On September 11, MAMAMOO's Hwasa was the latest to take on the challenge of "Hidden Singer."
JTBC's "Hidden Singer" is a variety show where a well-known singer competes opposite to contestants who try to impersonate the singer's voice correctly, wrote Soompi. The singer and the impersonators perform behind curtains as the audience tries to guess which singers are the "false" stars.
Hwasa revealed that she thought she would be a panelist on the show when she first got a casting offer. The singer said that she felt a lot of pressure about going on as the singer.
She then asked her agency CEO for advice, and he told her that the "Hidden Singer" is a stage where singers gain a lot of strength, so she thinks of it as an honor being on the show.
Jokingly Jun Hyun Moo said that if an impersonator wins, they will receive 20 million won [approximately $16,800] as a prize. "We've already given away 80 million won [rougly $67,300]. JTBC is already in debt. Please win this round."
Hwasa, as described by Song Eun Yi, is a trendsetter, and she is like Lee Hyori in that whatever she does becomes a hot topic. Kim Jong Min also said that she thinks Hwasa is a gem in the music industry.
She noted that she was shocked when realizing that she was so young. She added that she like Hwasa's song 'Twit,' but her face gets hot whenever she listens to it. According to Soompi, the title of the song 'Twit' in Korean means 'fool,' which is Kim Jong Min's common nickname on variety shows.
Hwasa's first song on the show is her duet song with Loco, "Don't." She revealed that it is a song that she had fun making with Woogie and Loco. In the first round, Hwasa was able to win the game after an audience identified her voice.
Moreover, one of Hwasa's impersonators turned out to be Yeo Soo Jin, who is called the "army president Hwasa." She revealed that she has sung in many different places, and she sang the songs of MAMAMOO while performing for the army and got that nickname.
The contestants on the show and Hwasa sang her solo track "Twit" on the second round. Hwasa shared that composer Park Woo Sang is good at writing a song that captures how she feels after sharing her idea with him.
After the performance, she expressed that she had a lot of confidence going into the next round, but while singing, she revealed that it made her feel imitating herself. "Everyone sounded so similar."
Meanwhile, a personator named Suk Ji Soo was revealed to be ranked in the Top 6 in the 2016 season of SBS' "K-Popstar." She shared that she was still young at that time, and there were lots of hate comments during her appearance. Every time she sang, she would feel herself getting dejected.
After that, she thought that becoming a singer wasn't the right path for her, but last year, she revealed that she heard Hwasa say at a concert, "If I don't fit the beauty standard of today's generation, then I will become a new standard."
The show's impersonator continued by saying that Hwasa is a great role model for women. "I trust in what she said and am gearing toward my dreams. Instead of being hopeless, I will also set a new standard for beauty."
After hearing the contestant's words, Hwasa revealed that she the same when she was young. She said that she was able to become stronger, but the scars are still there.
Hwasa told the contestant that she couldn't give any great comfort, but she wants to cheer on Suk Ji Soo and help her. "I am sincerely cheering you on."
Meanwhile, during the third round, Hwasa and the contestants sang MAMAMOO's "Decalcomanie," and they sang her newest solo track, "Maria," in the fourth round.
At the end of the episode, Hwasa became the second original singer to win the "Hidden Singer" challenge after Kim Yeon Ja.
