The cast of ‘Our Ballad’ has announced an audition program to be watched with family.
On the morning of the 23rd, a production presentation for SBS's new music audition ‘Our Ballad’ was held at SBS Mokdong in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, attended by PD Jung Ik-seung, Jung Jae-hyung, Cha Tae-hyun, Jeon Hyun-moo, Danny Koo, Crush, and Jung Seung-hwan.
‘Our Ballad’ is a collective intelligence audition where various people from different fields, including the top 100 representatives who engage with ballads daily, come together to find the owner of fresh voices.
Among the 150 participants, with an average age of 18.2 years, they will search for gems, including a diverse spectrum of the top 100 representatives such as Jung Jae-hyung, Cha Tae-hyun, Jeon Hyun-moo, Danny Koo, Crush, and Jung Seung-hwan.
Cha Tae-hyun shared his thoughts on the filming, saying, “When I first heard the project proposal, I wondered, ‘Will it be fun?’ But when I heard it was scheduled for 160 minutes, I thought, ‘What is this? Is it a gamble?’ I think the production team is confident enough to do that. At first, I was worried it might be boring, but while filming, I felt it would be fulfilling in terms of fun.”
Jung Jae-hyung added, “I was worried about whether I could do it due to the post-production of drama music, but on the first recording day, I thought, ‘I’m glad I did it.’ As you will see, it brings tears. I think everyone will feel that emotion.”
Jung Seung-hwan also mentioned, “I participated in the ‘K-Pop Star’ audition 11 years ago and now I’m here as a top 100 representative in ‘Our Ballad.’ It’s touching to stand as a judge while being an audition-born singer. I participated in the audition when I was a senior in high school. Since I’m the same age as the friends participating now, it brings back the feelings I had back then. It’s a good motivation.”
‘Our Ballad’ is a collaboration of Park Seong-hoon CP from ‘K-Pop Star’, PD Jung Ik-seung, writer Mo Eun-seol from the 2024 Netflix global hit ‘Black and White Chef’, and PD Ahn Jung-hyun, who led ‘My Little Old Boy’, continuing the lineage of SBS's traditional music auditions.
PD Jung Ik-seung shared the key points he focused on while directing the program, stating, “While making the audition program, there are two things we must protect at all costs. The first is ‘never interrupt a well-prepared stage,’ and the second is ‘to show it honestly.’”
He continued, “When you watch the stage, there are people who perform well, but there are also those who come down trembling. However, those young friends have spent countless hours preparing for those 3-4 minutes. I believe we should not damage that moment. We aimed to show all those heartfelt moments.”
We also learned about the voting method, which is crucial in the audition.
Jeon Hyun-moo explained, “If you receive 100 votes out of 150 from the top 100 representatives, you pass. There are music and non-music lines among the top 100 representatives, but being a musician does not mean you get 2 votes. The opinions of non-musicians like Cha Tae-hyun and Jeon Hyun-moo, and musician Jung Jae-hyung, all count as 1 vote. Also, viewers participating as top 100 representatives also cast 1 vote each.”
In response, PD Jung Ik-seung added, “Of course, having fewer judges does not mean there is a lack of fairness, but I think 1/N itself represents fairness. If the population is small, even one change can lead to completely opposite results, but the opinions of those gathered under the name of top 100 representatives are all reflected as one vote each.”
The chemistry of the top 100 representatives is also one of the highlights.
Jung Jae-hyung remarked, “The chemistry is really good. In ‘Running Man’, the members have a chemistry that makes them one, but we don’t match at all with Jeon Hyun-moo and Cha Tae-hyun. I think that playful chemistry makes it interesting.”
He added, “It will be interesting to see how friends, who are the same age as our sons and daughters, interpret the songs we listened to 20-30 years ago. When today’s friends sing Im Jae-bum’s songs, the story and tone change. Each person’s narrative will resonate with us. It will be an audition that we can watch and discuss with family.”
Meanwhile, ‘Our Ballad’ will premiere on the 23rd at 9 PM.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
