After more than two months of the Chinese singing program “Singer 2024”, the battle for the title of Singing King took place on July 26. Na Ying, who had once been at the bottom of the rankings, emerged victorious over Sun Nan, Tan Weiwei, and Canadian singer Faouzia, claiming the championship. However, on July 27, a video circulated on Weibo showing Kazakh singer Dimash whispering to Faouzia backstage, forgetting to turn off his microphone, leading to speculations of behind-the-scenes drama and causing a stir on the internet.
The official Weibo account of “Singer 2024” posted the results of the competition, prompting a flood of criticism in the comments section. Netizens expressed disbelief, with some commenting, “Are you even brave enough to post this?” and “You shouldn’t organize this event next year.” One user even exclaimed, “Faouzia, for the first time out of the top three, actually happened in the grand finale.”
Na Ying, the champion, expressed during an interview on the 26th that she had anticipated receiving negative comments after winning. When asked if she dared to accept them, she responded confidently, “I do,” showing her resilience. Na Ying believed that she was the only one who truly understood the entire process and expressed gratitude towards herself and everyone present.
According to reports from Tencent, Faouzia had won first place three times, second place five times, and third place twice in the previous ten episodes of the program (excluding the eleventh episode where the initial guest did not have to participate in elimination). Host Hu Haiquan praised Faouzia for creating a historic record on the show, being the first singer to never fall out of the top three rankings throughout the entire season. However, Faouzia unexpectedly finished fourth in the grand finale, shocking many fans and sparking criticism. Many mainland Chinese fans argued that the script seemed manipulated, criticizing that the Chinese music industry still relied on hierarchy and status, and mocking that the program had become “embarrassing even on an international level.”
The production team of “Singer 2024” released a message late on the 27th, seemingly closing the program with thoughts on authenticity and trust. The message began with the title “Certainty in the Real, No Defense Needed” and continued with, “After 77 days of scrutiny, we thank the voices of the crowd, which affirm – that truth is a stance in itself. Certainty in the real, no defense needed. Music cannot deceive people, and people cannot deceive music.” These words were interpreted as a response to the “black box controversy”.
Shortly after, a video circulated on Weibo showing Dimash being caught on camera backstage whispering to Faouzia, saying, “They said, It must be a Chinese before you.” Faouzia responded with resignation, “Ok, It’s no problem.” As Dimash had not turned off his microphone, the conversation, albeit faint, was fully recorded during the live broadcast.
While mainland netizens engaged in heated discussions about Dimash, who served as a guest singer and seemingly revealed the truth without filter on the show, speculating that his future developments in China might be impacted, Dimash addressed the controversy in a video response. He explained that Faouzia had invited him to perform together, but as a Kazakh person, he couldn’t agree to the proposal, as the show’s team insisted that Faouzia had to collaborate with a Chinese singer. Dimash clarified that what he actually said was, “They said, It Must be a Chinese singer for you,” rather than “Chinese singer before you.”