EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 5 ~Yume wo Motta Wakamono Tachi e~

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EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 5 ~Yume wo Motta Wakamono Tachi e~ (EXILE Presents VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 5 〜夢を持った若者達へ〜), short VBA5, was an all-male audition held by LDH JAPAN in 2017, from June to November.

The audition was announced on May 15, 2017, during the TBS program Shuukan EXILE.

There were two different divisions contestants could apply for, the vocal division and the rap division. One of the objectives of the audition was to recruit vocalists for the performance group FANTASTICS.

The first round of the audition, which started in June, was attended by about 30.000 contestants. Those who passed the third round became finalists, and the final screening was held on November 4. The audition process was broadcasted on Shuukan EXILE.

Elegibility

Boys eligible to apply had to be between 15 and 25 years old (born between April 2, 1992 and April 1, 2002) and must not be under contract with a specific record company or entertainment agency. For applicants under the age of 20, the consent of a parent or guardian was required.

The application process was open to the general public.

Finalists

Vocal

• Yagi Yusei - Winner
• Nakajima Sota - Winner
• Kanou Yoshiyuki
• Hidaka Ryuta
• Santo Keita
• Chen Alan
• Sung Sean
• Kubota Takeshi
• Sano Koichiro

Rap

• Kainuma Ryusei
• Matsui Riki
• Osayi Jimmy Kazuki
• Aburaya Illmu
• Sudo Takahiro
• Tanii Hideki
• Byrnes Yuuki
• Fukushima Reiji / CoRoN
• Morimoto Issei

Notable contestants

• Kobitsu Yuutarou (小櫃 裕太郎)
• Kohatsu Kokoro (小波津 志)

Gallery

Finalists Vocal Division

Finalists Rap Division

Trivia

• This was the first audition from LDH which included a rap division.
• Hidaka Ryuta, Santo Keita, Osayi Jimmy Kazuki, Kohatsu Kokoro and Fukushima Reiji were members of the trainee group EXILE GENERATIONS prior to the audition.
• Hidaka Ryuta, Kainuma Ryusei, Matsui Riki, Osayi Jimmy Kazuki and Kohatsu Kokoro became members of EXPG Lab's trainee group Crasher kidz after the audition.
• Chen Alan and Sung Sean, both from EXPG Taipei, became students at EXPG Lab after the audition. Additionally, they became members of the Taiwanese trainee group MAGMA from EXPG.
• Byrnes Yuuki was a child actor and continued his acting career after the audition.
• Fukushima Reiji went on to become a solo artist under the stage name CoRoN and later on joined the show Produce101 Japan Season 2 as a contestant.
• Morimoto Issei went on to become an actor and appeared in PRINCE OF LEGEND.