'King Of Karaoke: VS' seeks to find hidden gem vocalists in karaoke

The cast of Mnet's survival show, "King Of Karaoke: VS," pose during a press conference at CGV Cheongdam Cinecity, Gangnam District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Mnet

Five songs by contestants to hit streaming platforms

To date, cable channel Mnet has rolled out multiple survival shows like "Produce 101" and "Show Me the Money," which gave birth to numerous K-pop stars and hip-hop musicians. This time, the channel aims to discover hidden gem vocalists in karaoke with the launch of "King Of Karaoke: VS."

Premiered on Oct. 20, the new talent search show pits contenders against one another to pick the "King of Karaoke," who will walk away with a grand prize of 100 million won ($77,000).

To give them a helping hand, Jang Woo-young of K-pop act 2PM, Seo Eun-kwang of BTOB, Young K of DAY6 and Kim Min-seok of Melomance have joined the program as producers. Also included in the producer lineup are solo artists Lim Han-byul, Soyou, Roy Kim, Parc Jae-jung, Car the Garden and rapper Giriboy.

Prior to the release of five new songs by the contestants, the cast members of "King Of Karaoke: VS" held a press conference at CGV Cheongdam Cine City in Gangnam District, Seoul, Wednesday, offering a sneak peek into the upcoming tunes.

Five teams — Young-Kwang, Byeol-Soyou, Giri Garden, Roy-Jung and Meloday — will put out "Naivety," "I Still," "What's Wrong," "Trust In Time" and "Hurt Road," respectively. These tracks are the remakes of the songs released by the program's producers, which have been newly arranged for the contenders.

After watching video previews of all teams' performances during the event, Jang said that his team, Young-Kwang, is a challenge seeker.

"I initially suggested they sing a ballad, but they wanted to pursue differentiation with a more rhythmic performance," he recalled. "I had a strong desire to help them tackle a new challenge, so I provided all possible assistance."

Singers Parc Jae-jung, left, and Roy Kim, pose during a press conference at CGV Cheongdam Cine City, Gangnam District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Mnet

The songs by Young-Kwang, Giri Garden and Meloday will hit multiple streaming platforms on Saturday, but the release dates of other tracks have been kept under wraps.

Car the Garden said, "Our team, Giri Garden, exuded confidence, so I felt relieved as a producer ... I think our vocalists are full of ideas."

Soyou, the producer for Team Byeol-Soyou, stressed that all four members are strong vocalists.

"The diversity in their vocal tones creates a captivating feast," she said.

Roy Kim, the winner of the fourth season of Mnet's audition program, "Super Star K" (2012), noted that survival shows today looks different from those of the past.

"The time to prepare for a performance has significantly increased compared to ten years ago when I was asked to get ready in just a few hours," he said. "The contestants today have about a week to gear up ... Sometimes we are not fully satisfied with their performances, but most of the time, their dedication is commendable."

Wrapping up the event, the cast members of "King Of Karaoke: VS" said they have been striving to find success on music streaming charts, just like "Smoke" (2023) and "Click Like" (2023) — the tunes from the second season of Mnet's dance competition show, "Street Woman Fighter."

"Securing a spot on the chart is a goal for all singers, but the music market is notoriously challenging these days," Lim stressed. "We are working hard to make an impact, hoping the songs can create a ripple effect."