Aahana Swrup
Iliya Fedartsova is one of the 20 competitors who participated in the survival show, ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’ in 2023, in which a number of Missions were used to select six members for HYBE and Geffen Records’ global girl group, KATSEYE. Her singing capabilities set her apart in the competition pool, while her pre-existing career as an influencer brought in a substantial fanbase for her. Therefore, the Belarusian trainee proved to be a heavy match for the other girls, as she masterfully participated in the vocal team for Mission 1. Yet, her time in the competition came to an end in Mission 2, where she saw unfortunate elimination. After getting a deeper dive into her months-long journey in the program through ‘Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE,’ fans are naturally intrigued about the aspiring musician’s life post the show.
Iliya Fedartsova was Eliminated After Mission 2
A Belarusian influencer whose family members are refugees from Belarus, Iliya Fedartsova entered the training and development program at Dream Academy at 21. At the time, even though her vocal skills were distinguished—as one of the defining aspects of her career as an online content creator—the young woman had no former dance experience. Still, she made up for any discrepancies in skill during the T&D stage, during which she put in the effort to sharpen her dancing techniques. Naturally, her hard work shone through, allowing her to make it past Mission 1 once she and the other participants entered the survival show.
However, early on, after rehearsals began for Mission 2, Iliya felt a disconnect between herself and her teammates, who were grieving their close friend, Adéla Jergova’s previous elimination. In some ways, the trainee felt like others almost unfairly blamed her for taking Adéla’s spot. As such, things aggravated further during Mission 2 eliminations when the participants were asked to choose five of their co-trainees, whom each individual would like to debut alongside. Despite her strong friendships with the group, Iliya ranked incredibly low, inviting feelings of betrayal. Afterward, Iliya became one of the four contestants eliminated before Mission 3, marking her departure from the show.
Iliya Fedartsova is Thriving as a Content Creator and a Musician
Iliya Fedartsova joined the Dream Academy as a refugee from Belarus who was contributing to her family’s livelihood in Spain through her career as an influencer. Consequently, her elimination from the program proved particularly troublesome as it forced her to start from scratch again. According to her GoFundMe, Iliya and her family were driven out of their home country after she wrote a song about “peace and freedom,” which invited negative attention from the government. Nevertheless, despite her hardships, she refused to give up on her art.
After Dream Academy, Iliya stayed in Los Angeles for a while before moving back to Spain. Likewise, she picked up her career as a Content Creator again, sharing updates about her life with her fans. She also continued posting song covers on her Instagram and TikTok. While she already spoke five languages, she also started covering songs in new languages, such as Japanese, Korean, and Hindi. As such, her content remains diverse and includes numerous sounds across genres. She also released a new single last year titled, ”Let it Go.” Thus, since her exit from the Dream Academy, the trainee has stayed on track to building a burgeoning musical career while exploring her skills as a singer-songwriter.
Iliya Fedartsova is Friends with Her Former Co-Trainees
Shortly after Iliya Fedartsova’s elimination from ‘The Debut: Dream Academy,’ she reconnected with Abby Saltzman, the first trainee to exit the T&D program before the survival show. Like Iliya, the latter had also begun her own journey as a musician outside of the Dream Academy—giving the duo plenty of shared experiences to bond over. Similarly, she also remained in contact with other participants/trainees who saw early elimination, including Brooklyn Van Zandt, Celeste Diaz, and Naisha Dos Santos.
Furthermore, in November 2023, she attended the afterparty commemorating the wrapping up of ‘The Debut: Dream Academy,’ marking the end of that chapter in her life. At the event, she was able to meet up with her former instructors once more and showcased her support for Manon Bannerman, one of the winners whom Iliya was close to during her time at the show. After recently celebrating her 22nd birthday, the former K-pop trainee seems to be on a promising journey on her own, looking forward to a career as a singer-songwriter while continuing her current endeavors as an influencer.
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