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CHUANG ASIA Thailand wraps up with friendships formed, lessons learned, and Gen1es' much-awaited debut

ESTIMATED 
CHUANG ASIA Thailand wraps up with friendships formed, lessons learned, and Gen1es' much-awaited debut

Three months ago, the first Southeast Asian edition of CHUANG ASIA Thailand kickstarted in Bangkok with 70 trainees from across the world. Led by global superstar Jackson Wang, notable Thai personalities Jeff Satur, WayV's TEN, Mike Angelo, and Nene Pornnappan were roped in to mentor the young talents, guiding them in their journey as people and as artists. Guest mentors such as Thai actor-singer Win Metawin, (G)I-DLE's Minnie, Chuang 2021 finalist and singer-songwriter MIKA, Thai actor Nine Kornchid, Chinese actor and singer Liu Yu, and Chinese actor Wang Ziqi also stepped in to share their own experiences and give their advice to the aspiring artists. 

GEN1ES DEBUT

Besting 10,000 applicants, nine young girls emerged victorious on 6 April, debuting as CHUANG ASIA Thailand's first A-pop group, Gen1es. Comprising QIAO YI YU, RUAN, PAILIU, YEAN, ELYN, WANG KE, XUEYAO, DIDI, and EMMA, the group is poised to take over international stages to showcase their talents to the world. Co-managed by Tencent and RYCE Entertainment, Gen1es join Epik High's Tablo, Amber Liu, Caelan Moriarty, and more on RYCE Entertainment's roster of artists. 

BANDWAGON TV

Gen1es center and Top 1 finalist QIAO YI YU divulged “I feel extremely delighted and grateful for all the fans of CHUANG ASIA, all the crew members, WeTV and the five mentors who give inspirations and share their experiences. From now, my job is to do my best to give happiness to my fan club who always supports me and recognizes our girl group.”

While the Grand Debut Night unfolded on WeTV in a little over three hours, there were so many moments and realisations – whether on or off-screen – that summed up the CHUANG ASIA Thailand journey. From friendships formed to lessons learned and lessons to still learn, CHUANG ASIA Thailand was a memorable journey for the participants and mentors, as well as people behind the scenes.

FRIENDSHIPS FORMED

"It doesn't matter whether you succeed or fail," lead mentor and co-producer Jackson Wang said at CHUANG ASIA Thailand's Grand Debut Night. "Our intentions were to extend opportunities and support aspiring talents to pursue their dreams. Whether their performances were good or bad is not as important as how they embraced and kept alive their opportunities during the past three to four months when all of them must have had memorable times and experiences."

DIDI, Top 8 finalist, shared that while going on this CHUANG ASIA Thailand journey was challenging for her at times, she was able to pull through with the support of the fans and sharing this experience with the rest of the girls. "Being able to hang out with so many girls from different countries is such a great experience."

Kaichen Li, CHUANG ASIA Producer revealed that while eliminations were difficult for the young girls who were being sent home, they always shared how they would remember this experience for the rest of their lives. "I think that's a very touching moment. The result is important, but it's not it's all about that, it's about the journey and the possibilities [for them]."

Affirming Li's observations of the camaraderie formed between the girls, SHYE, the lone participant from Singapore, went back to Bangkok to support her new friends at the Grand Debut Night. In a message to Bandwagon, the singer-songwriter revealed: "I was very excited to be back in Bangkok to see the girls and the mentors again. There’s a sense of familiarity being there because of the memories and friendships made and it will definitely be a core memory."

Jeff Han, WeTV Director and Vice President of Tencent Video, added that having participants from all over the globe was an eye-opening experience. "To see the blending of different cultures. The young kids, they're able to exchange freely, not just [in terms of] language, but also the ways of life – culture, values. That was the best thing."

LESSONS LEARNED

In an interview with Bandwagon ahead of the Grand Debut Night, Top 3 finalist PAILIU shared how being on CHUANG ASIA Thailand helped her learn more about herself. In going through the different challenges in singing, dancing, and acting, the Thai-Vietnamese beauty queen stepped outside of her comfort zone, overcame the challenges she faced, and "realised I'm more talented than I had thought." 

SHYE revealed that while she didn't make the final cut, "The show helped me to step out of my comfort zone and taught me a lot about working with others. I’m an independent artist so I usually work alone so it was an eye-opening experience." She also added that "Being away from home for quite some time (over Christmas, New Year’s and Chinese New Year) in a new environment also taught me a lot about myself. During the filming period I wasn’t able to make any new music, which I initially was worried about but it became a good break for me to take some time away and refocus. And most importantly, I learnt it’s all about the timing."

In terms of production, Li acknowledged how this first run of CHUANG ASIA Thailand was also a learning process for their team. Bringing one of the biggest entertainment IPs to Southeast Asia was a challenge in itself, being "in a brand new territory, a brand new experiment," coupled with the variety show having a "complicated" format. Preparing for almost a year, the team had to figure out some parts which worked in the original concept in China and tweak it for an international audience.

Garnering their realisations from this inaugural edition, WeTV and Tencent are looking to continue to innovate and explore with their entertainment programmes, Han added.  "We're going to continue to make shows in this format, but we need to make it better. We need to make it more innovative in the way that is not just about the programme itself, but also the format – people who participate in this show and also the type of industry resources that we're going to tap into." 

LESSONS TO LEARN

CHUANG 2020 alum NENE, gathered from her personal experience in mentoring the young participants and affirmed their hard work and dedication. "[These] bring you success today." She also added how "This is just the beginning" in their journey and how "there's still a long way to go," encouraging Gen1es to continue practising and working hard to achieve their goals.

WayV's TEN shared his pride in being able to teach the trainees and witness their growth. "As a mentor, I feel proud of everyone from the first day until today."\

Jeff Satur, who also had his fair share of participating in a reality show looked back with fondness as he recalled their early days until now. "I saw them from the first day, they've improved to another level, whether it is stage performance or skills, and most importantly, artistry. After this, I hope you'll keep practising and explore new things along the way because there will be many things coming your way, that will make you learn and grow as an artist on and offstage."

Mike Angelo, a veteran in the entertainment scene added how "becoming a mentor in this program has allowed me to share valuable experiences with trainees". He also appaluaded the "dedication and hard work of everyone" and assured Gen1es that while "the path in this industry is still a long way to go. You'll encounter a lot of things. I'll always support you."

Top 5 finalist ELYN from Malaysia put it best when she wrote "We’re ready to face all the challenges together so please continue to support us. We have so much we want to show to everyone." With the support from their fans, as well as the mentors, WeTV and Tencent Video teams who have guided them, as well as the friends they've made throughout this experience, Gen1es have everything they need and more to make their dreams come true. 

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Gen1es will be participating at the Thaiconic Songkran Festival 2024 at ICONSIAM this weekend, and are all set for their Fansland Music Festival stint at Impact Exhibition Hall in Bangkok on 4 -5 May 2024. 

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