From left: Comedian Jang Do-yeon, singer Minho of SHINee and comedian Yoon Se-yoon pose for photos before an online press conference Tuesday. (Tving)
Webtoons and K-pop, two of the leading powers in the Korean Wave, are to join hands to create greater synergy in Tving’s extended reality music competition show “Webtoon Singer.”
It is not the first time for a webtoon to team up with K-pop.
In 2020, the original soundtrack for the popular Daum Webtoon series, “She's My Type," sung by K-pop boy band B1A4’s Sandeul, reached the No. 2 spot on local streaming platform Melon, following BTS’ “Dynamite.”
To keep up with the trend, Tving's new music show seeks to entertain viewers in a different way, adding high-tech and live performances.
“The hosts -- Minho of SHINee, comedians Jang Do-yeon and Yoon Se-yoon -- felt that ‘Webtoon Singer’ offers an amazing stage for the artists, making the singers really want to perform on stage. I wanted to be on the stage, if I had an opportunity,” Minho said in an online press conference held on Tuesday.
Tving’s upcoming music show is presented with XR technology, featuring themes and scenes from the webtoon series in Naver Webtoon -- South Korean tech giant Naver’s web comic platform.
A total of 16 webtoon series from Naver Webtoon -- South Korean tech giant Naver's web comic platform -- including the hit zombie webtoon “All of Us Are Dead” by author Joo Dong-geun, the action webtoon, “God of High School” by Park Yong-je, the mystery webtoon “Dr. Frost” by Lee Jong-beom, will be featured.
“There are examples of popular drama series, which are adapted from webtoon projects. I created ‘Webtoon Singer,’ believing that we could bring out an unexpected synergy by collaborating between webtoon with globally famous K-pop acts,” TV director Hwang Sung-ho said.
Singers Hyolyn (left) and Hyojung of Oh My Girl perform in "Webtoon Singer" (Tving)
Artists will sing a song from the webtoon series that they have chosen. The music will either be remakes of original soundtracks or new songs created for the show.
“Webtoon Singer” will also feature original creators and illustrators, introducing their projects and sharing additional stories about the work for the fans.
Rock band Soran, boy band AB6IX, vocalist Hyolyn and Hyojung of Oh My Girl are set to compete in the first episode of the show.
The webtoon and K-pop-themed music competition show is set to premiere Friday on Tving.
MOST POPULAR