TWO trainees from the Philippines are aiming to make waves in the South Korean music industry, as they will be part of SBS’ forthcoming show Universe Ticket.
Gehlee Dangca and Aya Natsumi are among the first 41 official contestants that the show introduced on its social media accounts on Thursday.
Contestants of Universe Ticket will participate in a series of activities in the hopes of making the cut and being chosen to be part of a K-Pop girl group, which will be launched globally.
Universe Ticket unveiled the contestant’s profile teaser images, which also included their home country, their personality type, and their “word of resolution.”
Dangca, according to the result of her Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), is someone who is introverted, intuitive, feeling, and perspective (INFP).
Natsumi, on the other hand, is extraverted, intuitive, feeling, and prospecting (ENFP).
In her word of resolution, Dangca said, “Nothing can ever stop me! I will definitely debut!”
Natsumi, meanwhile, said, “I am confident in my singing and charming personality! I want to start my adventure towards [my] debut!”
The two Filipinos will be competing against 80 other aspiring K-pop idols from countries such as Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Only eight of them will be chosen to be members of a new girl group that will debut under F&F Entertainment and will be promoting for two years and six months.
Other contestants to watch out for are trot singer Lim Seo Won who participated in reality survival shows like Miss Trot 2 and Music Love, and former DIA member Kwon Chae Won, also known as Eunchae. DIA is a K-pop girl group that disbanded in 2022, seven years after it debuted.
Choi Hyerin, who participated in survival show Girls Planet 999, will also be part of the forthcoming program.
The second batch of contestants will be revealed on July 17. The official pre-voting will be on July 19.
Support from Filipino fans
Filipino fans of different K-pop groups united on Twitter to express their support for their fellow Filipinos.
Netizen @adorechanty encouraged other Filipinos to support Dangca in her journey.
Twitter user @_gyu2k, meanwhile, praised Natsumi’s visuals.
Netizen @a_faintdream felt ecstatic over the fact that Filipinos would be able to watch their countrymen build their names in the international scene.
