I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Talent show hits all right notes of older generation
Singer Jang Yun-jeong is head judge in TV Chosun's talent show “Ms. Trot.”/ Korea Times file
By Kang Hyun-kyung
In “Ms. Trot,” underdog singers seek second chance
By Kang Hyun-kyung
SBS and Mnet are the two reining talent show empires. Several K-pop artists have made their debuts after being discovered through SBS TV's “K-Pop Star” or Mnet's “Show Me the Money” and “High School Rapper.”
TV Chosun, well-known for their in-depth news coverage, is now challenging their dominance in the talent show business.
Since its first episode aired last Thursday, “Ms. Trot for Tomorrow,” a talent show committed to finding Korea's next top singer, has generated much buzz. The first episode garnered 5.8 percent viewership, a very high rating for a cable network program. Spurred by a flurry of positive viewer responses, reruns were aired during the weekend which also earned 5 percent viewership.
“Ms. Trot” is different from other talent shows. It's not a competition to discover a K-pop diamond in the rough. Contestants are aspiring or pro 'trot' singers.
Trot is a Korean music genre which appeared in the 1920s when the nation was under the Japanese colonial rule. Unlike trendy K-pop, trot is deemed to be old-fashioned partly because of the unique vocal technique. Singers sing lower notes with vibrato, while higher notes are sung with a technique called “kkeok-neun sori” which can be directly translated as 'breaking voice.'
In “Ms. Trot,” the definition of trot music is broader than the traditional term. It includes all music genres other than K-pop. K-pop music is defined as being influenced by popular Western music such as hip hop, rap and R&B.
Contestants compete in two teams ― one is for singers who are in high school or younger, the other is for professional trot singers who have already debuted but are still relatively unknown to the public.
Twelve judges, so-called “masters,” evaluate each contestant's performance. Singer Jang Yun-jeong is a head judge and the rest of the 11 judges include a composer, singers, and other celebrities.
If the judges like a certain contestant and her performance, or believe she has the potential to be a great singer, the judges push a button on their table and a pink heart sign is turned on. If a candidate gets 12 hearts, she makes the cut to go to the next round. If the contestant fails to win over all the judges, she will be competing with other candidates for a second chance to advance. Masters deliberate over the underdogs to give one person a second chance to compete.
“Ms. Trot” has found rare success hitting the all the right notes of the older generation.
Older music fans are tired of K-pop's domination on the small screen. K-pop artists who look similar because of plastic surgery and sound similar, dominate music programs and even reality shows.
Very few singers in genres other than K-pop have opportunities to present themselves on the small screen.
For viewers, “Ms. Trot” is much more than a competition among contestants to win the trophy to become Korea's next top singer.
It's a drama. While the aspiring singers are no different from other competitors in K-pop auditions as they reveal their complex mix of emotions from nervousness to eagerness to make the cut, the competition between the professional singers becomes sentimental as stories of each contestant unfold on screen one after another.
A four-member female band, “Second,” roared on the stage with their “stunning” stage manner and bold dance performance while singing a medley of several hit songs. All the members are in their thirties or forties. Their background is diverse ― two of them were former cheerleaders, one a former rhythmic gymnast and the remaining one a former singer of the disbanded girl group LUV.
They teamed up to seek a comeback in their careers.
Yena, 42, blew a whistle and their performance began. In the middle of their performance, the rhythmic gymnast-turned-singer performed multiple front handsprings.
Master Jang said she had mixed feelings about their performance. She said it was great and she was touched because she could see that each member was serious about their job. “When Yena blew the whistle to signal the beginning of their performance, I suddenly became emotional because it was as if to say 'help me out my friends, we should do this very well because this could be our last chance to make our dream come true,'” Jang said. “They were desperate and this moved me.”
Tears welled up in Jang's eyes when she saw the next contestant Kim Yang. Kim, who debuted 11 years ago, said she entered the contest for publicity. Jang and Kim know each other. Kim debuted when Jang was in her heyday as the highest in-demand trot singer of her time and has since lived in the shadow of Jang. They are the same age and their awkward encounter ― one as a judge while the other a contestant ― made the two emotional as they were hit by complex feelings.