Mnet’s latest survival audition show, “I-LAND 2: N/a,” concluded its fierce competition, finalizing the seven members slated for debut as a newborn K-pop girl group called izna.
Mnet’s production team announced Friday through an official press release that “Choi Jung-eun, Bang Ji-min, Yoon Ji-yoon, Koko, Ryu Sa-rang, Mai and Jeong Sae-bi were selected to debut as the seven-member group named izna in the final episode, which aired live Thursday.”
Mnet also disclosed that initially, only six members were to be chosen for debut. However, “one of the main mentors of the show, singer Taeyang, decided to add Jeong Sae-bi as an additional member, expanding the group to seven members,” the broadcaster added.
Thursday’s final episode featured the remaining 10 contestants competing for the coveted debut spots. They were divided into two groups of five and performed two new songs, “Drip” and “Fake It,” both produced by renowned songwriter Teddy.
Five of the final members were selected through global fan voting, while two were chosen by the program’s producers.
“I-LAND 2: N/a,” which began airing in April, featured 24 contestants vying for a chance to join a newly formed K-pop girl group. The first season of the program, aired in 2020 and led to the debut of HYBE Labels’ boy band ENHYPEN.
Unlike many other project idol groups that disband within a few years of debut, izna will be managed by WAKEONE Entertainment under a formal seven-year contract.