THE best singing competition show on TV I have ever seen, from any country/any network. It has all the elements for a great show: superbly handsome singers, amazing vocals, high musical quality (from the band, to the producer to the judges), funny real life clips and amazing connections between the competitors. In China, it's been dubbed: A show in which celestial gods fight. However to be honest, you don't feel any fighting spirit in this show as all the singers really respect each other and encourage/help each other to give a good performance. They have one common goal: to make Opera and Musicals more popular in China.
A few things that makes this show so special:
- The Music: All the competitors are graduates or students currently studying Opera/Musical performance in University. The song selection has a wide variety, from operas to popular musical songs to a mix of pop music with the above two genre. The singing is absolutely superb, with minimal post production tuning. Many songs brought me (and fellow competitors) to tears, which no other singing competition ever did before. In fact now 4 months after the show ended, I still have 50 songs from this show playing in my daily playlist. It's very addictive.
- The Looks: OH..where to start.... They are some of the most handsome boys I have ever seen on TV. And a collection of them all together. The average height of the group is 183m, with amazing body proportions. I would say a third are around 19/20 years of age, another third mid twenties , and another third late twenties early thirties. There is someone for every taste, from cute to sexy to sporty to goofy, etc..Most of them can make a living just based on their looks alone, but they also happen to have great talent and personalities.
Their personalities: Since Opera and Musicals are not mainstream in China, and it's hard to make money with that profession, those boys must have a real love of music in order to decide to study in this field. Their goal is not to become super-stars, so they are very real, and sometimes show their funny/foolish side. It is very refreshing compared to other K-pop./C-pop band shows where everyone tries to adhere to a celebrity persona. They get along soooooo well with each other that you almost think it's faked (but it's very real, initially the producers wanted to show more drama, but the singers wouldn't let that happen).
- The professionalism and talent: Because of the nature of this competition, sometime a singer only has 2 hours to prepare his next piece. You get to see how during this short time they learn to sing the song (sometimes in French, Italian, etc) , coordinate with the accompanying pianist, work with their partner on the vocals (they often sing in group of 2 or 3 or more), etc. At times, the accompanying band has to make very last minute changes, and even the judge (Henry) will play the violin or the piano to help. In fact, one of the lead pianist also became really popular after this show due to how talented he was. Many of the singers also play an instrument, and you can see them rehearsing with the instrument.
Bonus: if you are into BL, let me tell you this show has more than you can digest. The chemistry between some of the singers are unreal. And if you are not into BL, you will at least appreciate the real friendship that develops in the show .
I would say give this show a chance, and if you do, please watch the long uncut version on Mango TV.
A few things that makes this show so special:
- The Music: All the competitors are graduates or students currently studying Opera/Musical performance in University. The song selection has a wide variety, from operas to popular musical songs to a mix of pop music with the above two genre. The singing is absolutely superb, with minimal post production tuning. Many songs brought me (and fellow competitors) to tears, which no other singing competition ever did before. In fact now 4 months after the show ended, I still have 50 songs from this show playing in my daily playlist. It's very addictive.
- The Looks: OH..where to start.... They are some of the most handsome boys I have ever seen on TV. And a collection of them all together. The average height of the group is 183m, with amazing body proportions. I would say a third are around 19/20 years of age, another third mid twenties , and another third late twenties early thirties. There is someone for every taste, from cute to sexy to sporty to goofy, etc..Most of them can make a living just based on their looks alone, but they also happen to have great talent and personalities.
Their personalities: Since Opera and Musicals are not mainstream in China, and it's hard to make money with that profession, those boys must have a real love of music in order to decide to study in this field. Their goal is not to become super-stars, so they are very real, and sometimes show their funny/foolish side. It is very refreshing compared to other K-pop./C-pop band shows where everyone tries to adhere to a celebrity persona. They get along soooooo well with each other that you almost think it's faked (but it's very real, initially the producers wanted to show more drama, but the singers wouldn't let that happen).
- The professionalism and talent: Because of the nature of this competition, sometime a singer only has 2 hours to prepare his next piece. You get to see how during this short time they learn to sing the song (sometimes in French, Italian, etc) , coordinate with the accompanying pianist, work with their partner on the vocals (they often sing in group of 2 or 3 or more), etc. At times, the accompanying band has to make very last minute changes, and even the judge (Henry) will play the violin or the piano to help. In fact, one of the lead pianist also became really popular after this show due to how talented he was. Many of the singers also play an instrument, and you can see them rehearsing with the instrument.
Bonus: if you are into BL, let me tell you this show has more than you can digest. The chemistry between some of the singers are unreal. And if you are not into BL, you will at least appreciate the real friendship that develops in the show .
I would say give this show a chance, and if you do, please watch the long uncut version on Mango TV.