Singer Lee Seung Gi and artists Lyn, Jung Yong Hwa, and Roy Kim made appearances as the "real singers" in the first episode of 'Synchro U,' which aired on September 16 on KBS 2TV.
The show, hosted by Yoo Jae Suk alongside a strong MC team including Lee Juck, Hoshi, Karina, and others, aims to identify real singers from AI-generated voices.
During the show, Hoshi humorously mentioned his fellow Seventeen member Seungkwan's reaction to his involvement in Yoo Jae Suk's team. Hoshi shared, "I watched with my Seventeen members and Seungkwan seemed jealous I became part of Yoo Jae Suk's team." Yoo Jae Suk made everyone laugh when he added, "When I was on another program with him, he said 'he hates to see you' (with me)."
Karina shared that her groupmates in aespa were excited about her participation, especially after a senior artist performed their song "Next Level" during the pilot episode. She shared, "My members were also envious that I got to watch on the filming site. They are looking forward to seeing if other artists would cover our song after seeing senior Kim Kyung Ho sing our song 'Next Level'."
Jonathan, the new MC, shared his preparation strategy of interacting with AI voices to get accustomed to distinguishing them, highlighting the technological advancements in AI since the pilot aired. He explained, "I actually kept watching 'Synchro U.' I got most of the guesses right so I'm confident. I wondered why everyone couldn't guess the answers right. There are a lot of AI programs out there so I conversed with many AIs to get used to the AI voices."
The audience of 100 people consisted of music majors. Karina asked Yoo Jae Suk, "So, does this mean you’re stepping out now?" Yoo Jae Suk responded, "Even though I’m no longer part of the guessing panel, I don’t know who is appearing or who the real singer is," indicating that he had no prior information.
Lee Yong Jin added, "One piece of good news for us is that if we guess correctly, we get a gold card—and now, Yoo Jae Suk has stepped down," expressing hopeful anticipation.
The lineup for this episode of 'Syncro U' included Insooni, Lyn, Jay Park, Choi Jung Hoon, Lee Seung Gi, and Baek Ji Young.
Upon seeing Lee Seung Gi in the lineup, Hoshi confidently said, "I did a variety show with Seung Gi Hyung, and we practiced karaoke together at Yeon Seok Hyung’s house. Since I’ve heard him sing right next to me, I’ll keep a close watch on him."
Lee Juck added, "I’m close with Baek Ji Young, Lee Seung Gi, and Lyn. We’ve even met privately. If these people appear, they won’t escape my grasp."
Lee Yong Jin analyzed, "Considering how Kim Kyung Ho’s 'Next Level' was performed in the Synchro U pilot, we can also look forward to Insooni’s 'Addicted to Worry.' There’s a good chance for some unexpected song choices from the other singers as well."
The show also included moments of laughter, such as when the panel mistakenly identified Baek Ji Young as the real singer when she was actually an AI. In the second round, Roy Kim, Jung Yong Hwa, and Lee Seung Gi once again made appearances as the real singers, leading the judgment panel to their defeat in identifying the singers.
Yoo Jae Suk mentioned, "Just as a reference, since we aired our pilot episode, AI technology has advanced even further over the past few months. It has become more precise, making it even harder to distinguish voices."
After the first round, Yoo Jae Suk said, "Since I already experienced the pilot episode, I thought I’d get a sense of who’s real, but I really have no idea." Lee Yong Jin added, "In the last pilot, the real singers had certain breathing sounds and characteristics, but today there’s none of that," shaking his head. Hoshi then apologized to Lee Seung Gi, saying, "Sorry, Seung Gi Hyung. I wanted to hear more. This is way too hard."
Lyn’s performance was unanimously voted as that of a real singer, while the panel couldn’t be sure about the other singers.
As expected, Baek Ji Young turned out to be AI, and Lee Juck, who had confidently claimed she was a real singer, covered his face, saying, "This is embarrassing."
Lee Seung Gi was indeed a real singer. He said, "I came with nothing to promote, just to congratulate the show on its first official episode." Yoo Jae Suk welcomed him, saying, "It’s been a while since we’ve seen Seung Gi perform on stage like this, even though he’s primarily a singer."
Lee Seung Gi joked, "I think I prepared harder than I do for my own performances. I couldn’t make it too obvious." He then complimented Lee Yong Jin, saying, "You were really sharp. I usually avoid using vocal bending techniques, but you didn’t catch me. Surprisingly, Karina got it right." Karina responded confidently, "I said I was moved, but no one believed me. Please trust me this time."
Lyn was also revealed to be a real singer. Lee Juck, deeply impressed, commented, "She's truly a phenomenal vocalist. We've seen Lyn grow since she was young, and now she's become a truly profound and great singer. It was an honor to hear her sing this song," as he respectfully bowed to her as the original singer.
The lineup for the second round included Baek Ji Young, Jang Kiha, Lee Seung Gi, Roy Kim, Lyn, and Jung Yong Hwa. Yoo Jae Suk explained, "Lee Seung Gi and Lyn, who were featured as real artists before, are back, along with a new dream artist."
In the second round, Jung Yong Hwa, Lee Seung Gi, and Roy Kim were revealed as the real singers. By the third round, Jung Yong Hwa, Lee Seung Gi, Roy Kim, and Lyn were all revealed as real singers, leading to the judging panel's defeat.
Following Synchro U's official premiere, Lee Seung Gi shared his joy, saying, "I'm really happy to have participated again. We took away so much gold... I'll definitely be back next time to collect more," he joked, bringing laughter to the audience.
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