Who is the final WINNER? YG reveals the 11 trainees
The real survival battle program WIN goes on air for the first time on August 23
[서울=뉴스1 유기림 기자] “YG Entertainment never launches anything if it’s not up to their standard.”
This what the producer and singer Park Jin Young said, on the survival battle program ‘WIN: WHO IS NEXT’ when it was partly revealed.
At 4p.m. on August 20 at Conrad Hotel in Seoul, YG Entertainment held a Production Sneak Preview of the program WIN, which will determine the formation of YG’s next boy group.
‘WIN’ is a program that divides YG’s 11 trainees into two groups A and B (with 5 and 6 members respectively) to form the first boy group in 8 years since BIGBANG’s debut in 2006 and 2NE1’s in 2009. It will be aired every week on Friday on the cable channels Mnet and tvN.
Team A is consisted of members with the average age of 20 include leader SONG MIN HO, YG’s longest trainee KIM JIN WOO, K-Pop Star’s LEE SEUNG HOON, group’s youngest NAM TAE HYUN and Superstar K’s KANG SEUNG YOON. SONG MIN HO and LEE SEUNG HOON will sing, while others rap.
Team B has 6 members with the average age of 17—the oldest KIM JIN HWAN, group clown BOBBY, MC Mong’s Indian Boy rapper B.I., the well-rounder SONG YUN HYUNG, K-Pop Star’s KOO JUN HOE, and the persistent vocalist KIM DONG HYUK.
They had been harshly evaluated every month at YG Entertainment, and now stand before the audience to be judged. On the video clip shown at the conference, Team A’s Kim Jin woo says, “This survival program might be my last chance,” showing the gravity of the show. Kang Seung Yoon, about B.I., says, “He is one who hurts my pride all the time. I always feel like I’m falling back behind him.” Their comments hinted the fierce battle that is yet to come.
YG’s founder commented, “We chose the 11 members out of 30 to 40 trainees. So we divided the 11 into two groups. This is the first boy group in 8 years, but realistically it seems impossible for the losing team to make a debut next year or the following year.”
He added, “Team B is more about hip-hop, while Team A is more pop and diversified genre.”
KANG SEUNG YOON is already a solo singer. “If we wanted to make him a solo singer, then we should have done what we did with Lee Hi from SBS’s K-Pop Star. I wanted to focus on just 25% of what he had. KANG SEUNG YOON who can not only dance but also can do rock, rap and R&B. That’s why it took him 3 long years to train.” If Team A with Kang Seung Yoon wins, he will also carry on his career as a member of the boy group.
He added, “KANG’s journey is yet to begin. Through WIN, viewers will see KANG that they did not already know.”
He continued, “I am human too, so I feel closer to those trainees who were at YG longer, and to those who work harder. In Team A, KANG SEUNG YOON and a remarkable rapper SONG MIN HO are the two. In Team B, B.I., the diligent one since he was very little, and BOBBY, who’s been through a lot and developed significantly at YG. He has had a lot of problems with his family.”
He also mentioned Yoo In Na, an actor from his agency. He said, “Since we are a musician-oriented agency, I haven’t seen her for a while. We are going to strengthen our actor management system. We will deliver the news in the near future.”
The program WIN, which depends on the viewers completely for the formation of YG’s new boy group, will be aired for the first time on August 23 at 10p.m. on Mnet and 11:20 on tvN. It will also be broadcasted simultaneously on portal sites.
2013. 8. 20.
