SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Big names in K-pop are launching new K-pop bands this year with a fresh crop of talented musicians.

Singers Psy and Park Jin-young will serve as judges in an upcoming SBS audition show Loud, selecting members for new K-pop bands which will be managed by their respective entertainment agencies.

"I hope (the contenders) are like me when I was young and crazy about something, even though it may not be music. This may be the start of the 21st-century versions of Park Jin-young and Psy," Gangnam Style star Psy said in a recently released teaser clip.

"Though dancing and singing may have been the focus (when creating K-pop acts in the past) this time, I wish to select singers based on their artistry," Park said.

Park, the head of K-pop agency JYP Entertainment, is the mastermind behind numerous K-pop juggernauts including Itzy, Twice, Wonder Girls and Got7.

Rain Company, led by iconic male singer Rain, will launch a new seven-member K-pop boy band in March, named Ciipher. Rain has been revealing the members through his personal YouTube channel.

K-pop sensation BTS will be joined by a new K-pop girl band, launched by Source Music, a Big Hit Entertainment subsidiary.

It will be the first girl band launched by Big Hit in nine years after Glam in 2012.

"Selected through global auditions, the band consists of international members who are fluent in (various) languages," Big Hit chief executive Bang Si-hyuk said.

Big Hit Japan, another subsidiary of Big Hit Entertainment, will also launch a new K-pop act targeting the Japanese market.

International music label Universal Music has joined hands with star composer and producer Shinsadong Tiger to launch girl band Tri.be in February.

Shinsadong Tiger was the producer of K-pop sensation Exid and has written hit tracks for several girl bands such as APink, T-ara and Momoland.