Jun Hyun-moo, a seasoned emcee of music competition shows, brought veteran polish to SBS’s new audition series "The Ballad of Us," proving once again why he’s the go-to host.
After teaser clips pulled in massive views ahead of launch, "The Ballad of Us" finally bowed ― with Jun pulling double duty as MC and a representative of the 150-member "Top 100 Listeners" panel, the show’s crowd-powered tastemakers.
Premiering Tuesday, Sept. 23, the series asks today’s voices to reimagine the ballads that have soundtracked our lives. The first main-round episode, built around the theme "My First Ballad," showcased Jun as both ringmaster and panelist, earning notice for feel over flash.
True to form, he kept the night moving with crisp, unfussy transitions, neatly distilling the flood of panel feedback and slipping in honest, unforced notes on the music along the way.
He leaned into the nostalgia, marveling at archival clips and fully immersing himself in contestants’ all-out performances. Jun’s warm reactions made a high-stakes stage feel human ― he even created quick breathers to shake off nerves (and wipe sweat) and offered quiet thumbs-ups when someone shared a vulnerable story, small gestures that meant a lot to first-time performers.
As "The Ballad of Us" strikes a chord across generations and offers genuine comfort, Jun stands out ― a trend-savvy panelist and ace MC in one. Expect more of that poise as the competition heats up.
"The Ballad of Us" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. KST on SBS.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)