SINGAPORE: Kade Wong has gone for five global K-pop auditions, attended four private auditions with casting managers and, most recently, was asked to audition directly with a K-pop agency director. She is only 14.

Kade and two others, Nicholas Tan, 13, and Emiko Boo, 12, are among a rising number of Singaporean hopefuls looking to K-pop as a viable career option.