India, Nov. 3 -- T he selection process for HYBE INDIA's talent hunt in the country is now well underway. The global entertainment conglomerate, behind South Korean boy band BTS and girl group KATSEYE, had announced auditions across India in March this year. Speaking about the response so far, Michelle Chong, the casting force behind KATSEYE, who is leading HYBE INDIA's audition campaign, tells us, "India has always had an extraordinary pool of talent, but seeing so many different kinds of performers come forward has been especially exciting. By widening the search, the opportunity is to discover voices and personalities that might otherwise go unseen." Explaining the thought behind the focus on the country, Chong shares, "Talent isn't limited to the places where the entertainment industry is already established. What makes the idea of an Indian girl group so compelling is the possibility of bringing together young women from different cultural, linguistic and regional backgrounds to create something distinctive as a collective," adding, "India has a rich artistic heritage, and there's a generation of young performers engaging with global pop while interpreting it through their own experiences. That intersection is particularly exciting." However, Chong is clear that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. "The task is not to reproduce what has worked in another market, but to draw on that experience and adapt it to the people, context and creative possibilities here. Rather than trying to fit Indian talent into a predetermined mould, the aim is to discover what these artists can create when their unique identities become part of a shared vision," she says....