Scooter Braun, CEO of HYBE AMERICA and founding father of SB Projects, was invited as a particular visitor to &AUDITION – The Howling – FINAL ROUND, which happened Sept. 3 in Tokyo. The audition program produced by HYBE, the corporate behind BTS, was performed in an unprecedented type with the goal of launching a worldwide group comprised of members chosen from a mixture of contestants from I-LAND (the mission that launched ENHYPEN) — Okay, EJ, NICHOLAS and TAKI — and 11 trainees.
One new facet of this audition was that its nature was cooperative and never aggressive. Audition packages have a tendency to promote ruthless rivalry, however &AUDITION – The Howling positioned emphasis on mutual help and development among the many contestants. Sometimes the mission was designed to consider the general perfection as a bunch fairly than the excellence of the person. As the rounds progressed, a powerful bond was fashioned between all 15 members, and when the 9 debuting members have been introduced as the brand new group &TEAM within the last spherical, the boys who weren’t chosen congratulated the winners with beaming smiles ultimately — although they did shed a number of tears after they first realized the outcomes.
Braun is a distinguished government and supervisor within the music business. One of his corporations, Ithaca Holdings LLC, merged with HYBE in May 2021 to turn out to be HYBE America, making it simpler for HYBE’s artists — BTS included — and associated companies to penetrate the North American market. The shut affiliation between Okay-pop stars well-liked in Asian areas and Braun’s artists in North America can additional broaden the massive base that each corporations have sooner or later.
Braun’s presence at &AUDITION – The Howling – FINAL ROUND exhibits his dedication to music and artists in Asia. At the identical time, expectations for &TEAM’s international enlargement are rising.
Braun had some heartfelt and profound phrases of recommendation for the 9 debuting members of the brand new band &TEAM. Speaking from expertise working with a few of at the moment’s largest stars, he famous that “every great artist has a story of adversity. All the global stars that I’ve had the chance to work with have heard more ‘no’s than ‘yes’es” and “that’s what makes them great.” With that in thoughts, he inspired the brand new members to overcome any adversity collectively, emphasizing that “you have a team, you have a family now to fight through that together, so never forget that [and] lean on each other.”
Braun promised he would return to Japan for the group’s first stadium present to cheer them on. He concluded his heat message to the group slated to debut as &TEAM by telling them, “Never, never give up. And when one of you falters, the other one pick him up, OK? You are family now. You got it. Congratulations! You can all smile, you’re here now.”
&TEAM consists of 9 members: Okay, FUMA, NICHOLAS, EJ, YUMA, JO, HARUA, TAKI and MAKI. The brand-new band will drop their debut single Dec. 7. There’s a hopeful which means behind the group’s title: “& is about bonding – people & individuals, humans & the world, fans & artists, fans & fellow fans, and ultimately bonding between nine members each with their vivid colors. In a constant pursuit for a better self, the members’ energy synthesizes to create one team that continues to excel and break through its limits.” Fans of the group can be collectively known as LUNÉ, and the group is about to tackle the worldwide stage with LUNÉ’s devoted help.
—This article by Suhi Yoon first appeared on Billboard Japan
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