Music show 'Webtoon Singer' to mix comics with K-pop

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 09:25

Shows & Dramas

Music show 'Webtoon Singer' to mix comics with K-pop

Posted : 2023-02-15 15:53

Updated : 2023-02-16 16:21

From left, comedian Jang Do-yeon, producer Hwang Sung-ho, singer-actor Choi Min-ho and comedian Yoo Se-yoon, pose during an online press conference for Tving's music show, "Webtoon Singer," Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Tving

By Lee Gyu-lee

It is not surprising for creators to seek collaboration between different forms of pop culture. Now, a collaboration between the well-established K-pop form and the emerging webtoon forms is opening up new source materials for various adaptations.

Tving's new music show, "Webtoon Singer," brings together popular webcomics with music from a variety of genres.

"Webcomics and K-pop have been globally popular. Especially webcomics have drawn a lot of attention (in recent years)," the show's producer, Hwang Sung-ho, said during an online press conference for the show, Tuesday.

"There are dramas based on webtoons that had success. I felt there could be an enormous synergy if we bring K-pop and K-webcomics together. It started from 'what if we introduce webcomics through music?'"

The platform's new original show, scheduled to release on Friday, will feature 16 webcomics and their creators collaborating with musicians from different genres, including ballad, dance, crossover, and gugak ― Korea's traditional music. Comedians Jang Do-yeon and Yoo Se-yoon and singer-actor Choi Min-ho will be the hosts.

Jang and Yoo will both introduce an artist in each episode. His or her performance will incorporate the storytelling of selected webcomics. The audience on the set will vote for the best performance and decide the winner of the episode.

The producer hinted that the performances will have cutting-edge technology to bring the digital comics' story into a musical performance.

"In introducing the webtoons and expressing them, we took in technologies like XR and AR as we tried not to have limitations in laying out the performance," he said.

"We carefully selected webcomics so even the people who haven't read the webcomics can also enjoy them. We decided on a total of 16 works based on their storytelling, and diversity in the plot."

The 16 works include "All of Us Are Dead," "Hive," "The Girl Downstairs" and "Love Revolution."

One of the hosts, Choi, shared that he was surprised by the quality of the performances.

"(The production team) makes it possible for the participating artists to create the performance they want. They create the stage so well, bringing high-quality performances," he said, expressing he would also like to take part as a participant and perform on the show.

"When I was first offered the show, it felt really unique. I personally perform on stage as a singer in a group and am also acting. So, I get a lot of series or movie projects that are based on webcomics. And I felt that starring in this show would be a great help."

"Webtoon Singer" will release each episode every Friday, starting on Feb. 17.

gyulee@koreatimes.co.kr