[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Hyesoo] On the afternoon of the 12th, MBC's 'King of Mask Singer' aired the first-round performances of new masked singers challenging Rose Lady's third consecutive win.
The first stage of the first round featured Jeongsin Cherry and Salgusipnya. The two chose 2NE1's 'Lonely,' and Salgusipnya advanced to the second round with 19 votes. The identity revealed behind Salgusipnya's mask was fencing silver medalist Shin Aram. Shin Aram stated that she appeared on the show to express her gratitude to the public who supported her during the 2012 London Olympics, which was selected as one of the top five controversial judgments in Olympic history.
The second stage of the first round was a showdown between Disco King and Dance God, who selected Lexy's 'Aesongi.' Disco King delivered a chewy rap, while Dance God contrasted with a rough voice. Yoon Sang commented, "He sings well but raps even better. He seems more like a professional rapper than an idol." Disco King received 13 votes and advanced to the second round.
The defeated Dance God's identity was choreographer Jay Black. Jay Black shared his experience, saying, "It felt like when I first started street dance," revealing his nervousness on stage. He added, "I'm still lacking in many ways but am steadily working hard to improve."
The third battle was between Yeonpotang and Chogyeguksu. Yeonpotang expressed the emotional song 'I Will Give You the Love Left in Me' by Jang Hyeri with deep sentiment, while Chogyeguksu delivered it with explosive vocal power. Yeonpotang advanced to the second round with 12 votes, and Chogyeguksu took off the mask.
Her identity was singer Heidi, known for the mega-hit song 'Jini.' Yoon Sang speculated, "Is Yoyomi back again?" while So Chan-whee accurately guessed, "Could it be Heidi?" Heidi said, "I started my comeback in 2013, but many people don't know me," and expressed that appearing on 'King of Mask Singer' earned her recognition from her daughter.
The last stage of the first round was a duel between Conductor and Jihwaja with Shin Hyo-beom's 'I Love You.' Shin Hyo-beom, who was on the judging panel, told the two performers using his song, "I am happy." Jihwaja earned the right to advance to the second round.
The defeated Conductor was rapper Joosuck. When MC Kim Sungjoo commented, "Your eyes got moist," Joosuck humorously replied, "I usually have dry eyes. My eyes are always moist," causing laughter. Regarding being called "the oldest bird in Korea," he said, "I'm used to it now," and cleverly added, "Since my name contains 'Seok,' instead of 'oldest bird,' you can call me a 'living fossil.'"
Meanwhile, Jihwaja, who advanced to the second round with an overwhelming vote difference against Conductor, showed a close relationship by having a phone call with actor Lee Kyung-young. Netizens are speculating that she might be Kim Seon-kyung, who played Han So-hee's (Yeoda-gyeong's role) mother in 'The World of the Married.'
MBC's music program 'King of Mask Singer' airs every Sunday at 6:20 PM.
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