HYBE announced the launch of two large-scale audition programs in Latin America as part of its strategy to strengthen its presence in one of the fastest-growing regions in the global music industry.
Pase a la Fama, a music competition show, is set to premiere on 8 June via Telemundo, NBCUniversal Media’s Spanish-language network. The program follows aspiring band members from countries such as Mexico, Spain, and Brazil as they compete to form one of three final teams.
Contestants will undergo mentorship and training before performing in front of a panel of judges including Ana Bárbara, Adriel Favela, and Horacio Palencia. The program will also feature well-known Mexican artists—Jesús Ortiz Paz (JOP) of Fuerza Regida, Gabito Ballesteros, and Lupillo Rivera—as mentors who support and guide participants throughout their journey. The winning group will receive USD100,000 in prize money and a recording contract with HYBE LATIN AMERICA.
Alongside Pase a la Fama, HYBE is also preparing a separate audition project to launch a new Latin boy band. From thousands of applicants across Mexico, the United States, Brazil and Spain, 300 candidates have been selected. Of these, 16 finalists are set to receive HYBE’s training and development program through a residency based in Mexico.
Director and choreographer Kenny Ortega from High School Musical will join the audition as executive producer, alongside Charm La’Donna as head choreographer and Robert J. “RAab” Stevenson as head vocal coach.
Both projects incorporate HYBE’s proven artist development methodology—refined through years of experience in the K-pop industry—into the Latin music market. Through structured training and mentorship, HYBE aims to identify promising talent and adapt its incubation model to meet local cultural and industry needs.
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These efforts build upon the success of HYBE’s first global girl group developed in partnership with Geffen Records, KATSEYE, who proved their success by charting on the Billboard Hot 100 with their latest single, 'Gnarly'.
These initiatives are aligned with HYBE’s multi-home, multi-genre approach to artist development across diverse languages and regions. KATSEYE represents the English-speaking market, alongside artists spanning Korean (including but not limited to BTS and SEVENTEEN), Japanese (including &TEAM), and soon Spanish.
“Leveraging HYBE’s top-tier training and production capabilities, we aim to discover and nurture the next generation of global Latin artists,” said Jounghyun JH Kah, CEO of HYBE LATIN AMERICA. “Our audition projects will strengthen the bridge connecting Asia, the English-speaking world, and Spanish-speaking regions, further enhancing our global business capabilities.”
HYBE LATIN AMERICA was established in 2023 to accelerate the company’s expansion in Latin America, one of the fastest-growing regions in the global music industry. Its local foundation was further strengthened through the acquisition of Exile Music, a company engaged in recording, publishing, artist management, and live event production.
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