If you’ve been in the K-Pop scene for a while now, you might’ve heard of the Monster Rookie boy group Enhypen (ENHYPEN), the 7 boys who debuted last year after competing with 16 other young men on the survival show I-LAND, under the company Belift Lab. The show, formed by Mnet and HYBE Entertainment, started airing June 2020, and ended in September 2020, with the group debuting in November that same year. Now, their agency, Belift Lab has re-opened their auditions for girls, and you can join the competition.

The company Belift is a South Korean entertainment agency formed by HYBE and CJ ENM. Enhypen is a group constructed by Belift Lab, under the HYBE label. HYBE, previously known as Big Hit Entertainment, is most recognized for its hit and world-famous band Bangtan Boys, known to many as BTS. The ages of the boys in Enhypen range from 15-19 (international age), and though the majority of the members are from South Korea, member Jay was born in the USA (Seattle, Washington, in fact!), Jake in Australia, and maknae Ni-Ki, the youngest of the group, was born in Japan with Japanese nationality. Enhypen is currently one of the most popular K-pop groups in the industry, and its sister group is likely to get a lot of attention as well. 

There are a couple of rules and regulations to this audition. First, you must identify as female, according to the website. Other genders could also try, but males will probably get rejected as they planning on forming a girl group. The location you reside at and your nationality does not matter; you could live in Antarctica and still have a chance of being accepted. To be eligible, you should also be able to join a real-time video audition, as the second round will be on a video call, unlike their past audition. The audition started Monday, September 27th at 8 p.m. PST, and will end on Sunday, October 10th, at 8 a.m., PST. You can send in your audition at any time within these two weeks. 

The process goes like this: You send in an introduction video of yourself, showing your face and the top half of your torso. Show off your charisma and your fun side. If you have glasses, take them off for your auditions, they want to see your face so they can see your natural visuals, so no makeup as well! There is a form on their BELIFT LAB official website, which you and a parent/guardian can fill out. Remember to read through the policies carefully. Include a video of yourself performing your chosen category (Singing, dance, or rap), dance showing your full body, and singing and rap video showing at least your face and top half of your torso. As per what you should wear, go simple. Avoid patterns, bright colors, or anything dressy. When I looked through the form, I saw they ask for a picture of your face from the front view, so remember to take a clear picture of yourself like that. Then if you get into the second round, you will get notified within a month through the contacts you gave them. If you get rejected, you will not receive an email or text. The second round is a video audition with a group of other girls that got in, which would probably take place on zoom or another video call application. Nothing more is specified about the 2nd round, but the website claims individuals who got into the 3rd round would receive further details on what to do next. The third audition is a final individual audition, and nothing more has been revealed about that.

Belift went for a fun, immature vs mature, and a bit of a sad concept with their group Enhypen, so we might see similarities with their girl group, but it could also be something opposite for a new style. Maybe they would go for a girl crush, a cute, or an elegant concept. I am guessing they are looking for people that suit the same concept as Enhypen, and I believe this because they took 3 years and a lot of money invested in building I-Land, where the atmosphere is sort of mysterious, modern, and cool all at the same time, so I don’t think they would change it, but there is a possibility. Enhypen has strong, powerful, and fast choreography, which they might be looking for in their new trainees, though that could be wrong. If dance is your best skill, go for it!! Wow them with a fast and fun choreography that is not super popular, because popular songs will be done over and over again (imagine how bored the judges would get!), and your goal should be to stand out from everyone else. Show your charisma and stage presence with your expressions and style. DON’T do Paint The Town by Loona or Pretty Savage by Blackpink, or any other song like that. If you can rap well, that’s wonderful! Since there are fewer good rappers than dancers and singers, you would have a good chance. If you are proud of your singing and others find your voice satisfying to hear, then sing! Sing in a language you are comfortable with, preferably an English pop song that is in your vocal range. The same goes for rapping; rap in a language you are comfortable with, don’t think you have to sing/rap in Korean to get in. Don’t sing a BTS, Enhypen, or TXT song, or else you may come off as a stan that wants to meet their favorite idols.

If you sign the trainee contract, you need to go to South Korea and train for however long it might be. And if you are good enough, you might get chosen to continue onto the survival show I-LAND 2, which is to be aired in 2022. There you will compete with other trainees to debut in a girl group.

Whether you already knew about the audition and had questions, were trying to find a good agency to audition for, or just happened to stumble upon this article, I hope all your doubts have been cleared. Hopefully, you have got a better understanding of the audition, what exactly you need to do, and exactly what this audition is for. The best of luck to you, and if you try, you may be the next big thing in the history of K-pop!