Chairman Bang Si-hyuk-led HYBE's global territorial expansion is heating up the Indian subcontinent. After the audition project HYBE launched for the first time in India received explosive global response, it has substantially expanded the scope of local talent scouting and begun a full-scale effort to grow its numbers.
HYBE INDIA announced on the 2nd (local time) via its official social media the official holding of 'HYBE India audition: final call (HYBE INDIA AUDITION: FINAL CALL)'. This is a continuation of the girl group audition that opened in March, and anyone born between 2005 and 2011 who is female can apply across all categories including vocal·rap·dance·acting·modeling.
The first round of auditions previously held drew crowds of overseas Indian applicants from all 28 Indian states and 6 union territories, as well as from some 1,650 cities in 116 countries worldwide. It proved global aspiring stars' trust in HYBE's core vision of "Multi-home, Multi-genre" strategy, its unique "K-pop methodology," and its systematic T&D (Training & Development) system.
Accordingly, HYBE INDIA decided to dramatically expand the locations for in-person local auditions. It added eight new cities — Lucknow, Dimapur, Kohima, Siliguri, Jaipur, Indore, Goa and Kochi — and expanded the project into a major undertaking holding auditions in a total of 23 cities, including the existing 10 Indian cities and five overseas cities.
Lee Woo-chang, chief executive officer of HYBE INDIA, said, "The interest poured into the audition shows the depth of talent and aspiration that exists across India," noting, "Our goal is to discover talent with the potential to represent India on the global stage and to develop them systematically. We look forward to hearing the voices of the new talents we will meet."
Major brands including Kia India, Nongshim and Project B are participating en masse as partners in this global project, providing full support.
HYBE has already proven the globalization of K-pop methodology by successfully localizing artists in global hubs such as the United States (KATSEYE), Japan (&TEAM) and Latin America (Santos Bravos). In particular, the fact that Lala, a member of KATSEYE, which recently reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, is of Indian descent further heightens expectations for this audition.
[Photo] HYBE INDIA
[OSEN]