The stage videos of Park Seo-jin, Kang Moon-kyung, Jin Hae-sung, Hwanhee, and Enok from ‘Current King of Singers 2’ have taken over YouTube’s ‘Rising Stars’ during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Since its first broadcast on November 26 last year, MBN’s fierce competition for the Taegeuk mark, ‘Current King of Singers 2’, has maintained the number one spot in viewership ratings across all channels for eight consecutive weeks without a break, dominating the Tuesday entertainment program ratings. The ninth episode aired on the 28th during the Lunar New Year holiday achieved the highest viewership among all programs across channels, showcasing its impressive momentum.
On this day, the results announcement, which confirmed the 11 semifinalists by combining the scores from the first and second rounds of the third preliminary round, delivered shocking twists with rollercoaster-like ranking changes between the top and bottom tiers. In particular, three additional qualifiers emerged through the ‘losers’ revival round’, finalizing the 14 contestants who will advance to the semifinals.
As the current contestants continue their explosive rush towards the semifinals, the stage videos of Park Seo-jin, Kang Moon-kyung, Jin Hae-sung, Hwanhee, and Enok from ‘Current King of Singers 2’ have topped the ‘Rising Stars’ list, with Park Seo-jin’s video surpassing 5.17 million views, demonstrating its remarkable impact and garnering intense interest.
According to the combined view counts of the stage videos from ‘Current King of Singers 2’ released on MBN MUSIC and CREA Studio’s official YouTube channels, Park Seo-jin’s performance of ‘Gwangdae’ in episode 3 achieved over 5.17 million views, showcasing an explosive performance with the ‘God of Janggu’ and a rich emotional delivery that created a fantastic harmony. Kang Moon-kyung’s ‘Old Lover’ from episode 1 recorded 3.96 million views, while ‘The Watermill Turns’ from episode 4 reached 2.68 million views, securing the second and third spots, achieving a remarkable feat that aligns with her nickname ‘Ppongshin’.
Jin Hae-sung, who ranked fourth, surpassed 2.5 million views with his performance of ‘Contact Line’ in episode 4, receiving praise for capturing his unique emotional depth. Hwanhee’s stage debut as a trot singer with ‘Mujeong Blues’ achieved 2.33 million views, earning accolades for the perfect harmony of emotional expression and vocal ability. Enok’s performance of ‘Amor Party’ in episode 3, which surpassed the level of a musical with its fantastic performance and unique vocal color, approached 1.67 million views, receiving positive responses.
Additionally, the stage video from the second round of the third preliminary round in episode 8 drew significant attention with its overwhelming popularity, rapidly increasing views right after its release. Park Seo-jin showcased his power with the emotional trot ‘Do You Know Flower Soon?’ without any janggu, surpassing 1.48 million views. Kang Moon-kyung recorded 1.27 million views with ‘The Boat is Coming In’, presenting her unique vocal color and skillful techniques. Jin Hae-sung achieved 1.26 million views with ‘Weeping at Busan Port’, showcasing his deep emotional expression. Hwanhee’s ‘Samo’ marked his first challenge in ‘Authentic Trot’ with 1.06 million views, while Enok proved his strength with ‘Reunion’, impressing everyone with his heartfelt emotional singing.
The production team stated, “The current contestants are pouring their hearts into every performance, receiving enthusiastic responses and support, which brings us great satisfaction and joy.” They added, “Viewers’ interest in what song the contestants will choose for the semifinals is explosive after the preview for episode 10. Please look forward to the upcoming episode, which will be filled with the best performances that you can expect.”
MBN’s ‘Current King of Singers 2’ is a national representative selection survival program to choose the top 7 ‘top-tier male current singers’ who will participate in the ‘Korea-Japan King of Singers Competition’ to be held in 2025, commemorating the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations. Episode 10 of ‘Current King of Singers 2’ will air on February 4.
