The music competition variety show “Singer 2024,” (歌手2024) which features both domestic and international guests, is dominating online discussions. The first episode featured seven contestants, with the top two spots taken by international artists, leaving Na Ying (那英) in third place. The competition among Chinese-speaking singers for the last place was even more intense than for the first.
Some say that the appearance of foreign singers has slightly shaken the Chinese music scene. It’s unclear how the other musicians feel about this, but online audiences are excited. After all, tired of lip-syncing, off-pitch, and strained voices, we have been longing for a genuine top-tier musical feast. Moreover, this is an unprecedented live broadcast competition, a refined showdown.
Fairly speaking, regardless of how the competing singers perform or what their results are, their participation is a victory. They bravely took the risk for the significant attention it brought, which is commendable. Especially when the director mentioned the initial lineup, many singers declined due to the live broadcast format, leaving only a few capable and courageous singers with available schedules.
Indeed, the live aspect has raised the program’s stakes, creating more dramatic moments. Netizens have commented, “One second it’s the Grammys, the next it’s a music festival.” However, the staying power of the show was unexpected; even a day after the first round of competition aired, it still dominates trending searches and continues to generate new topics, even creating viral memes like “Na Ying’s challenging year,” “Na Ying’s adventure,” and “Help shake for Na Ying.”
On May 12th, Han Hong (韓紅) posted on her personal social media account volunteering to join “Singer,” sparking a lot of discussion online. Many netizens exclaimed, “The national team has arrived.” Since the latest season of “Singer” aired, there has been much discussion online, with many feeling that the domestic singers invited this season lack the vocal and stage presence to compete with international artists. Thus, many are calling for “national team singers” like Han Hong and Han Lei (韓磊) to join the show and match the foreign singers on stage.
