Are you a wannabe Asian pop star, ready to bust loose? Asian pop culture television network Mnet recently announced that the Korean megahit TV singing competition Superstar K Season 3 will be holding U.S. auditions for the first time in New York City. Think American Idol, but Korean.
They're looking for superstars! Auditions will be held June 25 at The Times Center (620 8th Avenue) in New York, and are open to anyone regardless of age, race or music genre. Here's some more information on Superstar K from the press release:
Superstar K (SSK), the television phenomenon that captured an audience throughout Asia, is the most watched cable show in Korean history. Season 1 attracted 720,000 contestants worldwide, and Season 2 drew a record breaking 1,350,000 contestants. Season 3 is returning with the promise of larger prizes and greater opportunities for the winner, including a cash prize of 500,000,000 Korean Won, approximately $500,000 US dollars. This season, contestants who pass the final round of the U.S. audition in New York will receive a round trip air ticket to the Superweek in Seoul, Korea. Accommodations and meals will be provided throughout the Superweek. SSK will also be responsible for the cost of training, accommodations and meals for the top 10 finalists until the contestant is eliminated.You! Yes, you could be a future K-pop star. Have you got what it takes? For more information on how to audition, and other rules and eligibility requirements, go to the Mnet website here. Good luck!
With its worldwide appeal and reach, SSK has discovered and fostered many new talents who went on to become k-pop superstars -- Inguk Suh (winner of Season 1), Miss A Suzy, Jewelry Park Semi, Infinite Hoya, Huhgak (winner of Season 2), Northbrook, IL-resident John Park from American Idol (season 9), to name a few. The chief producer of SSK, Soohyun Hong commented: “The theme for Superstar K Season 3 is ‘diversity’. We did not start SSK for the sole purpose of entertaining the audience. The show was conceived to bring change and progress to the Korean music industry. Although SSK has achieved great ratings and success, what we take pride in the most is that we have opened a new avenue for talents to share their gifts with the world."
Following the theme of diversity, SSK3 has incorporated some welcoming changes, including featuring special guest judges in addition to the three main judges, in order to provide diversified professional opinions to the emerging talents. In regional auditions, more guest judges are added to lend a different perspective and fairness to the viewers and contestants.
Unlike the previous seasons, SSK3 is now open to solo artists and groups. To cater to artists with instrumental talents, SSK will provide various instruments such as keyboards, drums to contestants so they can fully demonstrate their potential during the auditioning process.
