HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / K-POP NEWS

‘Stars Awakening’: Release date, mentors, contestants and all about Channel A’s co-ed survival show

SISTAR’s Soyou, WINNER Kang Seungyoon, NO:ZE and more join as mentors on the co-ed survival show 'Stars Awakening,' also called 'Youth Star'

With KARD being the only currently active co-ed group in the entire K-pop industry, fans are ready for a new group to enjoy and it seems like that could be the case with Channel A’s upcoming survival show ‘Stars Awakening’ (initially called 'Youth Star'). The Japanese-Korean show will broadcast at the end of April and will feature a total of 109 trainees/contestants who will compete in three different categories - idol, singer-songwriter, and vocal.

Channel A revealed that out of the 109 contestants, 48 will compete in the idol category while 30 will compete in the singer-songwriter category and the remaining 31 in the vocal category. With a confirmed broadcast, the show has revealed the lineup of contestants as well as mentors/judges who will train them. The stellar lineup of mentors includes eight famous Korean entertainers from different streams of the industry. Former trainees and idols who are already known to fans will also participate in the show.

READ MORE

Mnet announces 2022 variety show lineup including ‘I-Land 2’ and ‘Queendom 2’

‘My Boyfriend is Better’: Mnet announces survival show where girls bet on partners’ skills

Release Date

The co-ed audition program ‘Stars Awakening’ from Channel A will release on April 28 at 9:30 pm KST (8:30 am ET).

How to watch

The co-ed survival show ‘Stars Awakening’ will be released online via the YouTube channel - ABEMA Youth Star [Official] as well as the Abema website.

Contestants

With a wide-ranged lineup of 109 contestants, the show is set to also feature former Blockberry, Ateam, and Evermore members as well as many other trainees who were seen on other survival shows in the past. Among some of the known female contestants will be Hi-L’s Soojung, Evermore’s Nam Yuju who was seen in the 2020 survival show ‘Capteen’, Evermore’s Lee Sunwoo who was also seen in Mnet’s ‘Girls Plannet 999,’ and Evermore’s Cho Yiyeon. Lee Sumin, who was formerly part of Ateam, and former BlockBerry member Chu Wonhee, who was seen on the survival show ‘Idol School’ alongside soloist Choi Cello, will all be seen on the show as contestants. It was rumored that Elris (now known as Alice) member Bella would be a part of ‘Stars Awakening’ but there is no confirmation about her participation now.

Mentor Lineup

The show has confirmed eight Angel mentors and a special angel. Popular TV host Jun Hyun-moo will be the MC for the survival show. The mentor lineup includes singers Younha and Lee Seunghwan, lyricist Kim Ina, boyband Daybreak’s vocalist Lee Wonseok, singer and CEO of the label Mystic Story Yoon Jongshin, former SISTAR member Soyou, Winner’s Yoon (aka Kang Seungyoon), and dancer NO:ZE (aka Noh Jihye), who was seen on Mnet’s ‘Street Woman Fighter’ as a contestant.

It has been stated that Lena Park (also known as Park Jung-hyun), who is called South Korea’s National Fairy because of her explosive singing ability in a small body, has been selected as a special angel, raising fans’ curiosity about the co-ed survival show.