New Competition Show A2K to Assemble Global Girl Group Through K-Pop System

A new competition series is setting out to turn a group of American artists into superstars — after they train like K-pop idols. On Monday, July 25, JYP Entertainment and Republic Records announced that they are launching the series, called A2K, to form a "global girl group." Produced in partnership with Federal Films, A2K, which stands for "America to Korea," will debut the group after members are recruited and selected, and undergo training through the K-pop system.

What exactly is the K-pop system? In the announcement, J.Y. Park, founder and chairman of JYP Entertainment — the company behind powerhouse groups including TWICE, Stray Kids, and ITZY — described the process as "[a] talented artist who goes through a training system like an Olympic gymnast will go through." He said that the girl group formed by the show will be "the first American artist[s] made out of a K-pop system." 

Monte Lipman, founder and chief executive of Republic Records, explained that the label will "find, identify, curate this incredible talent coming from America."

Semifinalists are selected from in-person auditions taking place in five cities in the U.S. — Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles. They will travel to JYP Entertainment's headquarters in Korea and train with choreographers and producers. The final members of the girl group will be chosen from among the contestants, and they will debut in the U.S.

"This is the biggest project ever for me and JYP Entertainment," Park said.