[TF Focus] 'Our Ballad 2', a New Milestone in Audition Programs

A meeting of familiar masterpieces and new voicesBroadcast every Monday at 10 PMSBS audition program 'Our Ballad' Season 2 is also receiving great love following Season 1. /SBS[THE FACT|Reporter Choi Soo-bin] Amidst a flood of audition programs, 'Our Ballad' is once again making its presence known. Instead of flashy performances, it focuses on voices and maintains warm encouragement for contestants amidst fierce competition. Ultimately, what moved the viewers' hearts was not the spectacular stage, but the sincerity contained in the songs.SBS audition program 'Our Ballad' Season 2 (hereinafter referred to as 'Our Ballad 2'), which premiered on the 5th of last month, is a story about sharing life ballads that have been with us at every moment of our memories and finding voices that will re-sing the songs of those times. Five episodes have aired so far.'Our Ballad', which started as Season 1 in September last year, ranked first in 2049 viewership ratings for all episodes, entered the Netflix Top 10 Korean Series, and surpassed 100 million cumulative views for online clips. In addition, the nationwide tour concert, which featured the winner Lee Ye-ji along with Lee Ji-hoon, Cheon Beom-seok, Choi Eun-bin, and Hong Seung-min, among the top 12, sold out, proving its immense popularity.'Our Ballad 2', which returned with Season 2 after about a year, is also achieving good results. It started with a viewership rating of 5.1% for the first episode (Nielsen Korea, nationwide household basis) and has maintained a 5% range. In addition, according to the production team, the cumulative video views are close to 60 million, and there is continued keen interest in online communities.The reason these achievements are even more noteworthy is that audition programs are no longer an unfamiliar genre. Numerous music auditions have discovered new stars, and the methods of showing contestants' skills and growth processes have become familiar. It is not easy to consistently capture viewers' attention in a situation where programs with similar formats are repeated. Nevertheless, 'Our Ballad 2' is creating its own unique color.At its center is 'Top 100 Ears'. This is a panel of 150 judges composed of people with popular ears who take pride in the fact that 'my favorite songs are always in the Top 100'. Various individuals, from current musicians to ordinary people who have loved ballads for a long time, gather to evaluate the contestants' performances.'Our Ballad 2' is a story about sharing life ballads that have been with us at every moment of our memories and finding voices that will re-sing the songs of those times. /Screen captureIn particular, the 'Top 100 Ears' delegation includes not only musicians like Jung Jae-hyung Jung Seung-hwan Roy Kim but also figures active in various fields such as Moon Geun-young, Joo Woo-jae, Cha Tae-hyun, and Park Kyung-lim. Therefore, their perspectives on the stage are also diverse. They offer professional advice by pointing out intonation, vocalization, and song interpretation and expression, and they also honestly share the emotions they felt and the memories evoked by the songs.This is one of the important charms of 'Our Ballad 2'. Singing well and moving the listener's heart are not necessarily the same thing. While technical perfection may be important to experts, a unique tone or a single line of lyrics may leave a deeper resonance for the general public. The judging method, where different standards coexist, also represents the viewers' hearts.Above all, 'Our Ballad 2' listens to the stories of the people who sing the songs. The contestants, with an average age of 17.9, selected songs that held special meaning for them in the first round of the main competition, with the theme 'Ballads That Made Me Cry'. Before singing, they reveal the reason for choosing the song and their experiences within it, and the production team calmly follows it as it is.The contestants' backgrounds are also diverse. From students at arts high schools to children's book authors, young men serving in the military, and former trainees, people from different walks of life take the stage. For them, singing is not just a means to prove their skills, but their very lives.Lee Yu-bin, who trained as a trainee at a major entertainment company but was eliminated from the debut team evaluation, sang 'High Fever' by Yudabin Band. After a long period of training, he lost confidence in his singing, but he once again proved his potential.Kim Soo-ah's performance, who lives in a youth shelter due to family circumstances, also left a deep impression. She sang Jaurim's 'Over the Rainbow', sharing the song that comforted her with the viewers and sending a message of support to those who might be experiencing similar difficulties.'Our Ballad 2' meets viewers every Monday at 10 PM. /Screen captureIn this way, 'Our Ballad 2' does not simply consume the contestants' stories as a device to evoke emotion. It focuses on the process of interpreting the song based on their experiences, with each person's experience becoming the reason for their song selection. It shows on every stage that the same song can deliver a completely different emotion depending on who sings it and with what heart.The judges' attitudes towards the contestants are also worth noting. They sometimes shed tears while watching the stage, and when a contestant is overwhelmed with emotion and has difficulty continuing the song, they encourage the courage to complete the stage. While offering objective advice on shortcomings, they also try to discover the potential within them.Above all, the 'power of ballads' that transcends generations is the most powerful. The contestants sing masterpieces released before they were even born, but they turn the emotions within them into their own stories. It offers the pleasure of hearing familiar songs again to the older generation and the joy of discovering music they didn't know existed to the younger generation.This is also what distinguishes 'Our Ballad 2' from other music auditions. Even without new songs, spectacular stage effects, or performances, it maximizes the power of familiar masterpieces through the contestants' voices. In addition, the synergy of the judging method that encompasses both expertise and public appeal, the contestants' sincere stories, and the production team's directing, which warmly embraces it all, is creating a powerful effect.A song that was a past memory for someone becomes the beginning of a new dream for someone else. 'Our Ballad 2' connects those moments on a single stage. This is why 'Our Ballad 2' continues to carve out its own niche among numerous audition programs.'Our Ballad 2' airs every Monday at 10 PM.subin7134@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]