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.
Source: YG Life Blog & YGunited