South Korean entertainment giant HYBE has launched a nationwide talent search in India as it seeks to form a new girl group, six months after opening its India headquarters in Mumbai.
Applications opened on Tuesday (March 31) and run through July 31. Girls born between 2005 and 2011 can join the auditions, which will be conducted both online and across 10 Indian cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Indians outside the country can audition at locations in London, New York, Singapore, Toronto and Sydney.
The audition comes over six months after HYBE set up its Indian subsidiary in Mumbai as it seeks to capitalize on India’s growing streaming market and the rise of K-pop consumption in India. During the launch in September, HYBE said its India-based operation will implement HYBE’s artist training and development (T&D) system, conducting auditions and training programs adapted for local talent.
Most recently, Lee Woo-chang, CEO of HYBE India, said as per Korea JoongAng Daily: “The audition is a new entry point for young people in India. The company has built a training and development system tailored to local conditions.”
Beyond the standard K-pop trainee categories of vocals, rap, and dance, HYBE India is also accepting applications in acting, modeling and “other” talents. Prior professional training is not required and HYBE India said applicants must be free of any contractual obligations with other entertainment agencies to participate in the training and debut process. HYBE India is specifically looking for “raw talent and drive,” according to its audition FAQ page.
“The audition is a new entry point for young people in India. The company has built a training and development system tailored to local conditions.”
Lee Woo-chang, HYBE India
Sponsors include H&M, Shoppers Stop, Samsung Galaxy, and Nongshim, with Snapchat as the primary social media partner and BookMyShow managing ticketing. The application portal is live at india.hybeaudition.com.
The move comes as India’s media and entertainment sector expanded 9% YoY in 2025 to INR 2.78 trillion ($31.9 billion at the average exchange rate for 2025), according to EY data. The music market, however, fell 8% YoY in 2025 to INR 23 billion ($264m).
By 2028, EY expects India’s media and entertainment market to reach INR 3.3 trillion ($35bn), representing a compound annual growth rate of 6% between 2025 and 2028. The music sector is forecast to expand to INR 75 billion ($802m) by 2028, representing a CAGR of 9%.
In addition to HYBE’s expansion into India, South Korean entertainment tech company Galaxy Corp., which manages K-pop star G-Dragon, is also reportedly planning to open a branch in India.
Universal Music Group, meanwhile, has made a series of strategic deals in India, suggesting its sharpened focus on the market. In March, UMG formed an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, an independent record label recently launched by singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander.
It follows UMG’s acquisition of a 30% stake in Bollywood production house Excel Entertainment in January in a deal that values the company at approximately $267 million.
Other India-focused deals made by UMG over the recent years include launching a new label called Pentertainment 0075 in partnership with superstar India-based rapper Badshah; striking a strategic partnership with Hindi film production studio Maddock Films and its newly formed music label Mad For Mussic; signing a strategic partnership with India-based talent agency REPRESENT to help introduce Indian music culture to global audiences; and launching label VYRL Punjabi in association with music composer Jatinder Shah. Universal Music India and Capitol Records also teamed up in 2021 on Jason Derulo’s rework of Tesher’s global hit, Jalebi Baby, which was released in 2020.
For HYBE, the India auditions are part of its wider strategic effort to export the K-pop methodology beyond its home market. The company has already demonstrated the effectiveness of that model with KATSEYE, its first Western girl group formed through a partnership with Universal Music Group‘s Geffen Records.
KATSEYE’s singles Gnarly and Gabriela saw multi-week runs on the Billboard Hot 100, and the group has since earned Grammy nominations and an MTV VMA win.
Last year, the HYBE-Geffen alliance launched another talent search for a second girl group, which kicked off in Japan. Three contestants from the 2023 Dream Academy, which produced KATSEYE, were confirmed as members of the unnamed group, set to debut this year.
Through HYBE Latin America, the company also produced a Latin boy group called SANTOS BRAVOS.
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