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In October 2023, a new female idol group was born to lead the next generation. Their name is "WHITE SCORPION."
This name expresses the hope that the group will have "innocence" and "sincerity," but also "strength."
Expectations are already building for these girls, who won out of an audition with around 10,000 applicants. Their debut song "Mesasashi Sniper," released on December 7th, has been viewed 4 million times on YouTube in just a month (as of January 9th).
Their second single "Koyote ga Niteiru," released on January 7th, is also off to a good start, and they are showing off their incredible momentum. WHITE SCORPION plans to continue releasing new songs at a rate of once a month.
It's no exaggeration to say that WHITE SCORPION is the idol group to watch the most right now. They were born through the IDOL3.0 PROJECT, which has the vision of "updating idols."
The IDOL3.0 PROJECT was launched in April last year as a project to create a new idol group using Web 3.0 elements such as blockchain and the metaverse.
This project attracted a lot of attention as Yasushi Akimoto, who has worked with AKB48 and Nogizaka46, was appointed as general producer.
IDOL3.0 PROJECT is run by Overs, a company made up of members with extensive know-how in the financial field. The utility token NIDT, which is the core of the project, has attracted attention as the fourth IEO in Japan, and has successfully raised 1 billion yen, the largest amount of funding in Japan to date.
NIDT plays an important role as a tool for supporting idols, as it allows members to participate in limited events, has a higher chance of winning live tickets, and can gain voting rights.
One initiative that makes use of Web3.0 elements is the use of NFTs. Limited NFTs have already been distributed to NIDT holders, a measure rarely seen in traditional idol groups.
By issuing NFTs on the blockchain, information such as "when it was obtained" and "who first got it" is recorded on the NFT. This makes it possible to "visualize" the activities of supporting idols, such as events attended in the past and how long members have been supported.
IDOL3.0 PROJECT is a pioneering initiative, but it has been moving forward with an eye on the world from the beginning.
The auditions to decide the members of WHITE SCORPION were also held with the big goal of "going global." Naturally, WHITE SCORPION is made up of members who are attracted to the vision of the world. Therefore, this feature features exclusive interviews with members of WHITE SCORPION, who have just debuted.
We also interviewed Yoshihito Sato, CEO of Overs, the company behind the IDOL3.0 PROJECT and the creator of WHITE SCORPION, to find out more about how the IDOL3.0 PROJECT got started, its future prospects, the specific timing of their global expansion, and NIDT-related policies.
The first round of auditions began on April 4, 2023. The document screening, which marked the full-scale start of the IDOL3.0 PROJECT, attracted about 10,000 applicants, and the auditions had been attracting a lot of attention from the early stages.
At this time, applications to purchase NIDT's IEO began, and as a result, it raised over 1 billion yen, the largest amount ever for a domestic IEO.
After briefing sessions in seven cities across the country, the second round of selection began on May 20. After that, the third and fourth rounds of selection, which were interviews at each venue, were held, and the candidates who passed these rounds will finally appear in public.
On August 5, the "IDOL3.0 PROJECT Final Stage Advancement" was unveiled at a venue filled with excitement and anticipation for the birth of a new star. 114 candidates remained for the final round.
They can be said to be the so-called elite, narrowed down from a huge number of 10,000 people. In addition, 200 people who were selected by lottery from among the NIDT IEO purchase applicants were invited to this event, and it was a kind of opportunity for the candidates to interact for the first time with the fans gathered under the name of the IDOL3.0 PROJECT.
After the unveiling event, the 114 candidates immediately headed to the training camp review, which began on the same day. Here, the candidates were divided into eight groups and the review was conducted, with Group G, which performed well at the results presentation, coming in first and advancing.
Group G included four members, CHOCO, HANNA, NICO, and NAVI, who would later become official members, proving that they were a high-level team.
40 people made it through the training camp review, which was held as Final Stage:1st. After that, five more candidates were added through the "White Knight System," a vote by NIDT holders, and a total of 45 people advanced to Final Stage:2nd.
29 people made it through this Final Stage:2nd, including the additional candidates through the White Knight System. The candidates who had survived the fierce competition took the final stage as finalists.
On October 7th, about 1,000 people rushed to the venue to watch the fateful moment. Unlike previous reviews, the winners were decided entirely by the votes of IEO purchase applicants who had supported the project since its early days.
The venue was filled with tension as this was the final test for the finalists to grab a ticket to their dreams. As a result of the vote, 11 people passed. At this moment, WHITE SCORPION was born, and the audition that lasted for about half a year came to a close.
WHITE SCORPION's debut song "Gaze Sniper" released on December 7th caught the attention of many people in an instant. The music video for "Gaze Sniper" exceeded 4 million views on YouTube, making it a brilliant debut.
With high potential, the girls were immediately exposed to many media outlets after the audition and continue to attract attention.
The future prospects of WHITE SCORPION are the monthly continuous release of new songs.
On January 7th, just one month after releasing their debut song on December 7th, they released their second single "Koyote ga Niteiru".
In addition, it was revealed that they plan to release their third single "Shougeki" on February 7th. In order to "go global", which can be said to be the core of IDOL3.0 PROJECT, they will first increase the number of songs at an accelerated pace.
As mentioned in the interviews with each member, many of them have the current goal of holding a solo concert in Japan.
To that end, in addition to releasing new songs energetically this year, they will also be proactively interacting with their fans. And in 2024, the attention on IDOL3.0 PROJECT itself is likely to heat up.
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