SOUTH Korean reality competition series “Universe Ticket” has completed the eight members who will form the new K-pop girl group UNIS, and among them are three Filipinas.
16-year-old Filipina Gehlee Dangca and 22-year-old Filipina-Korean Jin Hyeon-ju will be joining 14-year-old Filipina Elisia Parmisano in the group after they advanced to the P-level or the highest rank in the talent competition.
Dangca was the fourth member to join UNIS after she garnered 2,464,526 fan votes during the show’s finale on Wednesday.
Jin, also known as Belle of girl group Cignature, earned 496,707 fan votes and was the last member to complete the group.
The trainees’ rankings depended on the number of votes and on the show’s judges, also known as “unicorns,” who evaluated their vocal, dance and rap skills.
It was Parmisano who first earned a spot in the girl group.
Other contestants who will debut as UNIS members are Bang Yunha, Lim Seowon and Oh Yoona from South Korea, as well as Nana and Kotoko from Japan.
They bested 74 other contestants from countries such as Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
UNIS will debut under F&F Entertainment and will be promoting for two years and six months.
On Thursday, “Universe Ticket” introduced UNIS members through a 53-second clip on X (formerly Twitter).
“Say Hello to ‘UNIS’!” it said.
Further details about UNIS, such as its debut date and official positions of the members in the group, have yet to be announced.
Some netizens rooted for Jin to be the group’s leader as they saw how she took care of other contestants during the competition and since she was also the oldest member of the group.
Meanwhile, another netizen said that Parmisano deserved to be the group’s center.
About Gehlee
Dangca was among the first batch of contestants that “Universe Ticket” announced on July 13, along with other Pinay K-pop trainee Aya Natsumi who got eliminated in the sixth episode of the survival show.
According to the result of her Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in her profile teaser image, she is introverted, intuitive, feeling and perspective (INFP).
A fashion model and beauty-pageant contender, Dangca turned heads in the show’s first episode with her beauty and charm when she strutted the “Universe Ticket” stage.
She made an impression on the judges when she gracefully performed “Pretty Girl” by KARA in the second episode.
In her introduction video, Dangca shared how Filipinos love K-pop and how it helped connect the fans.
“Communities are born out of idols under K-pop, like their love for them. And I think that’s pretty beautiful and I want to be the cause of all that love and connection,” she said.
About Hyeon-ju
Jin was born to a Filipino mother and Korean father.
In her profile teaser image, her MBTI’s result is introverted, sensing, feeling and judging (ISFJ).
Before joining Cignature, Jin was a member of girl group Good Day and was known by the stage name Lucky.
Cignature is being handled by C9 Entertainment, the same outfit that managed Good Day. They debuted in 2020 with the single “NUN NU NAN NA.”
