#SHOWBIZ: Malaysia's Alicia Wong is leader of K-pop group KIIRAS
SEOUL: Malaysia's Alicia Wong Lingling is now making waves as the country's first leader of a K-pop girl group.
The 20-year-old from Klang was recently named as the leader and lead singer of South Korea's latest girl group KIIRAS.
Fluent in Malay, English, Mandarin and Korean, Wong is a fan of girl group 2NE1 and trained under YG Entertainment, one of South Korea's most prestigious talent agencies,
She first gained widespread attention as the only Southeast Asian contestant on the South Korean reality show I-LAND 2: N/A.
Her motto, "I will work hard to become the first female idol from Malaysia" resonated with fans, along with her endearing personality.
After her elimination from the show in one of its weekly contests, Wong signed with South Korean entertainment agency LeanBranding.
She later teased an upcoming girl group on her personal Instagram, revealing it would feature a six-member line-up namely Harin, 17, Kurumi, 18, Kylie, 16, Doyeon, 16, Roah, 13 and herself.
It was also revealed that South Korean singer-songwriter SAAY — formerly of the girl group EvoL — would be producing the group's debut album and overseeing vocal training.
DEEZ, a renowned K-pop producer known for his work with EXO, Red Velvet, and NCT, will also help to produce the group's debut track.
KIIRAS is set to debut on May 29, with updates to be shared on their official social media channel.
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