The results of the first episode of the singing competition variety show “Singer 2024” on Hunan TV revealed that American and Canadian singers respectively clinched the top two spots, while Chinese contestants were criticized by mainland netizens for their perceived lack of talent. This sparked an online campaign calling for talented singers to join the competition and win the “patriotic defense battle” in the Chinese music industry.
According to reports from mainland media, the singing competition show “Singer 2024” on Hunan TV, which returned after a four-year hiatus this season, premiered on the 10th. The show featured foreign singers from the US, Chante Moore, and Canada, Faouzia Ouihya, along with mainland Chinese singers Na Ying, Wang Su Long, Second Hand Roses, Hailai Amu, and Taiwanese singer Rainie Yang.
Differing from previous recordings, this season of “Singer” adopted a live broadcast format for the first time, presenting the contestants’ live performances to the audience. With live voting from 500 on-site spectators and 500 online international judges, the results showed that American Chante Moore and Canadian Faouzia claimed the top two spots. Meanwhile, mainland netizens described the third-placed Na Ying and other singers as having an “absurd feeling of a doctoral supervisor competing with a primary school student,” with some joking that “Singer 2024” had become the “Na Ying Adventure Diary.”
Reports stated that due to the use of the “full live broadcast” format for the first time, the seasoned performer Na Ying expressed being “startled” during the pre-program press conference. After her performance, Na Ying even revealed that she was “scared to the point of weak legs.” Following a group interview, when encouraged by a journalist in the audience not to be nervous, Na Ying quickly retorted, “Then you go on stage and try,” causing laughter among the audience.
The topic of “Chinese singers being overwhelmed” gained traction after the show aired. Despite being portrayed as a “patriotic general,” Chinese singer Na Ying, ranked third, still faced age and gender discrimination from mainland netizens, mocking her as “Madam Fifty Guarding the National Gate” or more explicitly as “Fifty-year-old lady guarding the national gate.”
Although Na Ying gave a decent performance, compared to the foreign contestants’ effortless performances, the nervous appearance of this veteran singer frequently trended on Weibo. With the two foreign singers leading in rankings, mainland netizens expressed fervor and rushed to leave messages below the posts of power vocalists, rallying them to “defend the nation” and pledge to “beat the foreigners.”
According to incomplete data, over ten singers have actively requested to join the program, including well-known singer Han Hong, who participated in the third season of “I Am a Singer” in 2015. Han Hong, a former deputy leader of the Cultural Troupe of the PLA Air Force, voluntarily declared her participation, posting on Weibo on the 12th, saying “I am Chinese singer Han Hong, and I volunteer for battle.” Jì Mǐnjiā (now known as Jì Dāndí) also volunteered for battle in “Singer 2024,” challenging other singers on stage against foreign friends, while Téng Gél responded to netizens urging him to “quickly return to drive out the foreigners and save the country” by saying, “I’ve seen it!”
Despite “Singer 2024” sparking a “war,” reports suggest that the Chinese Communist Party seems to want to dampen the nationalist sentiments ignited by the unexpected turn of events. The official Weibo account of “Singer 2024” swiftly responded to public opinion, stating that the program has a “strict schedule system, fair, just, and open competition rules,” and that they would invite future participants based on their availability, emphasizing that “winning is just a stage for the singer, and embracing is the destination of music.”
Observer Net, a mainland media outlet, published a commentary cautioning against interpreting the event in a broad political context.
The article suggested that “Singer 2024” excels in revealing the true level of the entertainment industry, exposing the long-concealed decay of the domestic entertainment market to the impact of high-quality foreign entertainment services, serving as an eye-opener for the entertainment circle.
Opinion writer Cháng Píng believes that “trailers and entertainment films are two sides of the same coin. Hunan TV seamlessly transitioned from a ‘pure entertainment’ revenue model to a more provocative patriotic marketing model by flipping the coin.”