HYBE and Geffen Records launch new global girl group project

HYBE and Geffen Records, a Universal Music Group label, are once again joining forces to debut a new multinational girl group in 2026. The project, World Scout: The Final Piece, follows the success of their first collaboration, which produced the global act KATSEYE.

The journey begins with a large-scale audition tour across Japan, where HYBE’s top scouting teams will search for standout talent. Selected trainees will enter a three-month “K-Pop-style” training program, adapted for the U.S. market, running from October to December.

From there, the finalists will move to an advanced training camp in the United States, where they will compete for spots in the debut lineup. The entire process, from auditions to the group’s formation, will be exclusively broadcast on the Japanese streaming platform ABEMA in spring 2026.

“The program will capture how talented individuals grow while working alongside world-class producers,” HYBE and Geffen Records said in a joint statement.

This marks the latest step in HYBE’s strategy to globalize K-Pop by exporting its production model beyond South Korea. In 2023, the companies launched The Debut: Dream Academy, an audition show that attracted worldwide attention and led to KATSEYE’s formation. That program featured contestants from a wide range of backgrounds, demonstrating how the K-Pop training system could be tailored for international markets.

By launching World Scout: The Final Piece, they aim to discover the next generation of global pop stars while blending K-Pop’s polished performance style with a multinational approach to talent.

Source: Korea Herald