Major music agencies are heavily promoting their in-house 'girl group auditions,' indicating a high-stakes gamble.

The 'girl group fever' driven by fourth-generation idols in 2021 continues to burn brightly. Acts such as IVE, NewJeans, Le Sserafim, and aespa are surpassing the prominence of boy groups with their unrelenting popularity both domestically and internationally, thus paving the way for a stream of upcoming girl group debuts.

Large-scale agencies are also actively aligning themselves with this trend. They are investing substantial resources in launching girl group audition programs and striving to foster new groups. Earlier, YG Entertainment broadcasted their new girl group BABYMONSTER survival program through their own YouTube channel, creating global buzz. The multinational 7-member group has now been confirmed and is expected to make their debut this fall.

HYBE, in conjunction with CJ ENM JV Belift Lab, is currently selecting members for the next-generation global girl group through the JTBC program 'R U Next?' aired on the 30th of last month. Twenty-two trainees from Belift Lab are participating in the survival show, striving to pass through seven essential gates.

In addition to the successful performance of NewJeans and Le Sserafim, 'R U Next?' is already a hot topic even before broadcasting, owing to the creation of the group Enhypen through HYBE and CJ ENM's collaboration, Belift Lab. The participants showcasing their unique charms on the vibrant stage in the first broadcast have drawn attention to the girl group that will emerge subsequently.

JYP Entertainment, the 'original powerhouse of girl groups,' is demonstrating its firepower with two projects. On the 13th of next month, they will unveil 'A2K,' a new girl group project in collaboration with Republic Records, a label under Universal Music in the United States. On the 21st, they will reveal 'Nizi Project Season 2,' a joint venture with Japan's Nippon TV.

'A2K' will showcase members selected through auditions in five major U.S. cities who undergo training and competitions at JYP headquarters before debuting. JYP producer Park Jinyoung has emphasized this as the "biggest project" and has high hopes. 'Nizi Project 2' is the second season of the audition program that birthed the active girl group NizU in Japan, and it has already attracted significant interest due to the fact that it has received applications from 10,000 participants through auditions in Japan, Korea, and the United States.

F&F will launch 'Universe Ticket' with SBS in November. Applicants from 128 countries, including the United States, China, Japan, and India, are being accepted, and profile disclosures will start on the 19th, followed by preliminary voting until the 9th of the following month. The final eight debut members will be active under F&F Entertainment for two years and six months.

An industry insider commented on the trend of girl group auditions saying, "As the rise of fourth-generation girl groups continues, agencies are also joining the trend." They added, "In particular, unlike in the past, girl groups are showing 'fandom power' no less than boy groups. Hence, instead of the saturated boy group market, they are focusing their efforts on girl groups, which had relatively lower interest."

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