Now Reading: Hybe auditions across India for K-pop style girl band
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Hybe auditions across India for K-pop style girl band
South Korean music giant Hybe, home to BTS, has begun auditions across 10 Indian cities to form a K-pop-inspired all-girl band. The company opened a Mumbai office in 2024 and held pop-up…
The Story in Brief
South Korean music giant Hybe, home to BTS, has begun auditions across 10 Indian cities to form a K-pop-inspired all-girl band. The company opened a Mumbai office in 2024 and held pop-up events earlier this year. Hybe India CEO Damien Woochang Lee said the move reflects India's rapid music ecosystem growth and a gap in opportunities for female talent.
India's first all-girl group Viva! launched in 2002 and sold 500,000 copies of its album, according to a Livemint report citing The Economic Times, before disbanding a few years later. Hybe's search comes as independent music rises in India, with genres like Punjabi, Haryanvi, and Tamil gaining popularity.
The Indian Opinion
Some fans worry Hybe will impose K-pop's notorious weight and appearance standards on Indian talent. The CEO has promised a locally rooted approach, not a copy-paste of the Korean model. But talk is cheap: the final group's diversity in body type, language, and dance style will prove whether Hybe walks its talk. Will a Kathak dancer with a non-standard physique make the cut? The first lineup announcement will reveal all.
Sources (2): livemint.com, hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
