The mainland singing variety show “Singer 2024”, which has attracted audiences this year through live broadcasts and unedited sound competitions, has been continuously discussed since its airing. Renowned mainland singer Na Ying’s performance on the show has not met expectations. Not only did she suffer a defeat to overseas singers for three consecutive episodes, but she also ranked bottom in the latest episode, leaving many netizens puzzled and questioning whether the show’s “script is too obvious.”
In the latest episode of “Singer 2024” aired on the 21st, American singer Chante Moore and Canadian singer Faouzia won first and second place respectively, while Taiwanese singer Huang Xuan claimed third place. The fourth to sixth places were taken by mainland singers Sun Nan, Wang Su Long, and Yuan Wei Ya.
Na Ying, who appeared first on the show with braids and a leather vest, performed a rendition of Jin Zhiwen’s “Suddenly Missing”. During her performance, Na Ying swayed to the upbeat rhythm, showing a more relaxed overall performance compared to previous episodes. However, she only received a voting rate of 8.89%, landing her in seventh place. Fortunately, the wildcard singer failed to challenge her, saving her from elimination.
After the show aired, audiences were left in disbelief, feeling that Na Ying’s performance was much improved compared to past episodes, yet she ranked last. Many questioned whether it was orchestrated by the show’s producers, speculating that Na Ying was simply following the scripted arrangement. Netizens commented, “Is it really not scripted?” and “They want to first crush Na Ying and then fight back.” The keyword “Na Ying unexpectedly ranks seventh” even trended on Weibo.
NetEase’s account “Ma Qingyun’s Audio and Entertainment” boldly stated, “I feel that in this episode, it was a staged act for Na Ying to come last.”
The author analyzed that Na Ying, a powerhouse singer, was off-key and forgot lyrics during her performance, clearly lowering her usual standards. During the interactive segment of the latest episode, the host consistently mentioned that the search content trend related to Na Ying was “Na Ying is so beautiful,” but Na Ying brushed it off, believing she was associated with another negative search trend. This was actually a hint that Na Ying’s ranking would be bottom.
The article pointed out, “From the perspective of variety show scripts, only by placing Na Ying last can more discussion be generated.” It also suggested that Na Ying’s ranking directly impacts the online buzz of “Singer 2024,” stating, “If Na Ying ranks second, third, fourth, or fifth, there is minimal buzz, but if she ranks seventh or first, it becomes popular content.”
Since Na Ying joined “Singer 2024,” her performances in each episode have been highly anticipated and consistently criticized by viewers. When she attempted to sing Jay Chou’s song “Starry Mood,” she had significant pitch issues, leading netizens to exclaim, “She really ‘stranded’ the song.” In the sixth episode, her choice of Tong An Ge’s “Can’t Forget” was deemed bland and uninspiring, with criticism of her song selection being too conservative.