Actor Choi Daniel is stepping into the music-competition arena as the host of “Veiled Musician” ― and he’s sharing how he prepared for the gig.
At a press conference for the global vocal project held Nov. 12 at SBS headquarters in Seoul, Choi said, “When the MC offer first came in, I honestly wondered, ‘Are they sure about this?’ Still, I was grateful they trusted me with the job, and it made me want to work even harder for the show.”
“Veiled Musician” is a supersized audition series rolling out simultaneously across nine Asian countries ― including Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mongolia, Laos and Indonesia. Contestants keep their faces, ages and professions under wraps, getting judged solely on their voices and musicality. Each country picks a Top 3, who will gather in January on SBS under the banner “Veiled Cup” for a nation-vs.-nation vocal showdown to crown Asia’s No. 1.
The Korean panel features Ailee, Paul Kim, Shin Yong-jae, MONSTA X’s KIHYUN, BOL4 and KISS OF LIFE’s BELLE, with Choi serving as MC.
Though Choi has earned variety cred with turns on shows like "Running Man" and "Point of Omniscient Interfere," this marks his first solo stint hosting a music competition. “Even before filming, I kept in close touch with the producers about what would serve the show best,” he said. “When the judges arrived, I ran out to greet them and tried to set a bright, welcoming tone. On and off camera, I paid attention to a lot of little things.”
He added, “The whole team made everything feel easy, and aside from Paul Kim, it was my first time meeting the judges ― they were all so kind. It was a great experience for me, and I learned a lot.”
As for how he thinks he did? “You can be the judge when it hits Netflix ― leave your verdict in the comments,” he joked.
“Veiled Musician” premieres Nov. 12 on Netflix, with new episodes every Wednesday for eight weeks. “Veiled Cup” is slated to air on SBS in January.
[Photo: Baik Seung-Chul]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)