On August 30, mainland Chinese singer Na Ying and Canadian singer Faouzia teamed up to participate in a new program. During the interview, Na Ying responded for the first time to the controversy sparked by winning the “Song King” title in “Singer 2024” last month.
At the “Singer 2024” Song King battle held on July 26 this year, Na Ying, who had previously been lagging behind in rankings, defeated Sun Nan, Tan Weiwei, and Canadian singer Faouzia to claim the championship. On July 27, a Weibo post leaked a backstage whisper between Kazakh singer Dimash and Faouzia, raising suspicions of behind-the-scenes manipulation, causing a stir on the internet. Some netizens exclaimed, “Oh my, Faouzia fell out of the top three for the first time, and it happened in the grand finale.”
According to reports from Tencent, Faouzia emerged as the champion three times, runner-up five times, and third place twice in the previous ten episodes of the program (she did not have to participate in the first elimination episode). Host Hu Haiquan once praised her, saying: “She has created a historical record for the show ‘Singer.’ She is the first debut singer who has never fallen out of the top three rankings in any single episode throughout the season.”
Although there have been ongoing speculations about scripted arrangements by the program team, many Chinese fans bluntly stated that the script was rigged, criticizing that “the Chinese music scene is still about connections and seniority” and even mocking that the show has “embarrassed itself internationally.” However, the program team responded by claiming that the results were genuine with no manipulation behind the scenes, and Na Ying also expressed that she is willing to face negative feedback.
A month has passed since the competition, and Na Ying has returned to Hunan Satellite TV’s Mango Channel for the live music variety show “Next Battle Singer.” She and Faouzia have transitioned from competitors to benchmark singers, accepting challenges from the new generation of singers and vying for a ticket to “Singer 2025.”
Of particular interest, after the live broadcast ended, Na Ying, in a rare move, addressed the controversy surrounding her victory during an interview with the “Cherry Pie Media.” She seemed to change her previous statement, openly admitting that she had always believed Faouzia would win and that after she won herself, she felt as though “thunder had struck in her heart,” even mentioning that she was afraid to face Faouzia.