KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — You’ve likely heard the buzz about Alicia Wong Lingling — or just Lingling, as she’s better known — who is making waves as the first Malaysian set to officially debut in a K-pop girl group.
Fans nationwide have shown overwhelming support for the 20-year-old, and anticipation continues to build as her debut draws near after she was recently named the leader for upcoming girl group KIIRAS.
But who is Lingling and what caught fans’ attention?
Born on April 20, 2005, in Klang, Selangor, Lingling is a multilingual K-pop trainee fluent in Malay, Mandarin, English, and Korean, and a fan of girl group 2NE1.
She trained under YG Entertainment, one of South Korea’s most prestigious and competitive agencies, which helped shape her into a polished performer with a strong stage presence and refined vocal technique.
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’ll work hard to become the first female idol from Malaysia,” resonated with fans, along with her endearing personality, which quickly caught their attention.
What is I-LAND 2 N/a?
It is a reality survival show that aired in 2024 and serves as the sequel to the original I-LAND, which formed the boy group ENHYPEN.
The second season focused on creating a new K-pop girl group.
Similar to its predecessor, the show featured 24 contestants divided into two teams: I-Land and Ground.
The I-Land team stayed in a modern facility with comprehensive amenities, while the Ground team resided in a more basic building and commuted daily to I-Land for training and evaluations.
The show included a variety of missions, such as entrance tests, signal song performances, and unit battles, with rankings determined by both producers’ and audience votes.
What happened to Lingling in I-LAND 2: N/a?
- Pre-show Self-Evaluation: She ranked 15th out of 24 trainees.
- Entrance Test: She performed Sweet Venom by ENHYPEN and received a score of 2 out of 5 ‘I’s, which placed her in the Ground team.
- Signal Song: She performed Final Love Song with the Ground team, but the producers did not select her to move to I-LAND.
- Seesaw Game: She performed Bad Boy by Red Velvet with other trainees. The team won with 459 points, and Lingling earned 73 points, which led to her promotion to I-LAND.
- Unit Battle: She performed Rain On Me with the I-LAND Creative Unit, scoring 84 as a team and 92 individually.
- 1:1 Position Battle: She sang I Will Always Love You as part of Team B, but her team lost, and she was not selected to move forward.
- Elimination: Despite her strong performances, Lingling was eliminated in Episode 7, finishing 10th out of 14 trainees with 444,613 points.
Lingling’s anticipated debut and what we know so far
After her elimination, Lingling 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.
This includes:
Lingling (20) — Leader of the group
Harin (17) — Visual and centre of the group
Kurumi (18) — Japanese main vocalist
Kylie (16) — Main rapper
Doyeon (15-16) — Position to be announced soon
Roah (13) — Maknae, the youngest of the group
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.
LeanBranding has since announced the group’s name to be KIIRAS, where, according to Naver Entertainment, the name is a combination of the Korean word for energy “기/氣” (pronounced ki) and the English word “rascal”.
The group’s name represents the bold ambition to become lovable and charming yet “mischievous” idols in the K-pop industry.
KIIRAS is set to debut on May 29, 2025, with more updates to be shared on their official social media channels.
