SB19 soon won't be the only Pinoy pop group to have been trained by South Koreans.
In a few months, ABS-CBN will launch a new P-pop group whose name is still under wraps.
How the members of this group of seven young men will be trained is the subject of a reality talent show, Dream Maker, to premiere tonight, 19 November.
The show features 62 young hopefuls as they undergo rigorous training in singing and dancing. The aspirants will be shortlisted until the final cut of seven members.
The 62 boys aged 13 to 22 are being mentored by a Korean team of professionals, along with Filipino artists Darren Espanto, Bailey May, and Angeline Quinto.
Kim Chiu and Ryan Bang are the show's hosts. Both are alumni of the reality talent show Pinoy Big Brother.
Ryan, who will also translate the comments of the Korean mentors, is a full-blooded South Korean who went to study in the Philippines.
At the recent media conference for Dream Maker, ABS-CBN business unit heads Marcus Vinuya and Reily Santiago, and Korean executives Lee Hyoungin and Tim Kim, and director Eung Gu Lee talked about the aspirants and the show.
Tim said the boys have been training hard for about a month now, and that they're in for a long journey. "What I like about the boys is that they treat each other like brothers," said Tim.
Also among the training team are MBLAQ member Thunder; MOMOLAND and LAPILIS choreographer Bae Wan-hee; dancer-choreographer and Produce 101 dance mentor Bae Yoon-jung; composer-producer Seo Won-jin; and composer-producer Bullseye.
Brown Eyed Girls singer-songwriter Jea is the show's guest "dream mentor."
Dream Maker was hatched in September when ABS-CBN announced its partnership with South Korea's MLD Entertainment and KAMP Global to produce a reality talent search.
"We're very happy to have partners who recognize that Filipinos are very talented and that we can compete globally. This is one step. With our two new partners, it will be easier, faster, better for us to get to the global arena in the shortest possible time," Santiago said at the presscon.
MLD Entertainment CEO Lee Hyung-jin said he believes P-pop has what it takes to make it in the global scene.
"I've seen so much talent, girls and boys who love to sing and dance. As K-pop has become a global phenomenon, I believe P-pop is the next," said Lee.
Tim pointed out they are looking not just for people with talent but also with a global mindset.
"We're looking to combine the K-pop training system with P-pop. As most people know, in K-pop, we spend a lot of time training on top of pure talent. Diligence is probably the first thing we're looking for," he said.
"Second is pure talent and X-factor. We're looking for the biggest stars, so the X-factor and talent in both vocal and performance like choreography are definitely something we're looking for."
Dream Maker airs every Saturday and Sunday, starting 19 and 20 November via the Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.
