The Label Behind BLACKPINK Is Searching for Its Next Stars in 13 Countries This Year

YG Entertainment kicked off its 2026 Global Audition on July 19 in Beijing, launching the label's most ambitious talent search in two years. The tour will visit more than a dozen cities across Asia, North America, and Oceania before wrapping in December.

After Beijing, the schedule moves through China's major cities: Chengdu on July 25, Shanghai on August 1, and Shenzhen on August 9. Japan follows, with Tokyo also on August 9 and Osaka on September 20. From October through December, the audition expands further to the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Exact city schedules and registration details for each stop will be released gradually through YG's official audition website and social media channels.

Any applicant born between 2008 and 2015 is eligible, with no restrictions on gender or nationality. Participants choose one primary category to compete in: singing, rap, dance, or visuals. What's new this cycle is that acting and special talents have been added as additional entry fields, a notable expansion from previous auditions that kept the focus strictly on the core four.

The label has a track record that gives these auditions real weight. YG is the company behind BIGBANG, 2NE1, BLACKPINK, WINNER, iKON, TREASURE, and most recently BABYMONSTER, the seven-member group that debuted in 2023. For a lot of applicants, that lineage is the whole draw.

For aspiring artists in the eligible age range, born roughly between ages 11 and 18 as of this year, the expanded category list and the global reach of the tour make this one of the more accessible entry points into the YG system in recent memory. Full details are available on the official YG audition website.