by JTBC, an emerging music entertainment company, presented a new entertainment contest. JTBC’s, aired for the first time on the 30th, featured vocal contests of K-pop idol girl group members as the main content. In the past, JTBC aired in a similar format in 2016 and (2017), but it did not exert much influence compared to Mnet, the originator of this field.
Both entertainments left a disappointment in terms of great topicality and viewer ratings. Unfortunately, the latter ended disappointingly, and the initially promised project group debut was canceled. This is why I was more worried than expected about the contest entertainment, where idols appeared in the center after a long time.
Perhaps considering these concerns, brought “rappers’ vocal contest” to the fore. Unfortunately, the vocal competition of famous girl group members was similar to six years ago. Still, it was strangely impressive in that they competed for an area other than their position. Will JTBC be able to break the jinx that K-pop idol contest entertainment didn’t have much fun with?
Appearing on stage at the same time as the start… Differentiation from existing competitions
The first episode was unique. In general contest entertainment, the performers are often summoned to one place first, and then each begins with an introduction. However,, at the same time as the start, the 8 participants immediately started presenting their songs prepared for this entertaining show. It was introduced as if the order had been reversed.
Starting with Moon Soo-ah (Billy)’s ‘The Magician,’ which draws a rough and crude yet strange charm, Yubin (‘Second World’) from Wonder Girls, who celebrated their 15th anniversary this year, and Joo-i from Momoland, who was only recognized as an entertainment member, (‘ Decaffeine’), etc., emphasized their presence with songs that made use of each individual’s individuality.
Classy Kim Seon-yu, the youngest participant born in 2008, set up an ambitious stage with ‘Fifteen,’ which contains the name of the group to which she belongs. After that, Mamamoo’s Moonbyul, who has released several solo albums, performed ‘On My Way,’ showing off her rich stage experience to the fullest. Oh My Girl Mimi, who recently showed off her unique sense of entertainment on TVN, and Exy, the leader of WJSN, the winner, also showed off her vocal skills with ‘sunset’ and ‘Diamonds,’ respectively.
Shin Ji-min’s return to ‘suspended activities’
The person who drew the most attention to the appearance of this program was former AOA member Shin Ji-min. His comeback was the most crucial topic of discussion in, as he left the team due to a harassment controversy with his fellow members and hid from the entertainment industry for a while.
Shin Ji-min showed off his rust-free skills through his self-composed song ‘VVWD.’ “The moment I heard that I wanted to see you, I was so grateful and happy that I thought it could be like this.”
On the day of filming, except Exy, who was not present due to the coronavirus, seven people gathered in one place, and MC Paul Kim introduced the basic rules and contest method. The first round will be decorated with a ‘title match,’ the theme will be ‘I,’ and the stage will be composed of me. The one-on-one competition is where one participant nominates another participant and competes against each other. In response, the cast, including Mimi, expressed the burden of the contest by saying, “JTBC is cruel.”
Breaking prejudice against girl group rappers… Will the ‘mild taste’ contest succeed?
One of the characteristics of JTBC’s music contest entertainment is the exclusion of provocative elements. Therefore, the content that could be called the devil’s editing was scarce. Since the newcomers or experienced participants each showed their outstanding skills and produced an impressive stage, I could watch the programs aired so far with a relatively comfortable mind.
So what about? If you look at the prequel stage announcing their appearance without a device like pre-score acquisition, you would have felt like you had tasted bland food with all the irritating seasonings removed. There were not a few people who watched the screen lightly while directing warm-hearted encounters of seniors and juniors instead of the scene of a sharp confrontation that stimulates the opponent and checks each other.
Of course, in Paul Kim’s remarks introducing the contents of the first-round contest, the cast members complained rather than dissatisfied, but this seemed like a cute fight. In addition to the differentiated theme of rappers’ vocal confrontation, I felt that was directed towards ‘mild taste.’
On the other hand, the cast confided their stories and complaints, such as “I joined the company as a song, but the company made me rap,” and “People thought they were doing rapping instead of vocals because they didn’t have the skills.”
Although things have improved now, indeed, there are still people who look at girl group rappers with sunglasses on. However, putting vocals to the fore, rather than one’s dedicated part, deserves a positive evaluation because it can reveal hidden talents to the public.
On the other hand, many contestants’ fans complained, “The cast is excellent…why do rappers have to compete on vocals?” I wonder how will be balanced in a situation where they exist from opposite perspectives. A somewhat reckless but meaningful challenge, which started with a ‘mild taste’ after breaking away from the harsh atmosphere, has begun.
