Watch: Moonbyul, Mimi, Exy, Shin Jimin, Yubin, JooE, Moon Sua, And Kim Seonyou Give Powerful Rap Performances To Kick Off New Survival Show

Aug 30, 2022

JTBC’s “The Second World” has finally kicked off its competition!

“The Second World” is a brand-new survival show in which eight skillful girl group rappers will go head-to-head in a singing competition to break the prejudice that rappers lack vocal talent. The contestants include former Wonder Girls member Yubin, former AOA member Shin Jimin, MAMAMOO’s Moonbyul, Oh My Girl’s Mimi, WJSN’s Exy, MOMOLAND’s JooE, Billlie’s Moon Sua, and CLASS:y’s Kim Seonyou.

On August 30, the new survival show aired its premiere featuring impressive solo performances from all eight contestants. Before beginning the official singing competition, each star gave a rap performance of a brand new song.

Up first was Billlie’s Moon Sua, who revealed that she first began training to become an idol at 12 years old [by Korean reckoning] and was not good at singing. “I was really tone deaf, so they didn’t make me sing at first,” Moon Sua shared. “They recommended that I try rap.”

She continued, “I have a husky voice and when I was younger, this was a big insecurity. I wanted it to feel like I was singing, but no matter what I did, it felt like a rap. I thought a lot about what to do with this voice. However, now people say it’s unique and I personally believe it’s an advantage, so I wanted to try performing with my [singing] voice.”

Moon Sua – “The Magician”

After debuting with the Wonder Girls in 2007, Yubin promoted with the group until their disbandment in 2017. On her solo ventures that followed, Yubin commented, “I tried city pop, retro of various generations, and honestly as someone in their 16th year, I’ve tried a lot of genres. If not now, I don’t think I’d be able to try this [program]. Now, I want to show a bit of my own taste.”

Yubin added, “But on stage, I don’t want to be competitive. What’s the use in beating my juniors? The stage is not some place where you fight. I just want to make a fun and enjoyable festival-like atmosphere.”

Yubin – “The Second World”

MOMOLAND’s JooE revealed that she only began rapping after she joined her agency and was originally a vocalist. “The public hasn’t seen a lot of my artist-like image and I haven’t showcased that a lot either,” she commented.

While she expressed confidence in her vocal ability, JooE also shared her worries, saying, “I was scared. That the broadcast would be inconvenienced [because of me]. In case people said, ‘Why is [JooE] coming out?’ I end up having those worries. If it was a given in the past that people focused on me, now when they do, [I wonder,] ‘Did I do something wrong?'”

JooE – “Decaffeine”

Of her upcoming solo performances, Mimi shared, “They will be very different from Oh My Girl. There are so many images I want to show and I too cannot fathom [my potential]. I just want to be myself and do my performance well.” She confidently added, “Kim Mimi on stage? I have to play. I believe that my own self is my weapon.”

Mimi – “Sunset”

CLASS:y’s Kim Seonyou explained that “The Second World” was her third survival program then added, “I didn’t come out at all in the first one so you can say it didn’t happen. The second one was ‘My Teen Girl’ and I finished in second place.”

Kim Seonyou continued, “As I’m the youngest, it has not been long since I debuted, and I didn’t have a trainee period, [the contestants] probably think I’m easy [to beat]. Through ‘The Second World,’ I want to improve my singing technique and hear ‘she was good.'”

Kim Seonyou – “FIFTEEN”

While Moonbyul has done a wide variety of performances with MAMAMOO, she doesn’t have as much experience performing solo. Similar to JooE, Moonbyul confessed, “When I first started MAMAMOO, I auditioned as a vocalist, then auditioned as a dancer, and once I got in, I was unexpectedly appointed rapper. At the time, it wasn’t a genre I liked so I didn’t like rapping.”

“The fact that I started rap without even liking it hurt my heart at first,” Moonbyul shared. “I’ve released five solo albums but the majority of the public think that even if I release a solo album, it’ll be a rap song. I don’t even think I would try listening to a girl group rapper sing. I want to break that. My goal is for people to remember Moonbyul’s song, not a girl group rapper.”

Moonbyul – “On My Way”

Making her return to broadcasts, Shin Jimin commented, “If you tell me to sing right now, I’m honestly in a nervous state. This is something I have to overcome as I’m going to continue singing in the future and I can’t just sit still.” She then added, “‘Will people accept me again?’ That was my big fear and worry.”

Her older sister expressed her concern that the public might view Shin Jimin’s return as her going back on her word to end promotions as a singer, even if that was not specifically stated. Jimin replied, “I also don’t know how to say it but I don’t think there’s anything I can do other than work hard.” She later shared, “I don’t know when will be my last but I want to show [fans] a good image. That’s why I have to do well.”

Shin Jimin – “VVWD”

The final performer was WJSN’s Exy who reflected on the past competition programs she’s been on. For “The Second World,” Exy commented, “I just want to show an image of Exy as a singer who is good at singing. My goal for this program is to convey my image as an all-rounder.”