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Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”

She is the country’s only contestant in the girl group search series!

Article (news)

Janelle Roa Cabrera-Paraiso

<div><br/></div><p>South Korean entertainment giant <strong>HYBE</strong> and American record label <strong>Geffen Records</strong> are collaborating to create a global girl group through a competition series called <strong><em>The Debut: Dream Academy</em></strong>. </p><div><br/></div><p>The talent contest has considered aspiring performers from all over the world—<strong>Argentina</strong>, <strong>Australia</strong>, <strong>Belarus</strong>, <strong>Brazil</strong>, <strong><a href="https://metro.style/travel/destinations/japan-new-attractions/34697" target="_blank">Japan</a></strong>, <strong>Philippines</strong>, <strong>Slovakia</strong>, <strong><a href="https://metro.style/food/food-tours/metro-travels-5-cool-cafes-to-visit-in-south-korea/34807" target="_blank">South Korea</a></strong>, <strong><a href="https://metro.style/people/inspiring-stories/sweden-princess-sofia-hospital-healthcare-worker/24634" target="_blank">Sweden</a></strong>, <strong>Switzerland</strong>, <strong><a href="https://metro.style/beauty/makeup/affordable-thai-beauty-products/35791" target="_blank">Thailand</a></strong>, and <strong>USA</strong>. Out of over <strong>120,000</strong> dreamers, only <strong>20</strong> auditionees advanced and secured their spots. </p><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwoxmnRO-C5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwoxmnRO-C5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"> <div 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style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div> <div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"> <div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div> <div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div> <div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div> <div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwoxmnRO-C5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by 𝚂𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚊 𝙻𝚊𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚣𝚊 👑 (@sophia_laforteza)</a></div></div></blockquote> </div><div><br/></div><br/><div><br/></div><p><strong>Sophia Laforteza</strong>, aged <strong>20</strong>, is among the audition program’s participants who will compete in the show for a chance to be an international idol. Based in the Philippines, Sophia shone as the sole contender from her home country. </p><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/6de61b79-ba33-4b23-b74f-91d39efd9e09_sophia laforteza landscape.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/455d7691-eca9-4292-81bc-3a50ccde70d3_sophia 1.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/66c37273-adf6-40ae-a1d1-eaada72ba0fe_sophia 2.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/d22b9584-b9c2-47f2-bc1d-21c9262cae81_sophia 3.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c415daf9-43c5-493c-b07a-5c782d4f12af_sophia 10.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/84dceb19-f07c-4d56-9fa2-7e296137012d_sophia 5.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c8a638b6-b5a2-433c-a074-466a8718fc87_sophia 6.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/b3952518-5b77-4a2d-ba35-d41fb45fdfcb_sophia 7.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/1a273700-2a56-4cd2-885b-77fc6e908c68_sophia 8.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/0db953e8-dd6c-4df9-a0b8-32cee8ede5cf_sophia 9.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/5f29bc70-620f-466d-bf51-a9f85039552b_sophia 4.jpg" alt="Meet Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina Who Made it to HYBE’s “The Debut: Dream Academy”" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><p>1. Sophia’s mother is a theater maven. - It seems that showbiz runs in Sophia’s blood as the rising star’s mother, Carla Guevara, is a seasoned theater and television talent in the Philippines. <cite>@jc2700 via @carlaguevaraofficial</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>2. She is a gifted girl. - Besides being a performer, Sophia was also a performing student at the Multiple Intelligence International School in Quezon City. In fact, she finished in 2021 with several academic awards. <cite>@sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>3. She is a paw parent. - A certified feline and canine paw parent, Sophia’s TikTok feed often features her chow chow Charlie and cat Wonie. <cite>@lex.lumina via @sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>4. She is a content creator. - Prior to her K-pop aspirations, Sophia has been active on Instagram as a micro-influencer with more than 16,000 followers and a few collaborations with big brands and companies. <cite>@jc2700 via @sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>5. She is close with some celebrities. - Sophia is friends with a few showbiz royalties such as Dennis Padilla and Marjorie Barretto’s son Leon Barretto and Ruffa Gutierrez’s daughter Lorin Bektaş.<cite>@sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>6. She is fond of K-pop and is a fan of several Korean supergroups. - From boy bands to girl groups, there is no shortage of new talents and seasoned K-pop superstars that Sophia adores. If you take a look at her socials, it’s obvious—she sure is in love with BTS, LE SSERAFIM, TXT, and many more!<cite>@sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>7. She is one of the oldest participants of the audition program. - The candidates of HYBE’s contest are mostly in their teens, and while Sophia may look like she also is, she is actually one of the oldest.<cite>@sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>8. She is a globetrotter and is always on the go. - If there is something that Sophia has always been, it’s being an all-time traveler. She loves going to great landmarks abroad. She has visited amazing sights and scenes in Asia, Europe, and North America.<cite>@sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>9. She is a beach baby. - If you stumble upon Sophia’s social pages like IG, you’ll probably cop some of her cool beach babe poses seaside- or poolside-style!<cite>@sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>10. Sophia has an active TikTok account. - To witness this talented woman and her daily dose of cute clips, visit her TikTok page! Her videos range from random to doing dance challenges, cuddling her pets, and of course, performing!<cite>@jc2700 via @sophia_laforteza</cite></p></div></div></div></div><div><br/></div><p>Lead photos from <strong>@dreamacademyhq</strong></p><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/people/celebrities/k-pop-idols-who-performed-sb19-s-gento/36172" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">K-Pop Idols Who Performed SB19’s “Gento” TikTok Challenge</a></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>