▲ This photo, provided by JTBC's official YouTube channel, shows "Gugak" singer Choi Ye-lim. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean TV network JTBC's survival entertainment show "Poongryu," which attempts at showcasing a crossover between Korean traditional music and popular music, hinted the birth of a "Gugak (music of Korea)" star.

After the first episode of "Master of Poongryu" was aired at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, the name on particular participant, Choi Ye-lim, began to appear here and there on social media.

Based on the beat of American rapper Eminem's "Lose Yourself," Choi mixes Pansori, a Korean genre of musical storytelling, with a Gugak-styled rap.

 

▲ This photo, provided by JTBC's official YouTube channel, shows "Gugak" singer Choi Ye-lim. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
In yesterday's episode, Choi made noticeable mistakes in her performances, such as, stopping in the middle of her song, however she succeeded in advancing to the next round due to her impressive opening and second half of her performance.

Since then, JTBC has posted a full version of Choi's reinterpretation of "Lose Yourself" on YouTube.

Born in 1988, Choi was a Korean musician who majored in Korean music at Mokwon University and received the Pansori grand prize at the 11th "Gwon Sam-deuk, the national singer, Memory of National Korean traditional music Big Festival" in 2010.

During the show, Choi revealed that "even if I perform for a full month, my income only totals up to 800,000 won (around 675.85 dollars)," saying that she had also worked as a reporter for KBS's "Hometown Report," to support her living expenses since it was difficult to make a living with Korean traditional music alone.

Within Choi's rap lyrics, the musician criticizes those who have a considerable amount of money and say "Gugak musicians should not pursue money."

"Poongryu" started with JTBC saying it would present a new trend in Korean traditional music competitions, featuring singers Kim Jong-jin, Lee Juck, Park Jung-hyun, Sung Si-kyung, Song Ga-in, 2PM's Woo-young and Mamamoo's Solar as judges.

The first episode of "Poongryu" recorded a 3.5 percent in viewership.

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