An Indonesian TV station broadcasts Galaxy Superstar at 8 o’clock every Sunday evening.
On air since February 19th, Galaxy Superstar is a survival-type audition program to pick pop stars for Indonesia. Auditions were held in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, as well as in such major cities as Medan, Makassar, Surabaya, and Semarang. More than ten thousand people showed up for the auditions, illustrating the nation’s keen interest in the program. The top eleven contestants held an official press conference after they came to Korea on March 16 to be trained by a Korean music composer.
Galaxy Superstar is a collaborative project between a Korean entertainment company and an Indonesian TV station. Here’s Mr. Kim Jin-woo, CEO of Rainbow Bridge, the show’s co-producer.
Korean pop music is really hot in Indonesia, and so are audition programs. So we got this idea to hold an audition show that trained talented musicians using the K-pop star incubation system. Korean producers and composers would pick the best local talents and train them in Korea before debuting them in Indonesia. We thought this idea was fresh and that’s how we came up with Galaxy Superstar.
Galaxy Superstar discovers Indonesian talents who are totally into K-pop and dream of becoming a star like K-pop idol groups. Those selected in the survival-type audition shows will undergo Korea’s rigorous training system that has produced wildly popular Korean pop stars. So the show is more than just judging who sings Korean pop songs better, but a project to transplant Korea’s star cultivation system to a foreign country. Here’s Mr. Kim Jin-woo, CEO of Rainbow Bridge, the show’s co-producer, again.
Until now most overseas activities of K-pop artists were limited to selling CDs and showing up in concerts or TV shows. But Galaxy Superstar entails an export of a star-incubating system itself. We hope to export this system to not only Indonesia, but several other Southeast Asian countries where K-pop is hugely popular. Training the locals to become stars is one way to promote cultural exchanges between Korean and foreign countries. The show currently airing in Indonesia is also a part of this process. When the show’s winner returns to Indonesia, he or she would likely be a top star there, paving the way for Korea’s musician incubating system to be exported to many other countries.
Thanks to the widespread popularity of Korean pop culture in Southeast Asia, Galaxy Superstar has been at the center of attention since its first episode, and by its third episode the show has set a record rating. Here’s Mr. Sunanto, executive producer of the show.
Galaxy Superstar is a big sensation in Indonesia, because of the popularity of K-pop. In fact, a lot of Galaxy Superstar contestants auditioned with Korean songs. The high rating of Galaxy Superstar is the natural byproduct of globally hot Korean pop music. The show started airing on February 19th and enjoys a large viewership every Sunday evening during primetime.
Korean composer Kim Do-hoon, who took part in Galaxy Superstar as a judge, says he was surprised to see so many contestants singing Korean songs and realized the extent of K-pop’s popularity.
Many contestants sang Korean songs and even rapped in Korean. I was more surprised by the fact that they knew songs that were not that well-known even in Korea. That shows the depth of their interest in K-pop. Anybody could learn top hits, but not lesser-known songs. I felt that they really loved Korean culture. I felt welcomed by the Indonesian audience just like Koreans welcome famous American composers.
Galaxy Superstar is a headline grabber because finalists are given extraordinary prizes. The winner gets vocal and dance training at a famed entertainment company for six months, travel around Korea, and experience the full blunt of Korean pop culture. This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for die hard K-pop fans.
- My name is Ali. I never imagined that I would be a finalist and come to Korea. I had to travel five hours from my hometown on a motorcycle to attend the audition at Semarang.
- I’m Maria and I decided to audition for Galaxy Superstar after seeing its ad about the prize of traveling to Korea.
- My name is Pili, and I decided to participate in the audition, because going to Korea is a great opportunity.
Eleven finalists are getting vocal training at a studio in Seoul. Some of top music composers, including songwriter Kim Do-hoon of “I’m a Loner” and “One Man” and lyricist Hwang Seong-jin of “Will You Marry Me,” are involved in the training as mentors for the future I-pop stars. Jackie, one of the finalists, says he still can’t believe that he’s made it this far and grooming for stardom.
I never imagined that I could come to Korea. I haven’t even been to nearby Malaysia or Singapore. It’s awesome that I’m in Korea. I want to make my dream come true. Everywhere I go in Indonesia, people are crazy about Korea and so many people want to come to Korea.
They have new goals now that they are in Korea getting the training they need to become stars. Finalist Pili says Korean superstar Rain is now his role model.
With my arrival in Korea, becoming a top Asian star has become my new goal. The person who inspired me is in Korea. He’s good at everything – acting, performance, singing. Can I say his name? It’s Rain. He’s been in the show business for quite a while and I’ve been watching him all that time. Rain has inspired a lot of people and I’m one of them.
With a burgeoning population of 250 million, there are bound to be a great number of talented singers in Indonesia. The final eleven selected out of over ten thousand contestants blow everyone away with their singing. Here’s their mentor and composer Kim Do-hoon.
On average they are all technically excellent. Perhaps they are born with their talent in singing and dancing, given the long Indonesian culture of entertainment. One characteristic that sets them apart is that in Korea there tends to be two groups of singers – those with good looks and those with good voices. But these Indonesian talents have everything - the good looks, the star quality, the “it” factor. Korean trainees stick to the given choreography, but these Indonesian students seem to go with the flow and just enjoy themselves. I like that.
The eleven finalists receive training in vocal and dance. Although quite talented, they have never been professionally trained and their dancing still needs a lot of work. Here’s their dance instructor Jeon Hyo-jeong.
They don’t know some basic dance movements, so their dancing is not yet impressive. That’s what they need to work on.
They also need to look more chic and refined. Here’s their stylist Lee Ji-young.
K-pop idols are generally very stylish. What they lack is the sophistication of top celebrities. But that’s what people like me are supposed to work on. I’m going to give them hip and trendy looks, ones that combine the characteristics of Indonesia and Korea. I’m sure they will all look stunning by the final round.
The maximum length of their stay in Korea is six months. Not all of the eleven finalists get to max out their stay. Contestants are eliminated throughout the training period. Even during the training sessions they are being judged constantly. Here’s Mr. Kim Jin-woo, CEO of Rainbow Bridge, the show’s co-producer.
The eleven finalists are given missions and paired for competitions. The three-month intensive training course will determine who gets ahead and who goes home. Those who survive the first three months will undergo even more intense training. The last one left standing will sign on with one of the most influential local talent agencies, and be ready to make a television debut.
The top eleven realize how important this opportunity is. That’s why they are totally focused on their classes. Composer Kim Do-hoon also says that these Indonesian aspiring stars follow a training program different from that for Korean aspirants.
We thought about putting them under a really tough training system, but decided not to. That’s because they are already very talented technique-wise. Another reason is because they come from a culture different from Korean culture. Indonesians tend to learn better when they’re given praises instead of harsh criticisms. Rather than teaching them singing techniques, we decided to show how to be more sophisticated like Korean pop stars. Rather than putting them through ten hours of dance practice, we are showing them how top idol stars in Korea dress and act, so they can give off that aura of celebrity as well.
The Galaxy Superstar finalists are also given a chance to taste Korean food and experience Korean traditional culture. Here’s Mr. Kim Jin-woo, CEO of Rainbow Bridge, the show’s co-producer.
They’re not simply learning how to sing and dance. When you want to learn about a culture, you have to fully experience all aspects of that culture. They are here to learn about K-pop culture, but they also need to learn about Korean traditions and perhaps bring the two cultures of Indonesia and Korea closer together.
Some of them may get eliminated during the training and have to leave early, but they are still full of hopes and dreams. That is why Rosella loves singing the title song of Dream High, a TV show about young people wanting to be stars.
The eleven trainees seem to have decided to enjoy this moment. They’re already living their dreams of coming to Korea and being mentored by Korea’s top star makers. They sing their favorite Korean songs and imagine themselves as world stars.
I have so much to learn - how to perform like Korean stars, how to grab people’s interest, and how to inspire people. I want to learn everything and become a star. I don’t want to be just popular, but become an all-around entertainer who never rests to develop his talents.
K-pop is sweeping the Asian music market and poised to stand on the global stage. With more collaborative audition projects between Korean and local producers, Korean pop culture would gain more attention and respect throughout the world.
