I Am a Singer
| I Am a Singer | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Presented by | Yoon Jong-shin |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language(s) | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 48 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Shin Jung-su Kim Yu-gon Lee Beong-huk Jun Sung-ho Kim Ming-jong |
| Running time | 110 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | MBC |
| Original release | March 6, 2011 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Sunday Night |
| External links | |
| Website | |
I Am a Singer (Hangul: 나는 가수다; RR: Naneun Gasuda) is a popular South Korean singing competition program; a part of MBC's Sunday Night lineup. Seven talented, veteran Korean singers perform for a selected audience, which votes to eliminate one singer after each week's performance. The following week, another singer joins the competition, and the lineup of artists varies throughout the course of the show. The program ended its first season on February 19, 2012. Its second season ended in May 2012. Its third season ended on April 24, 2015.
I Am a Singer differs from other televised music competitions in that the participants are all veteran musicians who have established music careers varying from mega stardom to relative obscurity. Due to this fact, and because none of the accomplished singers desire to be voted last amongst their peers and eliminated, the level of performance is usually high and acclaimed by critics and viewers alike.
The show is divided into rounds. Each round consists of two performance episodes, one that is preliminary and the second final performance which determines the lowest ranking contestant to be eliminated. In between performance are also separate intermediate episodes that document the singers' progress and rehearsals.
Contestants are popular and prominent artists from various genres of the Korean music industry. Each contestant is paired with a "manager", seven Korean entertainers and comedians who serve as mentors, accompany their singers throughout the week to provide support during rehearsals and provide comic relief to the show.
The competition is documented by the week. At the beginning of the 1st performance week, each contestant selects a song of their choice. All contestants spend the week practicing and planning, given free rein on the interpretation of their songs and the staging of their performances. After the performance, votes from the 500-member studio audience determine the singers' rankings, although there is no elimnation.
For the 2nd performance week, the singers gather and are assigned predetermined songs that fit their vocal range and style, and the rest of the week is spent in rehearsals and consulting with other musicians. These intermediate episodes include sample performances in the middle of the week, allowing the contestants to exhibit their progress in front of fellow competitors. The competitors privately vote for 1st and 7th place, determining the singers' rankings to serve as a checkpoint.
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