A2K (America2Korea)

A2K, short for America 2 Korea, is a 2023 talent show that will chronicle the creation of the first American girl group trained through the K-pop system. JYP Entertainment and Republic Records are partnering together on this project. The show premiered on July 13, 2023. The final 6 members that passed all the evaluations debuted as members of the group VCHA.



Summary

• Episodes: 10
• Broadcast Period: Jul 13, 2023 - Sep 14, 2023
• Streaming Platform: YouTube
• Related: VCHA

Auditions were held for female contestants between ages 12 through 16 in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and New York.



There were 4 qualities that were being judged - dancing, singing, star quality, and character.



Dance Ranking

Mischa, Melissa, and Yuna did not receive a dance stone during the first round of evaluations.



Vocal Ranking



Star Quality Ranking



Character Ranking



LA Boot Camp

All contestants except Mischa passed the LA boot camp and will be training in Korea at the JYP center.



Final Ranking - Korea Boot Camp

Melissa withdrew from the competition before the Korean boot camp. Yuna, Gina, and Cristina were eliminated.



The final 6 members debuted as members of VCHA (Illuminate).

1. Camila Ribeaux Valdes

• Birthday: Aug 10, 2005
• Age (2023): 18
• Country of Birth: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Nationality: Canadian
• Strongest quality: singing
• Fun Facts: she can sing and dance. She speaks French, Spanish, and English. She participated in La Voix Junior (Voice Canada) in 2016 where she finished in the top 3. She's currently studying nursing at John Abbott College.
• Final Ranking: #3

2. Kendall Ebeling

• Birthday: Jun 01, 2006
• Age (2023): 17
• Country of Birth: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
• Strongest quality: character
• Nationality: American
• Fun Facts: She went to Korea on a study abroad program for a Kpop immersion. She attended a dance studio while she was in Korea.
• Final Ranking: #6

3. Lexus (Lexi) Vang

• Birthday: Nov 22, 2005
• Age (2023): 17
• Country of Birth: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
• Nationality: American
• Strongest quality: dancing
• Fun Facts: She is Hmong, an indigenous group in East and Southeast Asia. She trained as a ballerina (ballet) for 12 years from the age of 4 until she was 16.
• Final Ranking: #1

4. Melissa Kadas

• Birthday: 
• Age (2023): 17
• Country of Birth: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
• Nationality: Canadian
• Height: 164 cm (5'4'')
• Strongest quality: singing
• Instagram
• Website
• Fun Facts: she is a singer-songwriter and actress.
• Final Ranking: withdrew before Korean boot camp.

5. Cristina Lopez Sandiford

• Birthday:
• Age (2023): 17
• Country of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
• Nationality: American
• Strongest quality: dancing
• Fun Facts: she has been dancing since the age of 3 or 4. Her parents are singers and/or rappers. She is a freshman college student majoring in business. She also runs her own Kpop dance academy where she teaches Kpop choreographies.
• Final Ranking: eliminated during Korean boot camp.

6. Savanna Collins

• Birthday: Jul 26, 2006
• Age (2023): 17
• Country of Birth: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
• Nationality: American
• Strongest quality: rapping
• Fun Facts: she did competitive gymnastics for 7 years but stopped after an elbow injury.
• Final Ranking: #4

7. Kaylee Lee

• Birthday: Nov 24, 2009
• Age (2023): 13
• Country of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Nationality: American
• Strongest quality: singing
• Fun Facts: She is Korean American and can speak fluent Korean. She started training in singing one week prior to her audition.
• Final Ranking: #5

8. Keira Grace (KG)

• Birthday: Jun 17, 2007
• Age (2023): 16
• Country of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
• Nationality: American
• Strongest quality: singing
• Instagram
• Fun Facts: She is known as KG Crown. She is a social media influencer and a singer-songwriter. She started in music when she was 7 and she was in a band with her brothers for 6 years. She can play the guitar and the piano.
• Final Ranking: #2

9. Mischa Salkin

• Birthday: Aug 2, 2009
• Age (2023): 14
• Country of Birth: Florida, United States
• Nationality: American
• Strongest quality: singing
• Fun Facts: She is Filipina-Ukrainian-Spanish. She can sing, dance, and act. She is a model and social media influencer.
• Final Ranking: eliminated during LA boot camp.

10. Yuna Gonzales

• Birthday:
• Age (2023): 17
• Country of Birth: California, United States
• Nationality: American
• Strongest quality: dancing
• Fun Facts: She leads a Kpop dance group in her school. She is a fan of Girls' Generation. She is into fashion and likes sowing. She learned the ITZY Dalla Dalla choreography one day before the audition.
• Final Ranking: eliminated during Korean boot camp.

11. Gina de Bosschere

• Birthday:
• Age (2023): 13
• Country of Birth: South Korea
• Nationality:
• Strongest quality: singing, dancing
• Fun Facts: She is half Korean and half French. She was a JYP trainee for 8 months before the audition. She can speak fluent Korean. She won a scholarship at JUMP dance convention in 2020.
• Final Ranking: eliminated during Korean boot camp.