On August 28th, HYBE x Geffen, a partnership between two major entertainment companies, announced its new global girl group with a video titled “PRELUDE: THE FINAL PIECE.” After the major success of their debut group, Katseye, in 2023, this new group will feature three members who previously starred on the survival show used to determine the members of Katseye. The group will have four total members, and while the first three are already decided, the fourth member is planned to be selected through auditions held throughout Japan.
During the formation of Katseye, auditions were held globally to select the competitors who would take part in a survival show. This survival show consisted of three “missions”, and the girls with the least amount of fan votes would be eliminated each round before the finale. During the finale, the final roster was chosen from the remaining girls. Among the girls who made it to the finale but were not selected for the final group were Samara Siquera and Emily Kelavos. Samara had a very large fan base for the first few missions, and was looking to be a strong competitor for the final roster; however, during the final voting, she fell just short of making it into the 6-member girl group, placing 7th out of 10 contestants. Samara will be the leader and main vocalist of the group, both talents which she showcased frequently throughout the show. Emily was consistently judged as the best dancer out of every contestant while she was on the show, but struggled greatly with vocals. While she had many mentors and higher-ups rooting for her, she did not quite fit the theme the judges and fans were looking for, and placed 9th in the final rankings. Emily will be the main dancer and sub-vocalist of the group. Perhaps the most surprising member of the group is Lexie Levin, who was not even in the final ten contestants. However, this is not due to a lack of popularity. After the Mission 2 eliminations, Lexie withdrew from the show, claiming that how they were treated and pitted against each other went against her morals. Up until that point, Lexie had been one of the top contestants and had a large fan base as well as favor from many of the group’s coordinators. Lexie displayed strong vocals, impressive dancing skills, and a strong work ethic, proving her to be a great all-rounder. Lexie will be the lead dancer and lead vocalist of the group.
Many fans are sceptical of this roster, because these girls all failed to make the cut for the original group. However, while on the show, they received over a year of training and already have the skillsets necessary to work in the industry. Being previous contestants has also helped them to build larger followings globally, which will no doubt help gain traction for the group and propel them forward. Many fans also wonder why only these three girls were chosen, instead of any of the other final contestants.
Though three of the four pieces of the group have been decided, there is still one piece missing. Auditions were held throughout Japan until September 22nd, and many fans await the results of said auditions. The final member will most likely be decided through a survival show similar to the one used to form Katseye, and Fans can look forward to a debut in 2026.
Caption: The three official members of the group, from left to right: Samara, Lexie, & Emily.
