Girls Planet 999's Nonaka Shana to join MLD Entertainment's new global girl group

The singer finished 16th on Girls Planet 999 (Image via Mnet)

Days before Kep1er’s much-awaited debut, another Girls Planet 999 participant, Nonaka Shana, is all set to appear in MLD Entertainment’s new girl group.

Japanese singer Nonaka Shana was MLD Entertainment’s representative on Mnet’s audition survival show Girls Planet 999. With her stunning visuals and amazing vocals, the rookie idol made a mark among viewers, ending up as one of the 18 finalists on the show.

Unfortunately, the singer from Fukuoka missed out on grabbing one of the top 9 positions, which would have made her eligible to be a part of Kep1er, and finished in the sixteenth place.

Nonaka Shana’s idol dreams, however, are evidently far from over, as MLD Entertainment has inducted her into its newest girl group.

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MLD Entertainment's new group, consisting of Girls Planet 999's Nonaka Shana will debut in 2022

On December 22, MLD Entertainment officially announced that Nonaka Shana would be debuting as a member of their upcoming girl group, which will be launched next year.

In August 2021, MLD Entertainment had announced its plans to launch a new girl group, six years after the debut of the mega-successful MOMOLAND back in 2016.

The new rookie group is scheduled to debut in 2022, although the other members have not been announced yet.

The hunt for the members of this group, incidentally, is happening on a global scale. According to insider sources, the new K-pop group would be made up of members who have been practicing for anywhere between one week and one year and eight months. MLD Entertainment is looking to build a global group, with members hailing from South Korea, Japan, the United States, and the Philippines, among other countries.

Apart from Nonaka Shana, the agency revealed that over 50,000 aspiring idols from across the globe had auditioned, which were held in Japan, the United States, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

On December 21, MLD Entertainment shared a video of Shana's cover of IU's My Sea on its official YouTube channel, fuelling speculation about the Japanese trainee’s induction in the yet-to-be-formed group. For several fans, this appeared to mark the start of their debut promotions for Nanoko Shana.

Following this news, several fans who were bewitched by Shana’s performances on Girls Planet 999 took to social media to congratulate the rookie idol, wishing her and her group the best of luck.

During her memorable stint on Girls Planet 999, Nonaka Shana was part of the squad that covered EXO's The Eve, BLACKPINK's Boombayah, IU's My Sea, and 7 LOVE Minutes' U+Me=LOVE.

Her group performance of The Eve especially stood out, earning praise from K-pop Master Sunmi.