The mainland music variety show “Singer 2025,” which claims to be live, unedited, and featuring competitive singing with open microphones, recently held its final showdown, with Chinese male singer Chen Chusheng ultimately winning the championship. However, over ten minutes before the results were officially announced, the ranking list was leaked online, with a netizen capturing a photo in the control room that appeared to show a note indicating the ranking results. Following the announcement of the competition results, various doubts surfaced online, leading the program into controversy over allegations of a “pre-determined champion.”
Prior to the conclusion of the final showdown, a photo of a handwritten note allegedly taken in the control room started circulating on social media. The note listed the final rankings of seven singers, matching the results announced by the program without any deviation. It listed Chen Chusheng as first, Mickey Guyton as second, Diān Yīchún as third, and A-Lin as last, in accordance with the final rankings of the competition.
This photo quickly triggered a storm of criticism from netizens, with many questioning foul play in the competition, suggesting that the champion had already been decided in advance. Some eagle-eyed netizens noticed that Chen Chusheng remained calm when announced as the singing king, appearing entirely unsurprised.
“Singer 2025” is a music reality show aired in the second quarter of 2025 by Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV.
After the exposure of the mysterious note, the official Weibo comments section of Hunan Satellite TV was inundated with angry messages from netizens. While some “insiders” claimed it was just a “routine work reminder” for staff, the program team has not yet made a formal response.
Apart from the note incident, other abnormal situations during the final showdown further fueled speculation among netizens.
During A-Lin’s performance of the song “Wounds” with guest singer Páng Jiahui, their singing noticeably went off-key. Following the competition, both revealed that their in-ear monitors malfunctioned simultaneously, resulting in a severe impact on their performance.
Eagle-eyed netizens also observed that on the live solo camera feed, after Páng Jiahui mentioned the microphone problem, the program team appeared to immediately switch to commercials. This action led netizens to criticize the lack of transparency in operations and question whether the program deliberately manipulated the situation to influence the performance of certain singers.
Despite the ongoing controversies, the newly crowned champion, Chen Chusheng, expressed his continued love for music after the competition. He stated that the winning song, “Prize-Winning Piece,” was created a year ago, and being able to perform this song on the final showdown stage was his greatest wish.
“This award is very significant, it’s not just heavy in weight. It constantly reminds me on my future music path that if you love music, it will love you back,” he said.