Earlier this year, X JAPAN's YOSHIKI announced that he would be producing an audition show called "YOSHIKI SUPERSTAR PROJECT X" aiming to discover a superstar boy group capable of going global.
During an online meeting on March 31st between YOSHIKI and NTV audition staff that was broadcast live on YOSHIKI CHANNEL, they discussed receiving about 1,000 applications in a single day, and also touched on messages they were receiving
such as “the application period is too short" and “I’m not sure what kind of video to take”. In response, YOSHIKI brought up the idea of an additional call for applications.
The application period was initially from March 1st to 31st. The second application period will stretch from noon on April 11th to midnight on May 20th. It was also noted that, in addition to applying individually, people are also
welcome to apply in a band or group. Details on the application process are available on the project's official website.
Also during the program, YOSHIKI shared more details on his vision for the group saying, “I have a feeling two different groups may debut; a dance & vocal group and a band.” He also said, “After meeting applicants in person, my ideas may change - and in
that sense, this audition is a collaboration of applicants and us.” He also discussed the timing of their debut, saying “At this point, we’re looking at the timing sometime between the end of this year and spring, and I also want to prepare the
right stage for that day.”
It was also promised that world-class specialists from different genres, such as fashion experts and voice trainers, will be gathered as a training team.
“YOSHIKI SUPERSTAR PROJECT X" will be aired on the Japanese television programs “Sukkiri” and “Gyoretsu no dekiru sodanjo” and also streamed on Hulu.
Fans can keep an eye on the project's official Twitter and Instagram accounts to stay tuned for more updates.
YOSHIKI commented: "Thank you for all of you who already applied. We are finding lots of wonderful
performances. As I have experienced, going through audition is a tough procedure, forcing you to compete. You need to be strong mentally, and there will be number of challenges you’ll face. It’s so easy to give up, but including myself, I chose the tough
way and moving forward on this path. I look forward to meeting such people through this audition.
As in the title 'Superstar', our staff and I are all working together so we can bring out a superstar to the world, so even if you aren’t sure about yourself, please don’t hesitate! I am so excited to meet all of you."
A trailer for the project can be viewed below. Turn on captions and adjust the language settings to watch with English subtitles.