"K-Pop Star 4" Kicks Off Auditions, Scheduled to Begin Airing in November

SBS released on May 31 that “K-Pop Star 4” has officially gone into productions.

The fourth season of the popular audition program will start the first round of auditions starting June 1. The first round will be a phone audition, as contestants will be required to phone in.

Unlike other audition programs that met with low ratings and negative feedback in recent times, “K-Pop Star 3,” which started airing in November of 2013, was a success with very high ratings. It gained positive reviews for focusing on the contestants’ talents instead of their behind stories, and also for judges who genuinely interacted with the contestants. Yoo Hee Yeol, who joined the third season as a judge, was also met with praise.

Particularly notable is the show contestants’ success after the latest season. Winner Bernard Park has signed with JYP, while runner-up Sam Kim and top 3 Kwon Jin Ah signed with Yoo Hee Yeol’s Antenna Music. Jang Hana and Lee Chae Young have joined YG. Other top participants like Nam Young Joo also received love-calls from major agencies.

The producers of “K-Pop Star” has admitted, “we were constantly under a lot of pressure for all the seasons,” adding confidently, “we have always tried to incorporate new topics and new stories into the show, and for this season we will also be trying something new.”

“K-Pop Star 4” will hold auditions in the United States, Europe, Oceania, and Asia throughout July. The national auditions will be held throughout the country in August and September. The phone auditions will begin June 1 and run through September 19.