Korean Singing Competition to Host U.S. Auditions

NEW YORK: The Korean TV show Superstar K, a singing competition that airs on the Asian pop-culture channel Mnet, is opening its audition process to U.S. hopefuls for the first time ever, with a talent search to be held in New York City.

Auditions are open to all ages and music styles. The open call is being held in New York City on June 25 at The Times Center. The contestants who pass the final round of the U.S. audition will receive a round-trip ticket to the Superweek in Seoul, Korea. In an effort to provide diversified professional opinions for the emerging talent, this season will feature special guest judges in addition to the three main judges. In regional auditions, more guest judges are added to provide a different perspective. Also new for the third season, the competition will be open to solo artists as well as groups.

Superstar K (SSK) drew in 720,000 contestants worldwide in its first season, and a record-breaking 1.35 million contestants in its second run. The show has discovered and fostered such k-pop superstars as Inguk Suh (winner of season one), Miss A Suzy, Jewelry Park Semi, Infinite Hoya, Huhgak (winner of season two) and John Park from American Idol season nine.

The third season of Superstar K is set for August 12 on Mnet in Korea.

Soohyun Hong, the chief producer of SSK, commented: “The theme for Superstar K season three3 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.”