▲ This photo provided by JYP and Sony Music Entertainment shows producer Park Jin-young speaking at the press conference for "Nizi Project season 2." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) 

 

▲ In this file photo provided by JYP Entertainment shows JYP Entertainment producer Park Jin-young. 

 

▲ This photo provided by JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. shows girl group NiziU. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

TOKYO·SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- JYP Entertainment, which discovered and succeeded to debut Japanese girl group NiziU, and Sony Music, Japan's largest record label, are planning to launch a boy group.

Sony Music Entertainment announced on Monday that it will jointly introduce a new male idol group with JYP's representative producer Park Jin-young, according to Japan's leading news agency, Kyodo News, and JYP.

The new boy group will be formed through the second season of the Nizi Project, which is a joint audition program between JYP and Sony Music Entertainment. Girl group NiziU was also created in the same way last year.

Both entertainment companies will hold auditions for boy group members from 11 different locations including eight different cities in Japan as well as Seoul and New York.

Starting from July 13, applicants will be able to apply for auditions on the official site, however, the qualifications include being a middle school graduate-to-be as of March 2023 up to turning 22-years-old before the audition deadlines.

Producer Park Jin-young will participate in the final audition of each region and lead in selecting the finalists.

As a process of being selected as a boy group member, applicants will have to undergo a new assessment category for composition and songwriting, which was not included for NiziU in season one of Nizi Project.

This decision was said to reflect producer Park Jin-young's opinion on how idols should have the ability to write lyrics and songs based on their thoughts or values.

The auditions will be held between November and December this year and the final debut members will be announced in December 2022. The finalists will make their official debut as JYP Entertainment singers in March 2023.

During the online press conference for the upcoming audition program, producer Park motivated future idol stars to apply for the program.

Park added, "The second season of the Nizi Project will be on different media outlets in the second half of next year."

Previously, the process of the members of NiziU being selected through season one of the "Nizi Project" was broadcast on Japan's Nippon TV (NTV) and video platform Hulu, which gained huge popularity.

All of the NiziU members are Japanese, but they debuted after receiving Korean idol training at the JYP headquarters. This is a case of the so-called 'K-pop incubation' in which a group of idols are trained by applying a K-pop idol development system.

NiziU is also creating a popular sensation in Japan by setting various records.

Both the girl group's debut single "Step and a step" released last December and second single "Take a picture / Poppin' Shakin'" released this year topped Oricon's daily and weekly singles charts.

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