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Is singer Lee Jin-ah really this good?
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Park Jin-young from "K-pop Star" / Courtesy of YouTube
By Ko Dong-hwan
Lee Jin-ah
Twenty-four-year-old singer Lee Jin-ah left the judges on competition show “K-pop Star: Season 4” speechless with her performance on Sunday. However, the lofty praise for the young artist had some netizens scratching their heads, wondering whether the judges’ assessment had been over the top.
In the program’s second round of elimination, the 24-year-old performed her song, “As I Wish,” a slow number.
JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young, one of the three judges, became especially emotional after the performance, saying he “might as well quit the music industry now.”
Composer Yoo Hui-yeol, another judge, was so stirred by the music that he declined to give any feedback. Yang Hyun-seok, CEO of YG Entertainment, said the performance was “10 times better than her previous one.”
Some observers were puzzled by the dramatic reaction.
“As K-pop Star’s new seasons keep coming, the judges’ acting skills also seem to improve,” one music critic told a local vernacular on condition of anonymity.
Other critics speculated that the judges may already have been angling to portray Lee as an underdog talent; or commented that over-the-top, dramatic reviews made for good television.
Lee, who released her first album last year, became widely known in late November when she performed the jazz number “Time, Please Slow Down” on the program.