You may have noticed that in recent years, numerous Korean entertainment companies have held auditions in Singapore, eagerly searching for the next big star. Most notably, the agency behind the successful K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty recently extended its reach to our Little Red Dot.
Not only did three Singaporeans make it to the finals in Bangkok, but one of them also managed to secure a coveted K-pop trainee contract. Meet Joye Cai, the 16-year-old Singaporean who is now officially a K-pop trainee.
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Currently enrolled at SJI International, Joye is a Secondary 4 student who is part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. She mentioned in interviews with various media outlets that she spends her after-school hours practising dance, averaging about 4 hours a day.
Thanks to her hard work and dedication to becoming a K-pop idol, she is now a step closer to making her dream come true.
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For the unacquainted, Fifty Fifty is a K-pop girl group who gained international fame thanks to their hit song ‘Cupid’ ‒ you’ve probably heard it on the radio or when scrolling through TikTok. However, due to contract disputes, the four-member girl group now only has one member remaining, and their agency is seeking new faces to debut in the next generation of Fifty Fifty.
When it was announced that Fifty Fifty’s agency would be holding an audition in Singapore, Joye didn’t miss the opportunity to pursue her dream as a K-pop idol. She competed against 120 Singaporeans, and emerged as one of the three finalists who later participated in the grand finals in Bangkok in early March 2024.
Fun fact: Joye was the youngest Singaporean to compete in the audition.
Although Joye didn’t secure a spot in Fifty Fifty, she received a K-pop trainee contract from Evergreen Group, one of Attrakt’s investors. This means she will have the chance to undergo singing, dancing, and rapping training with the hopes of debuting as a K-pop idol in South Korea.
All K-pop idols undergo training before making their debut, so it is not surprising that Joye will be doing the same. While it remains uncertain when Joye will make her debut, Evergreen Group plans to debut her in a girl group within two years.
Fingers crossed that we will hear good news from Joye soon.
With a tight timeline on hand, things are moving fast for Joye ‒ it was reported that she will be relocating to South Korea in June 2024. This means she has only a few months left in Singapore to prepare for her life-changing moment and temporarily bid farewell to her loved ones.
For most people, it isn’t easy to have their parents support their dream of becoming a K-pop idol, but Joye is fortunate to have hers fully behind her.
While her mother was initially hesitant about letting her leave for South Korea, she mentioned in an interview that she’d rather have Joye take the risk of becoming a K-pop trainee than hold her back from pursuing a future she might enjoy more.
While all eyes are on Joye for receiving a K-pop trainee contract, her mother Milona Xia has also received attention from the public as a socialite. The 37-year-old is a patron of a law foundation, and has appeared on ICON Singapore, where she discussed her relationship with luxury jewellery brand Bvlgari.
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Joye was among the many Singaporeans who attended the recent Taylor Swift concerts, and it was during that moment that she decided to accept the K-pop trainee contract. Inspired by the impressive performances by the pop singer, Joye made a mental note to herself that she’d be on stage in five years.
Previously, she had been worried about receiving her family’s support in pursuing her dream and the uncertainty of debuting as a K-pop idol.
Despite supporting Joye’s pursuit of her dream to become a K-pop idol in South Korea, Joye’s mother also wishes for her to continue her studies. She hopes that Joye will be able to enter the prestigious art school in South Korea, Hanlim Arts High School, which boasts famous K-pop idol alumni like Cha Eun Woo and New Jeans’ Minji.
Everyone is born differently ‒ some of us have birthmarks while others have moles on different parts of their body. Joye shared on her Instagram that she actually has a birthmark on her left cheek.
Since these features make us unique individuals, it is not surprising that Joye has also wholeheartedly embraced her birthmark .
Surprisingly, Joye is close to Singaporean cosplayer Rurusama, and the two have been noticed for their adorable relationship. Joye shared photos of them together on her Instagram story, and even wrote a caption in Chinese that Rurusama is her “wifey”.
While we are unsure how the two met, fans of both are surely hoping for a potential collaboration in the future.
As a K-pop fan herself, Joye has attended many concerts, including those of K-pop groups IVE and ENHYPEN. She also enjoys other genres of music such as Mandopop and Pop, and has even managed to secure a front-row ticket for one of the concerts.
Injuries can happen to anyone from time to time, and it seems that Joye once fractured her finger. Although she didn’t share how she sustained the injury, it must have been a painful and scary experience.
Pink is Joye’s favourite colour, and she shared this fun fact with her Instagram followers during a Q&A session. Among her many pink items, we spotted a matching pink Hermes bag and ring with her mother.
MBTI is one of the most popular personality quizzes, and Joye shared during a Q&A session on her Instagram that hers is INTP.
According to 16Personalities, INTPs “enjoy taking an unconventional approach to many aspects of life.” Perhaps this might just explain why Joye is committed to carving her own path as a K-pop idol.
Dreams are meant to be pursued, and it is inspiring to see that Joye is working hard and going the extra mile to become a K-pop idol. Hopefully, with this new opportunity as a K-pop trainee, she will get to embark on a life-changing journey and make Singapore proud. Wishing her all the best in South Korea!
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