Vocal Play Season 2 is a survival musical audition program in which university students representing their school compete against each other. A non-professional singer from Korea University (KU), Kim Taehoon (’12, Spanish Language and Literature), became a sensation by making it to the semifinal of the program. By competing in the semifinals with his outstanding singing skills, he raised the status of KU in the entertainment industry.
Motivation to Go West
Kim’s musical interest and talent are not simply the product of his own efforts. Kim felt that the environment he grew up in encouraged him to develop his musical habits. His parents both have artistic abilities and his brother likes to sing. Because the people around him all seemed interested in music, Kim also began to devote his attention to music at a young age. Growing up, he invested four hours a day in singing and motivated himself by watching YouTube videos of different singers.
Additionally, the television show that he liked the most was American Idol, which is a survival audition program held in the United States (U.S.). Every time he watched American Idol, he would dream of singing in front of crowds and judges. The part of the show where participants receive feedback from judges thrilled Kim because he was amazed at how the judges pointed out the contestant’s weak points. Watching the participants overcome their weaknesses through endless practice indirectly helped Kim to achieve his goals. By watching the videos of the winners of American Idol, he pursued his dream to participate in an audition program in Korea.
After entering Korea University (KU), he joined Kugga Band — a KU vocal club — and enjoyed practicing his singing with other KU students. According to Kim, because there are many talented students in the club, he was able to learn and practice numerous singing skills. On the spur of the moment, a great opportunity to show his singing skills presented itself. A new survival audition program, Vocal Play Season 2, launched in December 2019, sent an invitation letter to Kugga Band in order to recruit participants from KU. Kim was selected with two other members of the club to participate in the program.
Participating in the audition program made him a little nervous because most of the participants were majoring in music. In order to overcome this, Kim reminded himself not to try too hard; this really helped him to concentrate on his performance. In fact, he showed the value of the time and effort that he had invested in his singing ability by advancing to the semifinals of the program.
The Process of Self-Development
Participating in the program has greatly helped Kim in several ways. While he was preparing for his performance behind the scenes, he watched and learned how professional musicians compose and arrange songs. Due to the fact that Kim is not a professional when it comes to music, at first, he did not know how to fully express the numerous ideas he had for his performance. Therefore, whenever he presented his ideas during the rehearsal, he paid attention to how the audio staff handled the musical equipment. These experiences gave him the courage and motivation to further devote his time to music.
In addition, Kim also took lessons from other participants. Because most of the participants were majoring in music, Kim was in unfamiliar waters because he had not studied music at the same level as other participants. However, Kim saw this environment as an opportunity to learn useful information from these professionals. Not only did the other participants help him grow, but the judges of the program also played a crucial role in helping Kim qualify for the semifinals. Famous singers joined the program as judges who decide whether participants have an outstanding singing ability. Kim mentioned that singers like Sweet Sorrow and Ailee supported the participants in many ways, such as providing restoratives for their throat and showing them how to perform technical singing.
After the program finished, he personally met up with several contestants and became friends with them. According to Kim, the new relationships he made after the program were his most important achievement. By meeting these new people, he could learn new musical skills from them. Before he entered the program, he practiced singing by himself, but, now, he sometimes practices singing together with his new friends. Looking back at his experiences during and after the show, Kim realized that the time he spends singing is enjoyable and precious.
Moving Further West
Kim promised himself he would continue to practice his singing. Meeting new people who are music professionals increased Kim’s motivation to maintain his habit. Nevertheless, Kim said he will not be participating in other survival audition programs. The survival audition program definitely helped Kim to acquire professional musical knowledge, but he thought that this experience was enough for him. However, if he has a chance, he wants to join a music entertainment show, such as I Can See Your Voice, in which ordinary people like him can participate and show off their singing.
At the end of the interview, Kim gave his own advice to students who are interested in music as a pastime. Kim said, “Students should do whatever they want to do. If students want to sing, there is no reason for them to resist this positive impulse.” He believes that, as students, it is important to have hobbies because they relieve some of the stress from studying. Kim mentioned that music, especially singing, is a great habit for anyone, regardless of their ability level, because leisure facilities for music are well-developed in Korean society. He also wants other students to seek special experiences that may seem difficult or impossible, similar to his experiences. Solid habits have the potential to become a firm basis for students to move west and experience something new.