VCHA: How JYP and Republic Records built a K-pop girl group from U.S. auditions
Six North American nationals formed VCHA in autumn 2023 after auditioning across five U.S. cities. By 2024, they were opening for TWICE's world tour.
From a tour bus to a major-label deal
In 2009, Wonder Girls rode a rattling tour bus across the United States handing out flyers. Fourteen years later, Park Jin Young was back on American soil with a very different plan.
The A2K project paired JYP Entertainment with Republic Records, the Universal Music Group subsidiary behind Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, and Drake. Republic Records founder and CEO Monte Lipman co-directed the project alongside Park Jin Young.
Five cities, one training system
The audition circuit hit Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles, targeting local teenagers. Candidates who made the cut were flown to JYP's headquarters in Seongnae-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul and put through the same Korean K-pop trainee system used for domestic acts. The audition process streamed on YouTube and pulled tens of millions of views worldwide.
Out of that pipeline came VCHA (비춰), a six-member global girl group formed in autumn 2023. Every member holds North American nationality—Americans and Canadians exclusively.
Opening TWICE's world tour on debut
VCHA dropped a pre-debut single before making their official debut in 2024. Two years from audition to the stage. At debut, they were already opening for TWICE's world tour, performing in front of tens of thousands across the globe.
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