"Our Ballad" makes its mark in audition history by unifying all generations through ballads.
The new SBS music audition "Our Ballad," directed by Jung Ik-seung, Ahn Jung-hyun, Han Ye-seul and Go Ji-yeon, which will premiere on the 23rd, is a music audition program that shares the life ballads that accompanied every moment in our memories and seeks the new voices of 2025 that will newly sing the ballads that were my songs back then. The program, which has drawn attention by promising an epic journey to discover gems who will carry on the lineage of Korean balladeers, outlined the key points to watch.
▶ "This is a winning combination!" a major project joining audition powerhouse SBS, K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment and content powerhouse SM C&C!
"Our Ballad" completed a dazzling production lineup with K-pop Star's CP Park Sung-hoon and PD Jung Ik-seung, Mo Eun-seol, the writer of the 2024 Netflix global hit Culinary Class Wars, and PD Ahn Jung-hyun, who led My Little Old Boy. In addition, as a large-scale audition project joining audition powerhouse SBS, K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment and content powerhouse and management company SM C&C, it hints at the birth of an unprecedented audition program.
▶ "Ready to be surprised!" nostalgic ballads and stories summoned with an average age of 18.2
Participants with an average age of 18.2 will sing ballad songs loved by people of all ages with their own sensibility and stories, enriching viewers' playlists this fall. Because the ballad genre has expanded beyond classical boundaries over time, not only classic traditional ballads that shone in the 1980s and 1990s but also hidden gems of ballad sentiment that excite kids in the 2010s and 2020s will meet the participants' voices and shine anew.
The production team said it will create a unique "Our Ballad" TOP 100 chart, completed with the help of music experts and public opinion research organizations from more than 1.2 million popular music songs released since the 1980s, and introduce and feature it in the competition as the program proceeds.
▶ The arrival of a game-changing "collective audition"! 150 top-back-listeners mobilized!
Ballads are a genre uniquely Korean in sensibility, lodged like bookmarks in listeners' memories and scenes of the times. Accordingly, "Our Ballad" introduces a so-called "top-back-listener" system different from judges consisting only of music masters, opening the door to a collective audition to discover gems together with 150 top-back-listeners—ranging from music experts to ordinary people of all ages—who believe that the songs they first recognized always end up at the top of popular music charts.
Jung Jae-hyung, Cha Tae-hyun, Choo Sung Hoon, Jun Hyun-moo, Park Kyung-lim, Danny Koo, Crush, Jung Seung-hwan and Oh My Girl's Mimi will also participate as members of the top-back-listeners and cast the same single vote after watching participants' stages. Because not only music experts but also people working in various fields who love ballads are gathered as top-back-listeners, viewers can expect different perspectives and fresh opinions.
▶ "Artist faction vs. entertainment faction?" the top-back-listener leadership's fantastic chemistry
From Jung Jae-hyung, Cha Tae-hyun, Choo Sung Hoon, Jun Hyun-moo, Park Kyung-lim, Danny Koo, Crush and Jung Seung-hwan to Mimi, the top-back-listener leadership not only evaluates participants' performances by their own standards but also amplifies the fun with chemistry that alternates between quick back-and-forth and bickering. In particular, Jun Hyun-moo from the entertainment faction is set to clash with artist faction member Jung Jae-hyung, adding intrigue.
▶ Who will be the long-awaited final winner of "Our Ballad"?
The most important point to watch is who will be the final winner of "Our Ballad," who will capture the public's heart. From round one to the final round, viewers will enjoy the performances of talented participants that bring smiles, tug at the heart, and stimulate tears, and have the fun of predicting the ultimate winner.
With these entertaining elements poised to dominate the second half of the year, the new SBS music audition "Our Ballad" will premiere on Sep. 23 (Tue.) at 9 p.m.
[Photo] SBS "Our Ballad"
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