The three Peruvian members – Abigali, Kenny and Ruby -- were selected from dozens of contestants who participated in the World K-Pop Center's global audition project "Click the Star," which aims to discover and nurture new talent and aspiring K-pop stars from 32 countries, including China, Mongolia, Peru, Russia and Vietnam.
The girls are already making waves at their country, having been welcomed by scores of fans upon their arrival at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima earlier this month when they flew home to spend a holiday with their families.
Creating the band is the brainchild of the center's CEO Park Sung-jin. The impresario, specialized in nurturing aspiring K-pop stars since 1999, has led training programs for popular K-pop audition shows like the "Produce" series, which have spawned top stars such as Jang Won-young and An Yu-jin from the six-member girl band "IVE."
Park has grand ambitions for the girl band, envisioning the eventual formation of a lager BlingOne band with additional members from 32 other countries. "The creation of the Peruvian unit is just the first step of the center's mega project. Each band in different countries will act as an individual BlingOne unit, and these units can collaborate to create synergy," Park explained in an interview with Aju Press on Tuesday.
The center, as the cradle of K-pop, is offering a stage for K-pop wannabes and other trainees, according to Park. Currently, its global audition project is underway in Mongolia and China to discover potential stars who will be invited to Korea for intensive training under veteran trainers.
"We have already signed contracts with foreign entertainment agencies in about a dozen countries and are also in discussions with many others," Park said. He added that the entire band aims to consist of 200 members by 2026, potentially qualifying for entry in the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest K-pop band.
"The idea of a 200-member K-pop band singing the same tracks is very exciting. All the members will share songs and dance moves, so they can collaborate with each other at any time," Park said.
Initial doubts about whether his mega project would succeed have been dispelled. "Before heading home, the three Peruvian girls were worried about not being recognized as K-pop stars in Peru, but look at what happened," Park said. "A huge crowd of fans and media came to see them at the airport. They went home to enjoy their holiday but are now tied up with busy schedules for media interviews."
Before flying home, the Peruvian members performed on a couple of Korean TV shows, which were considered their first major hurdle in entering Korea's major music scene. "Now, they are confident. We are confident, and our supporters are confident that this BlingOne project will be successful," Park said.
Park stressed the need of implementing a certified system in nurturing K-pop trainers and choreographers. "I've been in this business for about 30 years and many famous trainers who have nurtured top stars lack certification. I believe we should establish a system which requires trainers to take classes to enhance their skills and obtain globally-recognized certificates," he argues.
Addressing the prospects for a K-pop hopeful to survive in Korea's music scene, which is about five percent for a team managed by a small-sized entertainment agency, Park said he sees a higher chance of a K-pop band achieving success in the global music market.
"An aspiring star who has trained in Korea would have greater capabilities, compared to those from any other countries. Korean idols have the looks, style, skills, and language abilities which are enough to captivate foreign fans," Park said. "I do not want to specifically categorize their songs as K-pop….. I hope the songs sung by each unit of BlingOne will be recognized as representative pop music of their respective countries."
"It is my dream to hold a concert for the 200-member BlingOne band in Seoul in the early summer of 2026. It would be an unprecedented event," Park assured.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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