JTBC's Mix Nine - A Contestant Primer, Part 1
Click to viewJTBC's 'Mix Nine', an audition/group creation show produced with YG Entertainment, is just around the corner, and will feature around 500 idols from over 70 companies. With such a huge number of contestants - many who may not make it past the first rounds - it's hard to know who you want to watch this program for. Starting from the beginning posts on Mix Nine's instagram account, I'll systematically go through each company and introduce each of the groups and trainees taking part. I'll do 15 companies per post until the end, and hopefully that will spread the information out evenly.
PART 2 HERE | PART 3 HERE
1. FAVE ENTERTAINMENT - UPCOMING GIRL GROUP TRAINEES
Fave Entertainment was formerly known as LOEN Tree and Collabodadi; the two were merged and ultimately renamed. It manages most of LOEN Entertainment's artists, including Fiestar, IU, JBJ, and several soloists. It will be sending eleven female trainees, presumably in the shortlist for its already-announced upcoming girl group. Among them are Park Soyeon and Lee Soomin, former Produce 101 contestants and also contestants on different seasons of KPOP Star, as well as Sun Yerim, a Superstar K3 auditionee. Soyeon and Soomin still have lots of fans from their various audition programs as well as lots of talent, so expect to see them do well! You can follow their predebut twitter (Shin Suhyun, Shin Jiyoon, Baek Minseo, Kim Bowon, Park Soeun) at FAVEGIRLS2018 as well as instagram.
2. BANANA CULTURE - TREI (INC. C-CLOWNS' JAEJOON)
Yedang Entertainment became Banana Culture in 2016. C-Clown disbanded almost exactly two years ago, before this change, but maknae Jaejoon stayed with the company formed a new duo, TRINITIOPUS or 'Trei', which released their debut music in July. These are the two who will be representing Banana Republic in Mix Nine. Jaejoon will hopefully have some old C-Clown stans looking out for him, and as for Changhyun, we can look forward to his guitar skills as well.
3. YAMA&HOTCHICKS - SEEART
YAMA&HOTCHICKS was founded by choreographer Bae Yoonjung, bringing together the two titular dance crews into one company as well as their choreographers, and preparing to debut new artists. SEEART is technically still predebut as 'Cupcake' was only an unpromoted prerelease, and the group has essentially gone silent since then (which may not be a bad thing - the eighth member was only twelve when they were initially releasing videos and performances). All eight members will be competing, including Produce 101 contestant Yu Sua (seen as the dance leader in the above video). If you have nothing to do, get sucked into a youtube black hole by watching Yu Sua's old dance covers. The remaining members (Han Byeol, Baek Hyeonju, Park Chohyeon, Lim Ji Hye/Joa, Heo Seeun, Jung Yeeun, Park Hyedam) span ten years in age and have many different talents.
4. ELEVEN9 - FEMALE TRAINEES & HIGH4's YOUNGJUN & MYUNGHAN
Eleven9 is soloist Se7en's new agency, founded in 2015, and currently only houses himself, so these trainees could be the agency's first new branch from their founding talent. There was a lot of she-said-he-said around High4 but the group can essentially be considered disbanded in many people's opinions, and Youngjun and Myunghan appearing under a different agency can only strengthen that opinion. The girls are Kim Soyeon, Jo Yeoyoon, and Kim Heesu.
5. JD ENTERTAINMENT - FEMALE TRAINEES
JD Entertainment (or 'JD World) is a new agency with no current signed artists so Kim Soyoung, Lee Hajung, Jung Dasol and Kang Jisoo will form their first girl group. If you understand a little Korean, check out their profiles on the company website, which claims that there is a 'mini album coming soon'.
6. ONO ENTERTAINMENT - MALE TRAINEES & UPCOMING GIRL GROUP 'BLACK MAMBA'
ONO Entertainment, which houses a few underground and indie artists as well as rapper TYMEE and Produce 101 S2 contestant Jang Moon Bok, are sending a host of trainees; five boys (So Jihyuk, Kim Dohyun, Kim Janggyu, Park Jinwoo, Lee Hwichan), who may be in their boy group with Moon Bok, as well as seven girl groups, who have already been doing pre debut busking performances as 'Black Mamba'. The girl group may already have a tiny fanbase from their busking but they're probably hoping to draw the attention of Produce 101 S1 viewers with ex-contestants Hwang Ayoung and Lim Jungmin. The other girls are Lee Youngchaeng, Kim Bora, Bang Yesol, Kim Subin, and Yang Heewon.
7. SIDUS HQ - 2EYES' HYANGSOOK AND EX-MEMBER YEONJUN
Sidus HQ mostly manage actors but also house g.o.d as well as their girl group venture, 2EYES. The girl group hasn't released anything since 'Pippi' two years ago, so this may be Sidus HQ attempting to renew interest in the group. 2EYES will be represented by Lee Hyangsook as well as ex-member (and ex-maknae) Kim Yeonjun, who is an interesting addition.
8. BLOCKBERRY CREATIVE - LOONA's HEEJIN, HASEUL, HYUNJIN
You've probably already heard of Blockberry Creative's LOONA and the massive predebut promotion undertaking, wherein each new member releases a music video, a unit is formed to promote after every few girls, and even various extra music videos are released. Cho Haseul, Jeon Heejin and Kim Hyunjin formed the first unit, LOONA 1/3, with another member, Vivi. It's probably a good idea to have some of the first revealed girls continue promoting on an audition show while the current unit promotes its repackage and Blockberry Creative starts releasing the new girls, instead of having the early girls sitting doing nothing.
9. WM ENTERTAINMENT - ONF
(i never listened to this before omg it's really good!)
WM Entertainment houses B1A4 and Oh My Girl, and debuted their second boy group 'ONF' earlier this year. As 'WM Boys' they did various promotions together and separately, appearing as B1A4's backup dancers and cameoing in their VCR's, while a few cameo'd as dancers in a Korean web drama. U (Mizuguchi Yuto) was previously a trainee at JYP and Laeun (Kim Minseok) trained with BTS at Big Hit. MK (Park Minkyun) competed on Starship's debut programme No.Mercy while training under them, but was eliminated. The other members are Kim Hyojin, J-US (Lee Seungjoon), E-Tion (Lee Changyoon) and Wyatt (Shim Jaeyoung), and their ages range from '94-'99.
10. STARO ENTERTAINMENT - SEVEN O'CLOCK
(another tropical bop!)
Staro Entertainment only houses soloist Klang and its six-member boy group, Seven O'clock, all members of which will be competing on the show. They debuted earlier this year. The members are A-Day (Song Hangyeom, leader), VAAN (Kim Sangwon, I'm Captain Basch Fon Ronsenburg Of Dalmasca, Don't Listen To Ondore's Lies), Hyun (Park Sanghyun), Kim Taeyoung, Lim Jeonggyu, and Kim Younghoon.
11. K-TIGERS - HYUNKUN & KIM YOUNG
K-TIGERS are a martial arts/kpop mashup performance group who've never really strayed far from their martial arts side except for a music video here and there, so having two members compete on Mix Nine is a really interesting move. The K-TIGERS kpop group is split into two teams, a female and male team, and it's two members of the male team who will be representing them on the show. Oh Hyunkun is the male team leader, face and main singer, while Kim Young Woon is considered the lead rapper.
12. STAR EMPIRE - UPCOMING GIRL GROUP (FKA OMZM)
How does Star Empire keep getting trainees? Kang Sihyeon and Kim Yunji, their Produce 101 contestants, are back in the trainee group despite any previous reports of them leaving the company (Hyeri will be on Mix Nine, but under a different company), and they are now joined by Lee Sieun, Lee Dawon, Choi Jiyeon, Lee Ara, and Jang Hyokyung.
13. ROOTS ENTERTAINMENT - FEMALE TRAINEES
I've never heard of Roots Entertainment and can't find anything on them Girls Alert! Roots Entertainment hosts Girls Alert, and I made the post about their debut here on omona, and I'm an idiot. Their competing trainees are Yoon Jiseong of Girls Alert as well as Jeon Yujin, Jang Jiho, Lee Yeorim, Kim Minjeong, and Lee Bom. I want to say that the first five girls are all the Girls Alert members but their stage names include surnames which don't match up with their names here so I'm confused. But unless Girls Alert have a sister group entirely made up of their actual sisters, then that's Girls Alert.
14. ILLUSION ENTERTAINMENT - HIGHTEEN
Highteen debuted late last year under Wings Entertainment, but they're competing under Illusion Entertainment, which could be for any number of reasons. The members are Im Hyebin (vocal, dancer), Park Hyunjoo (Hyeju, leader), Moon Eunjin (main vocal) and Kim Soojeong (SeA, maknae). They're all born in '98 and '99.
15. MYSTIC ENTERTAINMENT - MALE & FEMALE TRAINEES
Mystic Entertainment is a funny one, because it and its subsidiaries don't host a lot of idols, and it's hard to count Brown Eyed Girls as idols these days. Four of their male trainees (Shin Kwangil, Kang Jinchun, Shin Donghyu, Song Siwoon) seem to be in a band, while the other trainees (boy: Kim Sungmin, girls: Kim Soohyun, Ryu Shion, Hwang Jimin, Lee Dooyeon) are pictured dancing. Lee Dooyeon previously competed on Kpop Star 6. It'll be interesting to see if the band trainees have any idol skills, and how well they do compared to the trainees that seem to already be practising those skills.
sources: jtbc.mixnine (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) MeU 미유, 1theK (2), SEEART OFFICIAL CHANNEL, 블루검 story, BdoubleEnie, loonatheworld, CJENMMUSIC OFFICIAL, GENIE MUSIC, K-Tigers TV
who do you think will do well in these fifteen omona? who won't do well but deserves to? who do you think would suit yg's image? who do i speak to about getting a mix nine tag?