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Sophia Laforteza, the 1st Filipino artist under HYBE, tells supporters: ‘Thank you for helping me make my dream come true’
The first Filipino artist to sign with South Korean agency HYBE, Sophia Laforteza, is over the moon at debuting as an idol.
The 20-year-old took Instagram to thank her supporters for all the love during her time competing on “The Debut: Dream Academy.”
“My heart is so full of gratitude, love, and warmth,” Sophia captioned the photo of herself carrying the Philippine flag.
“Thank you for helping me make my dream come true. I wish I could hug every single one of you who have been supporting me,” she added.
Sophia also teased, “Stay tuned for Katseye in 2024.”
Sophia was the only Filipina who competed in HYBE and Geffen Records’ talent search “The Debut: Dream Academy” and successfully earned her spot in the brand new girl group, KATSEYE.
Joining Sophia in KATSEYE are fellow new idols, Daniela, Lara, and Megan from the USA, Manon from Switzerland, and Yoonchae from South Korea.
They were revealed as the debuting girl group during the show’s finale event, which was livestreamed on the HYBE YouTube channel.
In “The Debut: Dream Academy,” 20 aspiring idols were selected from 120,000 applicants from all across the world to participate in a K-Pop idol training before six deserving candidates were handpicked for a new global girl group.
Fans also had a say throughout the competition through voting on Weverse and TikTok.
Sophia was among the series’ fan favorites, often reaching the top spot.
In a previous post, Sophia talked about her dream of being an idol and thanked her supporters for all the love.
HYBE is the agency that manages global artists like BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN, NewJeans, and many more.
Geffen Records, owned by Universal Music Group, currently manages Olivia Rodrigo, Alesso, Kali Uchis, and Marshmello, among others.
— Nika Roque/LA, GMA Integrated News
