The 20 contestants of "The Debut: Dream Academy" including the Philippines' Sophia Laforteza
Kristofer Purnell - Philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines — Filipina Sophia Laforteza is one of twenty contestants vying to be part of HYBE and Geffen Records' next global girl group through the talent show "The Debut: Dream Academy."
The 20-year-old Laforteza and 19 other young ladies originating from South Korea, Japan, United States, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Belarus, Sweden and Slovakia were selected from over 120,000 candidates from a process dating back to November 2021.
"The Debut: Dream Academy" released posters and short videos introducing each of the 20 candidates, who all underwent the K-pop training and development system.
Beginning September 1, "The Debut: Dream Academy" will air on Youtube and Japanese streaming platform Abema, concluding with a finale on November 18 with the final members and name of the new girl group.
Fans can also participate by voting on TikTok and Weverse which members they want to be considered to make the cut. The group's concept and how many will ultimately be chosen will be announced at a future date.
The eventual group's development process will be filmed for a Netflix documentary series coming out next year directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Nadia Hallgren.
"Each candidate is incredibly talented, dedicated, and driven, making this an exciting moment for music fans around the world," said Geffen Records’ chairman John Jannick in a statement.
HYBE is the Korean agency behind BTS, Seventeen, NewJeans, Enhypen, Tomorrow X Together and Le Sserafim.
Meanwhile, Universal Music Group's Geffen Records founded by veteran producer David Geffen currently manages Ann Marie, Kali Uchis, Neon Trees, Big Time Rush, Marshemello, American distribution for Seventeen, NewJeans, and Le Sserafim, reissues of Nirvana, and Filipino-American Olivia Rodrigo.
