Ahead of its Tuesday, Sept. 23 premiere at 9 p.m. KST, the show dropped first-look performance clips featuring contestants taking on Lee Eun-ha’s 1986 classic ““As You Smiled and Let Me Go” and Boohwal’s fan-favorite “Never Ending Story.”
"The Ballad of Us" revisits the life-soundtrack ballads etched in our memories and hunts for the fresh voices of 2025 to make them new again. A 150-member “Top Ears” panel scans the stage for hidden gems, while contestants―averaging just 18 years old―deliver beloved ballads from across the decades with a modern twist.
In the newly released footage, one singer’s airy, crystalline tone on Lee Eun-ha’s 1986 hit immediately turns heads. Host Jun Hyun-moo starts grooving from the intro, and panelists MIMI, Choo Sung-hoon, Jung Jae-hyung, and Danny Koo are soon smiling along.
Channeling aching lyrics with a fresh, luminous timbre, the performer quickly earns Yeses from Park Kyung-lim and Jun Hyun-moo. Before long, the entire “Top Ears” panel erupts in cheers and applause. “So good,” Crush marvels, while balladeer Jung Seung-hwan listens intently―only heightening curiosity about the mystery vocalist.
Another contender tackles Boohwal’s 2002 staple “Never Ending Story,” holding the room breathless from the very first line. With resonant emotion and a powerhouse belt, the performance commands the stage. Jung Jae-hyung wipes away tears, and Cha Tae-hyun and Park Kyung-lim can’t contain theirs either―triggering a full-on tear alert among the panel.
"The Ballad of Us" hails from SBS’s audition hitmakers: chief producer Park Sung-hoon and director Jung Ik-seung of "K-pop Star"; writer Mo Eun-seol of Netflix’s global breakout "Culinary Class Wars"; and director Ahn Jung-hyun, who steered the long-running variety favorite "My Little Old Boy." In partnership with SM Entertainment and top management company SM C&C, the large-scale series premieres Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. KST on SBS.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)