What makes K-pop so different? What is the appeal that has taken the world by storm? The Hallyu wave has presented new aspirations among youngsters all over the world. From small towns to big cities, the dream of becoming a K-pop idol is the latest craze.
The history of a non-Korean K-pop idol dates back to the first generation. Roo’Ra was a one-of-a-kind co-ed group considered one of the most successful musical acts of the 90s.
Two years after its debut, the group introduced an African-American rapper, Mikey Romeo, as a replacement member. This was among the few first times a non-Korean idol graced the Korean stage.
Over the years and with new generations, an array of origins was observed in the K-pop universe, including idols from Japan, China, Europe, America, Brazil, and many more.
However, the orthodox fragment of Korea has not been as accepting of foreign idols. They had to bear the brunt of racism, unfair criticisms of not conforming to Korean beauty standards, and fear of getting removed from the band.
But JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment were the top influential companies that pioneered a gateway for international aspirants. They scouted young people based on talent and not nationality. JYPE’s most famous girl group, TWICE, has four out of nine foreign members from Japan and Taiwan.
Regardless, the girls managed to capture hearts and contributed to bridging the gap between conservative ideology and encouraging more young girls to pursue their idol dreams, irrespective of their origins.
At the same time, JYPE has created a thriving environment for idols by integrating a separate management system, including security, and taking legal actions against malicious comments.
One of the most infamous scandals involved TWICE’s youngest member, Tzuyu, who faced harassment by Chinese netizens for holding a Taiwanese flag. The agency handled the situation diplomatically, while the fandom supported the young girl.
After 2 PM and TWICE, the agency has also debuted foreign members in Stray Kids and Nmixx.
But this year, JYP raised the stakes to a new level. The JYPE company announced an audition show in collaboration with Republic Records to recruit talent only from America. The show called America to Korea, or A2K garnered massive attention for the unique concept of international aspirants debuting as K-pop idols. The show aired on July 14, where eleven contestants competed for the final lineup. On September 21, the audition show narrowed down the members of the new JYP group VCHA, including Lexi (17, from Milwaukee), Camila (18, Montreal), Savanna (17, Fort Lauderdale), Kendall (17, Fort Worth), KG (16, Los Angeles), and Kaylee (13, Philadelphia).
Who Are VCHA, JYP Entertainment’s Newest Girl Group?
JYPE is the frontrunner for churning out the most K-pop groups, year after year. But this time, the company’s CEO, Park Jin Young, had a different vision in mind after certain inhibitions arose regarding the recent performance of JYPE groups.
Mr. Park decided to debut a K-pop group where every member has a different nationality. This experimental project will prove that K-pop has transcended Korean origins, and K-pop shall no longer be a genre defined for only Korean artists.
On a micro-level, it will also help to curb the inherent racism. Hence, JYPE joined hands with Republic Records, an American record label from NYC owned by Universal Music Group.
On September 21, JYPE announced the final lineup out of eleven contestants, who have been secretly practicing for the past five months. Park Jin Young named the group VCHA, which derives from the Korean word 비춰, which means “to shine the light,” hoping that the girl group would bring positivity among the fans.
Park Jin Young named the group himself, where a source revealed that–
“The band’s name was created by Park Jin-young himself, a singer and producer at JYP Entertainment, meaning to shine light on the world and fans.”
The Members of the Highly-Anticipated Group, VCHA
#1 LEXI
The first member of VCHA was revealed to be Lexi, born on November 22, 2005, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA. She is ethnically Hmong (the first in K-pop history). The ballet dancer is now declared the group.
#2 KG
Kiera Grace was the second member on the lineup who hails from Michigan but was born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, on June 17, 2007. The trained musical theater artist has a penchant for vocals and is skilled in guitar, piano, and drums.
She loves to write lyrics like her role model Taylor Swift. She aspired to open for BLACKPINK.
#3 CAMILA
Coming in on the 3rd, Camila Ribeaux Valdes was born on August 10, 2005, in Barcelona, Spain. However, the family permanently shifted to Quebec, Canada. The multilingual queen can speak Spanish, French, and English with Korean.
The ethnically Cuban member loves Painting, drawing, acting, baking, & eating sour candies. Camila was inspired by Shakira to pursue singing and dancing. The talented member once participated in La Vois Junior (The Voice Junior) 2016, ranking in the top 3.
#4 SAVANNA
The fourth member revealed is half Venezuelan from her mom’s side and Trinbagonian from her dad’s side, Savanna Collins. She was born on July 26, 2006, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
She was training to be a professional gymnast for seven years before she had to let go of the dream due to an injury. But she pursued dancing as her passion and excelled in the craft. Her hobby is gaming.
#5 KAYLEE
The maknae of the group came in the fifth position. Born on November 24, 2009, Kaylee Lee is of Korean-American descent. Netizens raised a few concerts since she is too young to debut at 13.
Nevertheless, the youngest member is too talented. She was born in Olympia, Washington, USA, and is fluent in English and Korean. After listening to TWICE’s “TT,” Kaylee was inspired to become an idol. In a more impressive fact, she mastered her audition performance only three days prior to the D-Day.
#6 KENDALL
Kendall Ebeling was born on June 1, 2006, and hails from Fort Worth, Texas, USA. The ethnically half-Vietnamese and half-American member is skilled in ballet, jazz, theater, and lyrical.
Her preference for music genres is choral and gospel music. She attended K-pop immersion in Korea, which inspired her to audition for A2K.
The ethnically diverse group just released their pre-debut single, “SeVit (NEW LIGHT),” on September 22, along with the music video for its title track, Y.O.Universe.
What is your take on the new concept of a diverse group? Do you think the K-pop community will accept the group?
What are your opinions on their debut song? Let us know in the comments section below.
