JYP to produce four-piece group with legendary singers in 'Golden Girls'

A still from KBS's new reality show "Golden Girls" / Courtesy of KBS

Singer and producer Park Jin-young, also known as JYP, is set to create a new female group through KBS’s new reality music show, “Golden Girls.”

The upcoming show, set to start airing on Oct. 27, invites four legendary vocalists, Insooni, Park Mi-kyung, Shin Hyo-bum and Lee Eun-mi, whose combined singing careers span an impressive 151 years, to form a new team.

JYP joined hands with producer Yang Hyuk, who helmed the reality show, “The Return of Superman,” and writer Choi Moon-kyung, whose previous work includes the music survival show “K-pop Star,” to bring these divas together into a cohesive musical group.

As the CEO of JYP Entertainment, responsible for launching iconic K-pop groups from Wonder Girls and 2PM to Twice and Stray Kids, JYP revealed that he came up with the idea and pitched the project to KBS.

“I wasn’t offered to join the show. In fact, I was the one who contacted the broadcaster about the project first,” he said in a written interview.

“Because I proposed (the show) to the station first, I really wanted to do something amazing. And to do that, I didn’t just want to mix these four individuals, Insooni, Park, Shin and Lee, to do what they are already good at, but wanted to truly synergize and become a team, showing a surprising transformation.”

JYP said he shared the same musical taste as the four singers, adding he felt passionate about creating something new with the singers.

“The four are really, really good singers but are also good at following my producing to make the style I want to produce. They have the same roots in (musical) taste with me,” he said.

“They really make me feel that I want to make something out of their voices. There are a lot of people who can sing, but not a lot of them have the same taste and style as me. But with them, I see a lot of potential to do something and feel that we can do it well.”

Introducing each of the singers, he shared that they all have different strengths to create the group.

“(Insooni) has no excuse even in her age … She’s not only flexible physically but also mentally,” he said, adding Park brings high-pitched vocal and dance talent to the group.

“(Park) is experienced with high-pitch and dance music. Since she has done the style of music that we are trying to make, I’m looking forward to it … Shin is talented with vocals and has a great ability to deliver emotion. Because she had formal opera training, she has a solid foundation and has soulful expression.”

He added that he saw Lee's charm in her spontaneity. “I feel a strong desire to use her talent because there’s something extremely raw, impulsive and spontaneous about her.”

JYP hopes that "Golden Girls" will not only celebrate the artists who paved the way for modern K-pop, but also introduce more diversity into the music industry.

“I hope this gives an opportunity to introduce the amazing artists who opened up an era for this generation to produce the K-pop we have now and to understand the flow K-pop has had. And I hope there could be more diversity in the music industry,” he said.