HybeXGeffen Records will train the contestants for a year and the whole journey will be part of an upcoming Netflix documentary series
Our Bureau
Los Angeles, CA
2 Indian-origin singers Lara Raj and Ezrela are part of the 20 contestants vying for a shot at stardom as they compete to become a part of a new global girl group, announced by the South Korean music giant HYBE and American record label Geffen Records.
The joint venture between Hybe, which manages the global K-pop group BTS through Big Hit Music, and Geffen Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, was announced in November 2021.
The new global group will be created and modeled based on the world-renowned K-pop training and development system, with a name to be unveiled later.
Lara in her introduction said, “Hi, I am Lara Raj. I’m 17 and I’m Indian from LA.”
In 2019, Raj was also part of former first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign Global Girls Alliance “Day of the Girl.”
Ezrela, 20, introduced herself as an Indian from Australia.
They have been selected out of more than 120,000 submissions received and these 20 contestants were finalized through an audition program, called The Debut: Dream Academy, as announced during a livestream event aired from IGA Studios in Santa Monica.
The contestants will undergo training for a year and the whole process will be the subject of an upcoming untitled Netflix documentary series, to be directed by award-winning filmmaker, Nadia Hallgren, who was at the helm of the Netflix documentary, “Becoming”.
The series is set to premiere in 2024, produced by Hybe, Interscope Films, and Boardwalk Pictures.
