The stage featuring Daehyun from Two Months and Seoryeong from the girl group Park Girl, who showed great courage, moved the viewers.
In the second episode of the ENA entertainment program ‘Undercover’ aired on the 19th, various cover influencers took the stage to showcase their live performances, and the mixed reviews from the ‘TOP Listeners’ heightened the immersion of ‘Undercover’.
On this day, Daehyun, who had been a hot topic for his ‘stage after 15 years’, made his appearance. At the age of 19, after participating in ‘Superstar K3’ and achieving a number one hit, Daehyun went to the U.S. due to various issues and distanced himself from the public. “I gathered the courage to be hated,” he said, covering Jang Cheol-woong’s ‘Seoul, This Place’ on ‘Undercover’. Jeong Jae-hyung felt the nervousness in his performance and applauded, saying, “I applaud your big decision. I was also moved,” and saved his performance. Daehyun also expressed, “It felt strange to be evaluated alone, not as Two Months. I have a desire for the second round,” and steeled his resolve.
A stage that drew standing ovations from the ‘TOP Listeners’ followed. The appearance of Choi Jin-sol, who recorded 10 million views with her cover of Imagine Dragons’ ‘Believer’, changed the atmosphere of the ‘Undercover’ set. Choi Jin-sol covered Lee Hyori’s ‘Miss Korea’, completing a captivating performance with perfect song selection and unique vocal tone, leading Lee Seok-hoon to give a standing ovation and say, “I like singers who add flavor to their songs,” and saved her performance. Choi Jin-sol also raised expectations for her next stage, saying, “It’s impossible to delete my voice,” with grounded confidence.
Bigman, a beatboxer who appeared on the famous American talk show ‘The Ellen Show’, also delivered an unforgiving performance through his cover of Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s ‘Señorita’. With a dazzling beatbox that seemed like a self-remix, the unexpectedly high-quality performance provided a fresh shock even to the ‘TOP Listeners’ who have seen numerous stages. Park Jung-hyun praised him, saying, “Thank you so much,” and saved his performance.
On the contrary to their skills, some cover singers barely overcame crises. Jeon Geon-ho, who ranked third after being a candidate for first place on music shows with IU and IVE, mentioned his song ‘When You Call My Name’, which is still charting, saying, “The song is famous, but no one knows I sang it.” Jeon Geon-ho showcased explosive vocal power and singing ability with Heo Gak’s ‘Hello’, but Jeong Jae-hyung pondered for a long time, saying, “The technique is perfect, but there’s no new feeling.” After much thought, Jeong Jae-hyung chose to save him and added heartfelt advice to “think about whether you have your own color.”
Top Hyun, who recorded 16 million views with his cover of ‘Tiger and the Moon’, also made an appearance. As the cover video of ‘Tiger and the Moon’ gained popularity, Top Hyun released an official remake track that climbed to second place on the charts. He said, “Many people misunderstand that I am the original artist,” and expressed his desire to clear up the misunderstanding by covering Na Rae’s ‘Tiger and the Moon’. Although he had sung the song countless times, Top Hyun practiced hard for this day. However, Lee Seok-hoon harshly criticized, “It doesn’t match the song. There’s no charm.” Nevertheless, he advised, “Forget the 16 million views and get out of that glory. I hope you find a song that suits you soon,” and saved his performance.
Seoryeong, from the disbanded girl group known as the ‘tragic girl group’, also took the stage. Seoryeong shared her painful story, saying, “I debuted in 2018. Due to the company’s circumstances, I was practically neglected,” which led to their disbandment. Kwon Eun-bi comforted her, saying, “I know the group well. I understand this feeling very well since I have also experienced disbandment.” Especially, Seoryeong, who said it was her first time performing alone through ‘Undercover’, covered Kwon Jin-ah’s ‘I Was Lucky’. Although she sang with sincerity, Kwon Eun-bi coldly evaluated, “It just feels like you learned well,” and chose to delete her performance. Seoryeong shed tears, saying, “I want to tell myself that it’s okay because I will keep moving forward.”
Kim Ye-chan, who debuted twice as a girl group member, also appeared. After debuting in 2015 with ‘Awesome Baby’ and re-debuting in 2018 with ‘Pink Fantasy’, Kim Ye-chan said, “In the 7 years of my activities, my total earnings were 0 won. I did many jobs like delivery and working in a cold noodle factory. I am currently balancing my activities while working part-time at a meat restaurant,” and performed a cover of HYNN (Park Hye-won)’s ‘Like Watering a Withered Flower’. Kwon Eun-bi and other cover singers were moved to tears by Kim Ye-chan’s deeply resonant performance. Kim Ye-chan, who touched the hearts of the listeners, earned a chance to advance to the next round.
At the end of the broadcast, the appearance of Busker Busker’s Jang Bum-jun’s younger brother and RIIZE’s Sohee sister was teased, raising expectations for whether their stage would be saved in the third episode. Furthermore, starting from the third episode, a competition task called ‘Flee (Playlist) Team Battle’ will take place, moving out of the channel booth to the main stage for the second round. Among the 60 cover singers who successfully advanced to the second round, only 30 will move on to the third round, promising a thrilling tension.
Meanwhile, ENA’s ‘Undercover’, where cover influencers fiercely compete to turn ‘others’ songs into ‘their own’, airs every Sunday at 7:40 PM.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
