HYBE And Geffen Records Announce New Girl Group Program With ‘PRELUDE: The Final Piece’
The upcoming four-piece girl group is set to include three previous Dream Academy contestants, including Samara Siqueira (Brazil), Lexie Levin (Sweden), and Emily Kelavos (USA).
Courtesy of HYBE and Geffen Records.
Courtesy of HYBE and Geffen Records.
Following the success of KATSEYE, HYBE and Geffen Records are now getting ready to launch their next global girl group with the announcement of PRELUDE: The Final Piece.
The forthcoming project is set to launch a new four-piece act, with three of the group’s members being former contestants of the 2023 reality-competition series, The Debut: Dream Academy, as they get another shot at the spotlight. Samara Siqueira (Brazil), Lexie Levin (Sweden), and Emily Kelavos (USA) have all been confirmed to be a part of the newly-formed group, with their involvement being announced through a stylized concept film posted to HYBE and Geffen Records’ official social channels.
Check out the full concept film for PRELUDE: THE FINAL PIECE below:
Though the three have solidified their spots in the newly assembled girl group, the ‘final piece’ (AKA fourth member) has yet to be found, with the search process coming from the upcoming program, World Scout: The Final Piece — a new global audition show developed in partnership with Japanese platform ABEMA. The program is currently conducting nationwide auditions in Japan through September 22, 2025, and is open to women and non-binary individuals between the ages of 15 to 24. Selected finalists for the show are set to train in Japan before moving to Los Angeles, for the final phase ahead of the group’s US debut.
For Siqueira and Kelavos, the new group marks a second chance following their final-round eliminations from The Debut: Dream Academy, which led to the formation of KATSEYE. Levin was previously a frontrunner in the program, but exited the show voluntarily after an elimination round, citing her dismay at the competition’s format, particularly the “pitting girls against each other” atmosphere. “This life is not for me,” she shared during her exit monologue in the Netflix original documentary series, Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.
The decision for HYBE and Geffen Records to capitalize on previously developed talent, as all three confirmed members had undergone months of training and global exposure during the original run of The Debut: Dream Academy. The latter was launched in 2021 and opened up auditions worldwide, drawing in over 120,000 applicants before narrowing down 20 female candidates for the program.
The move also follows the breakout success of KATSEYE — the six-member girl group comprised of Sophia, Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, and Yoonchae — who have become global pop sensations following the release of their sophomore EP, Beautiful Chaos. The EP spawned the hit singles “Gnarly” and “Gabriela,” both of which have dominated both the Philippines Hot 100 and Billboard Hot 100 upon their release.
In a previous press statement released earlier this March, HYBE’s CEO Jiwon Park (Jason Jaesang Lee) had credited KATSEYE’s momentum as proof that “the K-pop system can work in the U.S.” Though not many details have been revealed concerning their upcoming program, the four-piece girl group is slated to make their official debut in 2026.
As we anticipate what lies ahead for PRELUDE: The Final Piece, revisit KATSEYE’s breakthrough EP, Beautiful Chaos, below: