South Korean entertainment giant HYBE is teaming up with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder to launch a new boyband.
Announced on February 20, the project will kick off with a global talent search, with HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, HYBE America CEO Scooter Braun and Ryan Tedder at the project’s helm. Per Billboard, a training programme fusing HYBE’s K-pop development programme and Tedder’s creative direction will commence in Los Angeles after members of the group are chosen.
Tedder has a history of working with HYBE acts, including the with company’s US-based girl group KATSEYE for ‘Debut’, Japanese band &TEAM for ‘Dropkick’ and Korean boyband TXT for ‘Back For More’. The new boyband initiative also comes after HYBE America debuted KATSEYE last year, launched in partnership with Geffen Records.
“Artists under HYBE have consistently reached impressive global milestones, dominating charts year after year,” Bang Si-hyuk said in a statement, per Billboard. “Especially with KATSEYE, we’ve demonstrated that our K-pop methodology is successful in the US mainstream market. Launching a new boy group in collaboration with Ryan Tedder will be another step in continuing our legacy within the music industry.”
Meanwhile, Tedder said that he is “thrilled to partner with HYBE on this new exciting project”. The musician added: “Bang and his team have proven to be the best fan-engaging creatives out there and we want to build a group that is the most fan-focused on earth with the best music imaginable.”
Applications for trainees are now open to individuals of all nationalities between the ages of 13 and 23. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the coming year, and applicants are required to submit a photo portfolio, performance videos and a personal introduction video.
Reneé Rapp is seen as a “huge inspiration” by SZA.
The 25-year-old artist performed SZA’s Good Days in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, accompanied by two acoustic guitarists and a harp player. SZA, 35, was deeply moved by the rendition.
She posted a short video of the moment on Instagram Stories and wrote: “Renee is a HUGE inspiration, energy, voice spirit.”
During her chat with the BBC, Renee shared her thoughts about the track. She said: “I mean, I love SZA. I mean, she was one of my favorite artists in high school. And she's remained one of my favorite artists to this day. I think she's amazing. She's also, I mean, she's an incredible songwriter, but I think because she has so much swag. People don't realize how good of a singer she is. She's a fantastic vocalist and is really, really, really articulate. And I don't cover a lot of songs anymore. So I wanted to cover something that was, like, slightly challenging and also really vocally impressive, and frankly, hard for me to do.”
Renee is currently in the middle of promoting her second album, Bite Me, and opened up about how much more enjoyable it was to create compared to her first project.
She explained: “I mean, I feel like everything was incredibly different. I stopped listening to people that don't make music, because if you don't make music, then why the hell am I listening to you. And I also think the biggest difference, I think I just got a lot better. I think I have just become a better songwriter. I think I understand how to make pop music now in a way that I didn't really before. And I was very sure about what this album was and thematically, what it needed.
“So I felt like I was quite like, headstrong in like, what was gonna work and what wasn't. Because, nobody knows something better than yourself. I think a lot of things were different. I also just, like, had a lot of fun making it, like, I made it with like, three people, mostly, like, it was always like, four of us in the studio all the time, and we got so close, and some of us were already so close. So it was also just like a mess. It was such a mess, like we were just tweaking every day. It was so fun. And I don't think I enjoyed making the first one as much.”
