Despite being introduced years ago, idol survival shows are still all the rage in Korean and Chinese entertainment. Many popular groups and idols were formed through survival programmes, like Wanna One and ChungHa, and many more have significant ties to these types of shows, including IVE and LE SSERAFIM.
While most trainees who participated in K-pop and C-pop idol survival shows were Korean, Chinese and Japanese, many Southeast Asians have also made waves in these programmes, including many Malaysians! Here are 5 Malaysians who have entered survival shows – and even debuted in the final group:
You Zhangjing (尤长靖)
One of the first Malaysians to make a name for himself on a Chinese idol survival program is You Zhangjing, a.k.a Azora Chin. After winning 9th place in “Idol Producer”, Zhangjing debuted in the boy group Nine Percent. The group became one of China’s most popular idol groups until their disbandment in 2019. Since then, Zhangjing has made his solo debut and recently appeared in the fourth season of “Call Me By Fire (披荆斩棘)”.
Elyn Leong (梁愉苓)
Influencer Elyn Leong also successfully debuted in an idol group, placing at an honourable fifth place on the Chinese survival programme “Chuang Asia Thailand/Produce Camp Asia 2024 (创造营亚洲2024)”. Elyn is now part of the girl group Gen1es under the Jackson Wang-founded agency RYCE Entertainment. The group released their first EP in September, which included their debut track, “Hourglass”.
LingLing (링링)
Malaysian-born K-pop trainee LingLing was the only Malaysian – and Southeast Asian – in Mnet’s 2024 survival programme, “I-LAND2: N/a (아이랜드2)”. During her appearance, she received a lot of love from viewers and fans for her skills and personality. Unfortunately, she was eliminated in the seventh episode and unable to debut. However, fans expressed hope to see her improve her skills and stand on stage again.
Kingston Wong (킹스톤왕/黃昱翰)
In early October, Kingston was introduced as one of the two Malaysians joining the ongoing Chinese-Korean survival show by iQIYI and SBS, “Starlight Boys (스타라이트보이즈/星光闪耀的少年)”. However, this isn’t his first rodeo as he previously joined the Hong Kong survival show, “King Maker V”. As the show is ongoing, it’s still early to tell Kingston’s progress, but he has shown off his dancing prowess on social media, earning him praise for his skills.
Ivan (아이반/陈明轩)
Joining Kingston on “Starlight Boys” is fellow Malaysian trainee Ivan, who is making his first appearance on a survival show. However, he already has a sizable following as he’s part of Yuxiao Media’s trainee group, Cheng Xin Project (橙新计划). Like Kingston, Ivan’s progress is still unknown, but given the training he received, there’s no doubt that the Malaysian has some impressive skills to his name.
