"Superstar K 2016" judge Ailee (3rd from left) perform onstage during the MelOn Music Awards at Olympic Gymnasium on November 14, 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo : Getty Images / Chung Sung-Jun)
There are a total of contest judges that will be part of the upcoming season of South Korea's talent show "Superstar K." The show has been renamed this year from "Superstar K 8" to "Superstar K 2016." The lineup of judges has Gummy, Brave Brothers, FNC Entertainment CEO Han Sung Ho, Gil, Ailee, Kim Bum Soo and Kim Yeon Woo.
After the auditions, the show revealed the seven judges. While only Kim Bum Soo confirmed to appear as among the show's judges, a poster was released on July 20 which featured the seven judges. The judges lineup is composed of veteran producers and singers in the music industry, Soompi reported.
The show's contestants will be judged by their vocals, potential, star power and public appeal. The contest judges will be divided into categories of Trendy Artist, Star Maker and Legendary Vocal.
The talent show judges each described in more detail in the posters with their photos. The contest judges' photos are likewise presented with a keyword that indicates their charms and talent.
South Korea's contemporary music industry is in search for fresh music artists. The reality singing competition gives all aspiring singers a chance to prove their skills.
This year's audition period was from April 11, 2016 to July 10, 2016. Applicants were accepted via KakaoTalk app while non-Korean speaker applicants applied directly on mnet.com. All were required to upload a video of themselves singing.
Since 2009, the reality singing television show had discovered big names in the music industry, including John Park, Roy Kim, Kim Feel, Dickpunks, Ulala Session, Busker Busker, Huh Gak, Jung Joon Young, Togeworl, Seo In Guk, Yoo Seung Woo and Hong Dae Kwang. The show had been very popular with highest viewing rate since its premiere. However, it was not able to maintain its success when the episodes of Season 5 were criticized for its same format and poor performances, The Korea Times reported.
"Superstar K 2016" will reportedly show a lot of new stuff. The first episode is slated to air on Sept. 22 at 9:40 p.m. KST.
Check on the new "Superstar K 8" judges in the clip below.
