Big Hit Entertainment and Universal Music Group are joining forces to launch a new global boy group!

On February 18 KST, the two companies made a joint announcement about their strategic partnership, which recently began with their teaming up to make VenewLive (the digital live streaming platform that Big Hit uses for its online concerts) a global platform.

In a video featuring Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, Big Hit Entertainment chairman and CEO Bang Si Hyuk, and Big Hit Entertainment global CEO Lenzo Yoon (Yoon Seok Joon), the companies officially announced that they would be kicking off a “global artist debut project” that would involve an audition program.

Lenzo Yoon stated, “Together with Universal Music Group, Big Hit Entertainment will be debuting a new boy group who will be active on the global stage. We will select the members through a global audition, and we are aiming to air this audition program with a U.S. media partner in 2022.”

He went on to specify that Big Hit would be tasked with training the artists, while Universal Music Group would be producing the audition program with American media partners.

“In this project, Big Hit Entertainment will be in charge of discovering and training artists, fan content production, and communication with fans through Weverse,” explained Lenzo Yoon. “Making use of their powerful local network, Universal Music Group will be in charge of music production, global distribution, and producing the audition program with U.S. media partners.”

He later added, “A joint venture headquartered in Los Angeles will serve as the label overseeing this new group. Big Hit will work closely with Universal Music Group through Big Hit America, our U.S. arm.”

“As you well know, Universal Music Group showcases a wide spectrum of music,” said Lenzo Yoon. It has a robust network of the world’s best producers and composers, production capabilities, and marketing expertise. Likewise, Big Hit is the company that can best realize the ‘K-pop style’ that is loved by music fans all over the world. These two companies will maximize our synergy by each focusing on our areas of excellence. Music fans all over the world will be able to experience the birth of an unprecedented group that brings together world-leading capabilities.”

Are you excited for this new boy group and audition program? Share your thoughts with us in the comments, and check out the full announcement in Big Hit Entertainment and Universal Music Group’s new video below!

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