“Please remember all of their faces. These are the members of our new global girl group, created through A2K.” With these words, the final round of JYP’s American girl group survival show A2K ended this morning. The six members have been decided and the group also has a name: VCHA. JYP is now close to debuting a global girl group with the potential to conquer the world!
For viewers, the journey began over two months ago. The first episode of A2K (short for “America To Korea”) aired on July 14. For the contestants, the journey started back in September 2022, when JYP and the American record label Republic Records invited them to the auditions.
Over the course of the show, viewers got to know 11 talented contestants who passed the first audition and had the chance to train with J.Y. Park at the LA Boot Camp. Only 10 of them were invited to the next round after the Boot Camp, and 18-year-old Melissa left voluntarily. At the Boot Camp in Korea, one more contestant was eliminated, so only eight talents were left in the finale.
There, they had to prove themselves one last time in front of J.Y. Park, the solo singer Sunmi and the professional dancer Gabee (La Chica). Two teams of four each performed two brand-new songs and had to both sing live and dance.
“Both performances were on a higher level than I could have expected. And I am so proud of all eight members, all eight participants, who are standing in front of me now.” - J.Y. Park
Finally, only one question remained: which of the eight finalists would actually debut in the new girl group?
From the beginning of the show to the end, J.Y. Park repeatedly emphasized that there is no fixed number of members and that, theoretically, everyone could win together. In the end, it was only about which of the contestants had shown enough talent and potential. The decision took into account not only singing and dancing, but also character and how much the contestants had improved over the course of the year.
These are the six winners of A2K: Lexus, KG, Camila, Savanna, Kaylee and Kendall!
The oldest, Camila, is 18 years old and the youngest, Kaylee, is only 13. But Kaylee in particular has impressed again and again with her talent and, despite her age, has become a fan favorite!
At the end of the episode, one last important question was answered: What will the girl group be called?
The name is “VCHA”. It is the English spelling of the Korean word for “to brighten/to shine”. J.Y. Park explained to the members that they should let it shine and bring their light into the world, to the fans in this world of darkness.
What do you think of the final line-up and the name of the girl group?
Pre-Debut Single “Y.O.Universe”
The finale was not broadcast live but was recorded in advance. That is why VCHA has already filmed a music video for the pre-debut single “Y.O.Universe”! Since a few hours ago, you can watch the music video on YouTube:
The video shows the individual strengths of the different members and reminds us once again of the experiences they had before A2K. Lexus dances ballet, KG plays guitar, Kendall paints and Savanna shows a few of her gymnastics exercises.
VCHA even performed the song on the music show “Music Bank” less than two hours ago:
There is still no date set for VCHA’s debut, but the pre-debut single gives hope that it won’t take too much longer!
While A2K is ending, another survival show from JYP Entertainment is still in full swing.
In Nizi Project Season 2, the contestants are currently competing for a spot in a new Japanese boy group. The show decides who will follow in the footsteps of the Japanese girl group NiziU, which was formed in Nizi Project Season 1.
If you missed Nizi Project Season 2, you can now catch up on the past episodes and follow the contestants on their way to debut:
All three shows - Nizi Project Season 1 & 2 and A2K - have something in common. They all have a similar system: In various missions, the contestants have to win a total of eight stones. For example, there is the singing stone, the dance stone or the character stone. Whoever has collected all the stones debuts. Which of the three shows do you like best?
Sources: A2K, Nizi Project Season 1 & 2, YouTube
