Sung Si-kyung brought his newly polished Japanese―and that signature silky tone―to prime-time TV in Japan, and viewers couldn’t get enough.
On Nov. 28, the singer appeared on TBS’s music-variety special “Hamada Music Festival,” stunning the crowd with pitch-perfect vocals that had the studio buzzing.
After easing into the early rounds, he sprang to life when a familiar track came up, nailing every note and turning the taping into a mini concert as the audience begged for more of his honeyed voice.
Two days later, on Nov. 30, he kept the momentum going on Fuji TV’s family favorite “Chidori no Oni Renchan,” stealing the spotlight with effortless charm and control.
In a high-pressure segment where contestants must hit pitch, rhythm, and lyrics with exact precision to advance, Sung breezed through WHAM!’s “Last Christmas,” then drew rapt attention with a lush take on Elvis Costello’s “She.”
Known for eliminating many singers in the early stages, the segment saw Sung clear song after song―J-pop and Western pop alike―showcasing razor-sharp intonation and nuanced interpretation across genres.
He sailed through nine rounds in a row, and when he went for a tenth, the panelists and audience erupted in gasps. He narrowly missed the streak, but viewers praised his fluid tone and tasteful, clean runs that shifted seamlessly with each song’s mood.
His showstopping turns on Japanese variety quickly reverberated back home, catching fire online and drawing raves from fans celebrating his “perfect pitch” and calling Korea “lucky to have Sung Si-kyung.”
A mainstay balladeer with enduring appeal, Sung is now expanding his reach beyond borders. Fans are applauding his decision not to rest on his laurels―honing near-native Japanese and refining his delivery on Japanese tracks―proof that hard work and passion still win the day.
Sung, who is active in both Korea and Japan, spent the past year and a half studying the language and passed the highest level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), N1, further cementing his reputation as a skill-driven artist.
Photo: SK Jaewon, TV broadcast)
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)