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An SYC Exclusive: An Interview with the Judges of tvN Kpop Star Hunt Singapore

Last weekend, Mr Eddy Tan (Vice-President of Programming for Fox International Channels), and Mr Park Jae-Hyun (General Department Head for Rookie Development Division, CUBE Entertainment)  were in town to judge the Singapore leg of the tvN Kpop Star Hunt together with popular host judge Ms Irene Ang who herself is an acclaimed entertainer. Together, they had the arduous task of selecting twenty hopefuls for a live public audition and from that twenty, selecting the two representatives for Singapore.

Mr Eddy Tan is no stranger to the entertainment and broadcasting industry, having had over 20 years of experience under his belt. Along with a rather extensive and highly impressive résumé (including being the first Asian to hold the position of International Director of Network Programming, UK for Walt Disney Television International), the man certainly has an attentive eye for details – evident even down to his chic sense of style. Articulate and expressive, Mr Tan had no qualms sharing his very candid thoughts on the auditions.

“Singapore was chosen as the first leg of the race because we had the support from the government. The audition just happened to fall within the month when the Korean Tourism Organization is promoting Korea and Korean culture in Singapore. Hence, we thought it would be great to have it in Singapore first. Also, we have the opportunity to hold the audition for the top two in a shopping mall so that the public can join in the fun as well.”

Quite a few of the contestants from the top 100 commented that he and fellow judge Irene Ang helped to make them feel more at ease during the closed-door auditions. So what was his take on the process?

“Judging is a really tough job. In fact, I hate to be a judge because there are so many good talents. Even when they may not be good at singing, they are really good dancers – some of them have not even had any vocal or dance training! It was a really difficult choice to select only twenty. Between Mr Park, Irene and I, we each had varying opinions on who to choose. However, I must say that most of those who really wowed me are in the final twenty.”

When pressed for what particular traits he looks out for, he replied, “I’m looking for that star quality, that individuality, the personality. During the judging, Irene and I even pushed some of the contestants because we wanted to see how they carried themselves, their reactions. Some of them turned out to be better dancers than singers and vice versa.”

A familiar and beloved face on local television, Ms Irene Ang was the host judge for Singapore. Awarded ‘Greatest Women of Our Time 2010’ by Singapore Women’s Weekly Magazine for her contributions to the local arts and media industry, she is also the founder and CEO of FLY Entertainment. This trailblazer was even invited to sit on the board of The International Academy of Television, Arts and Science, becoming the first Singaporean actress to do so.

Affable and charismatic, Irene wittily remarked that the talent search wasn’t a modelling contest.

“We’re looking for a star; we’re not looking for a model. As we all know in Korea, beauty can be made so talent is a must. The direction is to find someone to groom, so we’re not looking for perfection. We’re looking for attitude, basic talent and potential. Personally, I looked for charisma and X-factor. X-factor is the ability to connect with the judges and the audience. Talent and all-roundedness is important to me. That’s why some of the best looking people are not in the top twenty.”

She mused that she was impressed with several of the contestants like the talented twins, Jayley and Hayley. “And the twelve year old girl? I don’t even know what I was doing when I was twelve. I think I was still in the library, looking for comics!”

The vivacious Irene Ang also had some words of advice for the top twenty who got through.

“Pick your best performance. It’s your only one chance. If you really want this, you really have to really practice hard tonight. Be ready – there is no more try again. Come and bring your best work, your best performance. Be the best that you can be. And bring the attitude of having fun because only two will go through, eighteen more will be disappointed anyways.”

The epitome of a ‘cold city guy’, a very fierce judge because ‘he just sits there and watches’.

These were some of the more common refrains we heard from the audition hopefuls as they left the audition room. Many it seems were unnerved by his seemingly intimidating presence and his silence.

Mr Park Jaehyun, however, turns out to be a stoic man with a charming smile. He carries himself with such an understated elegance that he may seem unapproachable and reserved but he opens up rather easily.

Having managed and developed big names like TVXQ, Wonder Girls, 4 Minute and G.Na, doubtlessly many are curious to find out what qualities looks for during the audition.

“I’m looking for an all-rounded individual, someone who can do more than just singing and dancing. It’s more about the individuality and personality, rather than the looks. A positive attitude is also something that is highly important,” he answered in Korean, after checking to ensure that we could understand him. Nonetheless, he considerately brought along his colleague to act as a translator to better communicate during the interview.

Asked if there were any memorable contestants, he took a short time to recollect his thoughts, choosing not to shy away from the question.

“The top 20 are all memorable and special to me. Already, I have in mind to work with some of them but I would like to see more from them. After the public audition and the training in Seoul, I will have a clearer picture. Compared to my previous trainees like 4 Minute, Beast and G.Na, there are even some of them today who possesses better potential,”

Mr Park also opened up more on the training process in Seoul, Korea.

“We have dance classes, vocal classes, and weight-training, acrobatics and language classes. There are also rap classes and mental conditioning classes just to name a few. All trainees go through the same classes but for international trainees, we have Korean language classes for them because they need to be able to communicate with the other trainees and their instructors.”

He ended the interview with this gem of advice.

“Vocals and dancing, special talents, these can be trained. There’s only so far that training can take a person. The rest is up to the individual, their personality. Those who want to be the next star need to have a positive attitude, patience and the fighting spirit, the determination to keep going on.”

For more pictures of of the event, click here.