BoA gets gig to host second 'Produce 101' season

Eleven winners of “Produce 101 Season 1” debuted as girl band I.O.I. / Korea Times file

By Ko Dong-hwan

BoA

Singer and actress BoA will be sole host of hit Korean TV music audition show “Produce 101.” Filming of the second season is slated for this weekend.

The new role has bolstered the seasoned star’s reputation in Korean show business. Her career spans singing and dancing on stage in Korea and Japan, acting in movies and on TV and judging TV music competition shows.

Cable TV network Mnet, which airs the show, reportedly spent “tremendous effort” casting BoA in the role, according to eDaily. An insider was quoted as saying the star, “who debuted 17 years ago as a musician, is strongly believed to prove herself in the program as a competent mentor who can encourage and lead the aspirants in the most realistic sense.”

BoA received positive reviews for her role as a musical mentor and judge in SBS’s “K-pop Star Season 1 and 2,” where she represented SM Entertainment beside JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young and YG Entertainment’s chief executive Yang Hyun-seok.

“Produce 101’s” first season, hosted by actor Jang Geun-seok, featured 101 female musical trainees from Korean agencies. The second season will be the male version, eliminating contestants down to 11 finalists ― based on online votes ― who will become a new boy band.