"It's a small number for an audition, but we've set the starting number at 42."
The SBS 'Universe League' (directed by Lee Hwan-jin) production presentation was held at the SBS headquarters in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul at 10 a.m. today (19th). Park Jae-beom, Lee Chang-seop, Yugyeom, El Capitan, Ten, Yangyang, Lee Hwan-jin, and Yoo Hwa PD attended and introduced the program.
The 'Universe League' is a new season of 'Universe Tickets', which was broadcast last year, and this time it has started forming a boy group. It is a format of a league match that competes for a single Prism Cup, and the coaches who lead the three clubs select and compete through drafts like real sports games, heralding fierce competition.
On this day, PD Lee Hwan-jin said, "The 'Universe League' borrowed the sports system. The biggest difference from 'Universe Ticket' seems to be due to the characteristics of boys. In the end, I thought that the competition through the team was the most competitive composition. "There will be a lot of differences from existing programs in that they enter the team from the beginning and compete," he said.
He also said, "Most of the participants are friends who have experienced several auditions, so I don't think we chose them. I think the participants chose our program. Rather than trying to make them stars, I will do my best not to regret choosing our program without going to other auditions," he said.
Producer Yoo Yoo-hwa said, "The participant trade process is often heartbreaking, and as a viewer, it will be a fun factor to call for excessive immersion. The affection and chemistry between the participants are also attractive," he said.
Park Jae-beom was in charge of hosting this program. Park Jae-beom said, "As an MC, I am focusing on the role of shining participants and leading the atmosphere in order not to harm the entire broadcast," adding, "It is a program that deals with idols, but it is proceeding freely in my own style."
Producer Lee responded, "Three teams will have a battle. Park Jae-beom is the most specialized in putting up a fight. I guess it's because I'm used to dance battles," he said, explaining the reason for casting as an MC. In response, Park Jae-beom responded, "If we fight anyway, we're doing it with the intention of having fun," adding, "It's not a difference."
BTOB Lee Chang-seop, GOT7, Yugyeom, producers L Capitan, NCT, WayV Ten, and Yang Yang serve as directors of three teams, Groove, Beat, and Rhythm, respectively, and serve as producers in charge of the team.
A variety of stages that will reveal the colors of each team is also a point to watch. Lee Chang-seop said, "All the Groove team members have their own personalities, and each team has a different genre, so it will be fun to see various colors," adding, "Our team will show a more focused stage on singing." "I think the beat team will be able to show a more free style than other teams," Yugyeom said, while Ten said, "The rhythm team will be delicate and show their charm."
The directors also revealed their determination as producers and team survival strategies. Beat team Yugyeom said, "I want to teach you a little bit of how to survive as a singer for a long time. I think it's a repetitive practice for that. That way, I can always do it and I can tell you on stage," El Capitan said. "I think they are friends who walk on the same path as me, so there are things that look prettier, and I want to teach them a lot and make good songs. As a producer, I'm telling you everything I've learned so far. I feel a lot of responsibility," he said.
Ten of the rhythm says, "I tend to tell you the solution according to the situation (rather than a strategy). Although it is a group, we are studying how to make each individual look more interesting on stage and how to show their charm, such as gestures," Yang said, "and Yang is teaching us what we have learned from experience, such as how to come out cooler on camera." I am working with the intention of becoming a senior who participants can find comfortably," he said.
Groove Lee Chang-seop said, "I think it's a process that keeps the job as a singer for a long time even after the 'Universe League' is over and lays the foundation for becoming a great artist. I am trying to teach without regret every moment because meetings and separations with participants are repeated," he said.
The previously released preview video attracted attention by revealing the lack of determination and colorful visuals of global participants from all over the world. From Cha Woong-ki and Zhang Shu Aibo, participants in the survival program "Boyz Planet," which aired last year, to the Netflix drama "D."Participants with various experiences, including Nam Do-yoon, who impressed by playing the child role of Jung Hae-in in P', former and current idols, actors, and Nth survival participants, will challenge the global boy group.
Producer Lee said, "We have 42 people starting, and we may feel that the choice is narrower than other auditions, but the idea was to show enough players so that they can appeal their charm as much as possible. "I carefully selected it through my own auditions in various ways such as skills and star quality," he said.
On the 17th, 42 participants appeared on SBS's "Inkigayo" and showed their face by releasing the title song "We are ready," and attention is being paid to whether another global group will be created after Eunice.
Eunice, which was born earlier through the "Universe Ticket," is currently showing active activities and achievements not only in Korea but also in Japan and the Philippines. Expectations are high whether the new group, which will be born through the "Universal League," will follow.
[Photo = Courtesy of SBS]
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