I always think about what Saint Satine would be like if Hiori hadn't decided to leave the show, and also Jay's statement that she really wanted Hiori to debut makes sense; she has the charisma and also matches Emily and Samara, and has the tomboy energy they were looking for. She had great support from international fans; her fancams and photos were always the most liked.
I always think about what Saint Satine would be like if Hiori hadn't decided to leave the show, and also Jay's statement that she really wanted Hiori to debut makes sense; she has the charisma and also matches Emily and Samara, and has the tomboy energy they were looking for. She had great support from international fans; her fancams and photos were always the most liked.
Will Saint Satine rebrand for their debut? With a new name and a new concept that suits Sakuraa and the girls? Especially since they hired a very famous new artistic director.
Hybe opened auditions this week, and it's pretty obvious it's for Saint Satine. First, the account that posted the audition announcement is totally dedicated to Saint Satine, Prelude, and World Scout. The first post is about the World Scout auditions. The only account that reposted was Saint Satine's; they made three posts, each representing the three Saint Satine members: blue Emily, pink Sakura, and green Samara. So I'm sure Hybe reconsidered the idea of debuting them as a trio because they know it's too risky. Also, the auditions will probably serve Saint Satine, but also a future global group.
Hybe probably thought that with Sakura's announcement everyone would be "gagged" about Sakura, thinking she had evolved a lot, but that's not what happened. The audience hated it because she was terrible live, and they thought the audience would cling to this Cinderella story—an inexperienced girl who became capable of debuting in May, even though there are several better than her—but that didn't happen. The reactions were even worse, and they must know this and regret it a lot.
It gets really strange when you notice that Samara and Emily are 20 years old and then suddenly Sakura is only 16. In Katseye Yoonchae, she also debuted at 16, but Megan was a year older, and Lara and Daniela were only two years older. That's why I think that to balance the ages, they should add a member who is 17-18 years old to make it less strange.
Ayana posted a reel dancing to Katseye's "Animal," which reminded me of Emily, Lexie, and Samara dancing to "Gabriela" when they were announced as members of Prelude. The reel was liked by Son, the creator of Katseye, Saint Satine, and BTS, who also recruited her. After World Scout, Ayana posted several videos dancing to songs by Hybe groups. Her location is also hidden, and I know this because before the World Scout finale, it showed that she was in Japan. I don't know, maybe she'll debut in Hybe's global co-ed group or in the Japanese group, but I don't think it will be the latter since she's too old for them, and in the auditions, they said they wanted boys and girls born after 2007.
The same insider who leaked the formation and debut of Cortis said there's a rumor that Saint Satine will debut as a trio and then add a new member. The reason they have to debut as a trio is because they have a deadline to meet; several brands, sponsorships, and shows were already scheduled well before the World Scout finals, so they can't simply postpone it until they find a new member.
First, Ayana wouldn't have a chance because there's already an ethnically and nationally Japanese member in the group, Sakura, so her chances are gone. Ezrela, because HYBEXGEFFEN know they need a vocalist. They considered Lexie an all-arounder since Dream Academy, so for them, she and Samara already filled the vocalist positions in the group. If Ezrela joined, she would just be another dancer since her singing abilities are still inferior. Besides, she's Asian, even if nationally from Australia. I'm absolutely sure that Son wants to make Saint Satine as different as possible from Katseye.
Remove Sakura and add Ayana and Ezrela, and a new face, and that's it, make the group an OT5 that will easily be a hit. That's the only solution to save this group from imminent failure.
I know everyone loves Emily—she’s a formidable dancer—but her vocals are still terrible despite years of training, and she gives off zero pop-star energy because she lacks "star quality." I don't get why they picked her instead of Ezrela, who had more votes from both fans and judges. Ezrela would have drawn a lot of public attention to Saint Satine precisely because she is so charismatic; she would have been the main dancer and leader, given that she was one of the best trainees on DA, plus she would have added more diversity to the group (otherwise, there would only be one white girl). I’m still surprised Son didn't pick her, since he had already shown favoritism toward her, as had most of the DA judges.
Everyone said Ezrela should replace Samara when Samara and Ezrela competed for seventh place in Dream Academy. Besides Samara being an extremely talented vocalist, Lexie might be uninteresting from one point of view, but she's a great all-arounder and has excellent stage presence, in addition to being extremely beautiful commercially. And Sakura, I really think she has good starquality and addition to stage presence, and she's still going to evolve a lot.
Saint Satine should have been:
Lexie – all-rounder/visual
Samara – main vocalist
Sakura – rapper/maknae
Ezrela – main dancer/leader