[NEWS] Top 20 Finalists Revealed for tvN K-pop Star Hunt!

Judges Impressed with Singapore’s tvN K-POP Star Hunt Contestants
Top 20 advance to Round 2 of the audition on 23 October

Singapore, Oct 22 – 100 aspiring K-Pop superstars showcased their vocal prowess and slickest dance moves in front of the tvN K-POP Star Hunt’s panel of judges, Mr. Eddy Tan, Vice President, Programming of tvN, [V] and Star World, Fox International Channels (FIC); Mr. Park Jae-Hyun, General Department Head of Rookie Development Division, CUBE Entertainment; and Singapore guest judge, television personality and actress, Ms. Irene Ang. Based on their personal style, soulful croons, polished choreography and the “superstar” factor, the top 20 contestants will move on to the final round of competition tomorrow, where the top two will be selected for professional training with CUBE Entertainment and compete in the finals for K-Pop superstardom!

The atmosphere at StarHub Green was tense as each contestant took their spots in the holding area, warming their vocal chords, or further perfecting their dance moves. There were others who huddled together with their family members and friends for additional emotional support, as they nervously awaited their turn to perform.

Ranging from ages as young as 12 to 28-year olds, the superstar hopefuls shared their dreams and aspirations with organisers, gushing over the opportunity to train with CUBE Entertainment, the entertainment management company which has churned out Korean powerhouses such as BEAST, 4 Minute and G-NA. Many passionate fans even chose to pick up the Korean language to better articulate their singing and to understand the conversations and chatter on Korean variety shows as well as in their favourite Korean drama series.

Said one such fan, Ms. Fu Qiaohan, 16, a student at Zhonghua Secondary School, “I picked up the Korean language two years ago so that I could reduce my dependency on subtitles whenever I watch Korean programmes. It has also helped me to relate to some of the puns and play on words that are spoken in these programmes. This way, nothing gets lost in translation.”

Eddy Tan, who sat amongst the esteemed panel of judges, was awestruck by the quality of performances. He remarked, “I’m really amazed by the quality of the contestants! Some of the performances really blew me away. Not only did the contestants’ ability to sing and dance impress me but many of them were also effectively multi-lingual with a handful able to speak Korean proficiently.”

Singapore guest judge Irene Ang, who is also the CEO and founder of Singapore’s pioneer artiste management company FLY Entertainment Pte Ltd, was especially specific in her selection with only the most outstanding and well-rounded contestants receiving the top marks. She explained, “We are looking for contestants that we feel best represent Singapore and are able to perform well even on an international platform. We look beyond the performance and also take into consideration the potential of each contestant. Talent is also key.”

“We are looking forward to the finals tomorrow where competition will be even tighter,” Ang added.

The top 20 contestants will gear themselves up for the final round of auditions which will be held tomorrow, Sunday, 23 October at Square 2, from 2pm onwards, where the judges will be called on once again to select their final two. The two contestants will represent Singapore in Seoul, joined by eight other representatives from Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines. In Seoul, the ten finalists will undergo a boot camp mentored by CUBE Entertainment and star in a reality series which will air on 31st December, Saturday, 8pm on tvN (StarHub channel 824) where the next K Pop Star will be crowned.