'Queendom 2': PD reveals why he chose the 6 participants including Loona, Kep1er, Viviz
The ‘Queendom’/’Kingdom’ series is probably one of the most-watched K-pop survival shows. Not only are the participants all known K-pop groups and idols, but we also get interactions and collaborations between our favorites which is quite rare outside of survival shows or year-end music festivals. Well, the upcoming edition ‘Queendom 2’ has an interesting lineup as we have legendary acts like Hyolyn, viral queens Brave Girls, and Viviz who were previously part of GFriend. It also has currently popular groups like Loona, Kep1er, and WJSN.
There were tons of rumors circulating about the lineup as many had wondered if we would get to see Itzy, Dreamcatcher, fromis_9, and Everglow on the show too. Mnet had also announced ‘Queendom 2’ with the theme of ‘Road To Kingdom’ as they were looking for known but still underrated girl groups who would finally get the recognition they deserve with the global platform that ‘Queendom 2’ provides. Ahead of the premiere which is on March 31, the producers and participants held a press conference on March 30.
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‘Queendom 2’ press conference
During the press conference, the participants shared why fans should root for them. Taeyeon explained why she was the perfect host since she has been an idol for 15 years, and the producers added ‘Queendom 2’ would be a global season as they would include global votes and evaluation from overseas judges. Producer Park Chan-wook also revealed why and how he selected the six participants for ‘Queendom 2’.
Park was excited that members of GFriend had debuted in a new group and wanted to cast them in his show in any way it was possible. This is how Viviz got the casting offer. As for Hyolyn, she won her last survival show ‘Double Trouble’ which had iconic contestants from groups like Block B, SF9, Kard, 2AM, TVXQ, AOA, and Troublemaker. Park said, “[Hyolyn is] a true all-rounder who could rap, perform and sing, Hyolyn is experienced in survival shows and boasts a stage presence alone no less compared to other groups.”
For WJSN, Park hoped they could help the girls get more recognition, “It was the most-requested act…They have good songs but weren't recognized for some reason. I hope the earnest wishes of fans come true here.” He similarly roped in Loona who is popular overseas and hoped they get the same fame in their home country. He was quite impressed with Kep1er as they were formed from another Mnet survival show yet went on to break records with their first-week sales and won on music shows in just 10 days of their debut. Park added that he had high expectations from their last group Brave Girls, “[They] had their heyday last year, but I believe they still have more to show. Hopefully, they could unveil those talents here."
