MANILA, Philippines ? Last Monday, I was in Hong Kong to be one of the celebrity judges in the search for a brand new Pan-Asian girl group.

When you think ?girl group,? the names that come to mind are the Spice Girls, Wonder Girls, 2NE1, Pussycat Dolls and, of course, the mother of all girl groups, The Supremes. Well, a brand new one has just been formed, with an album launching early next year.

The search was titled Project Lotus (you can check out its website, www.projectlotus.tv for more on this). The new group would be comprised of five girls from different Asian countries: China, India, Japan, Korea and the Philippines.

Project Lotus is the brainchild of FarWest Entertainment (headed by Jon Niermann, familiar to late night talk show audiences in Asia as the host of ?Asia Uncut?). The search began a few months ago, with Jon plus the resident judges and coaches?Eliot Kennedy (producer), Phillipa Hanna (vocal coach), David Liu (choreographer)?traveling all over Asia after scouring through thousands of videotaped auditions.

After the preliminary search, they whittled the aspirants down to 30, who then underwent academy-style training in singing and dance, plus fitness coaching. I saw an abbreviated video of the training sessions. Whoa, these ladies were put through a lot.

After a few elimination rounds (with each week raising the level of tension), it was time for the finals. I?ve judged a singing contest before (years ago for ?Philippine Idol? alongside Francis Magalona, Pilita Corrales and Ryan Cayabyab), but this competition carried weight of a different kind. The girl group that would be formed would not only need to sing and dance well, but look great, possess personality, be team players and become essentially representatives of the Asian female.

Final round

For the final round, there were 10 girls (two from each of the five countries). These 10 were then separated into two groups of five (Group East and Group West) and made to compete in three rounds:

The first round had each group covering a classic song (Group East sang the Prince classic ?Kiss,? while Group West rendered Bacharach and David?s ?Walk On By?).

The second round had each group singing the exact same original song (which will be released as a single in early 2011).

The last round had all 10 together on stage singing another original. The judges were each given a clipboard, pens and judging sheets with the girls? names, the countries they?re from, and a space for comments.

Each girl would be in direct competition with her compatriot, as in the two Pinay girls were competing for one single spot.

After all the performances were completed, all the judges (which now included international hairdresser Kim Robinson and Grammy Foundation chair emeritus Steve Schnur) then gathered behind closed doors to deliberate (at which point there were great performances on stage by guests Jonathan Wong and Hanjin Tan, both incredible musicians and vocalists).

All the judges had their say as to who should be part of this new girl group. The discussions were spirited (and at times heated), with every judge listing the merits of one girl versus another from the same country.

Truthfully, a few of the decisions made were very easy, but a couple were a bit more difficult. Depending on the judge?s area of expertise, the criteria for preferring one girl over another would change. There were a lot to consider: Talent, musicality, looks, personality, marketability and temperament.

Best assets

Even though one girl was a better singer, for example, another might have better ?team player? skills, and we had to make our decisions based on what would be best for the group.

So, allow me introduce the group formed by Project Lotus: Blush. Its members: Victoria Chan (China), Alisha Budhrani (India), Natsuko Danjo (Japan), Ji-Hae Lee (Korea) and Angeli Flores (Philippines). As I write, the girls are now having their first photo sessions together.

The possibilities, when you think about it, are very exciting. I don?t believe that a Pan-Asian girl group has ever been formed. (The Wonder Girls and 2NE1 are both Korean.) There is such diversity in the group that was formed, not only in their features, but also in their personalities.

There will be someone and something that their fans can relate to. There?s a glamour gal, a tomboy, a diva. One is classically beautiful, another exotic and mysterious. And they all have great vocal strength, which for me made this trip to Hong Kong worth it.

To the members of Blush, congratulations and best wishes! Fasten your seatbelts for the ride of your life. Things will never be the same.