s global artist debut program “&AUDITION” will be broadcast in Japan and streamed worldwide on YouTube next year.
This will be the first phase of the HYBE Labels Japan Global Debut Project, which will bring together the expertise of HYBE Japan and its affiliate, HYBE Labels Japan to discover the next stars who will go on to perform on the world stage.
K, Nicholas, EJ, and Taki, who were introduced to global audiences through their participation in the audition program “I-LAND” last year will also make appearances and debut with the team formed through “&AUDITION” in 2022.
The holding of the auditions is to select additional members who will join the four in a group that will debut in 2022.
Mentors appointed for the project are HYBE's Bang Si-Hyuk (chairman and CEO, producer), Big Hit Music‘s Pdogg (producer), and Son Sung-Deuk (performance director). Sakura Inoue (performance director) and Soma Genda (producer and sound director) will join. Along with the mentors, Ryosuke Imai and Uta will participate in the project as Special Advisors.
"We plan to support these new artists by leveraging our insights on the local market, structured training systems, and the guidance of industry experts to prepare them for the world stage," said HYBE Labels Japan.
HYBE Japan, HYBE Corporations’s Japanese headquarters, will continue to expand the company’s presence in the local market, discover and foster global artists through integration of concerts, global fan community platforms, IP (intellectual property).
It also plans to expand its scope to oversee artist management, promotions, Japanese music productions and collaborations, and coordination of artist appearances on music programs.