On August 30, 2022, JTBC premiered The Second World, a singing survival show for girl group rappers. It promised to showcase another side of idols assigned to rap, who often receive the misconception that they cannot sing well. Former Wonder Girls member Yubin, former AOA member Jimin, MAMAMOO’s Moonbyul, WJSN’s Exy, OH MY GIRL’s Mimi, former MOMOLAND member JooE, Billlie’s Moon Sua, and CLASS:y’s Seonyou competed for 10 episodes until November 8, 2022. The show was hosted by Paul Kim, with Kim Bumsoo, Jungyup, MeloMance’s Kim Minseok, Apink’s Jeong Eunji, and BTOB’s Seo Eunkwang judging performances as “voice readers.” Winning The Second World offered a chance to record an OST for a JTBC drama and to perform at the 37th Golden Disc Awards. In honor of the show’s first anniversary, let’s explore some highlights from The Second World.   

The Triumphant Return of Shin Jimin

After a three-year hiatus from the entertainment industry, Shin Jimin's return happened on The Second World. On the show, she stated how much of a negative impact the past few years had, but Jimin hoped to continue as a singer. Her introductory stage featured“VVWD” as her first re-appearance on stage for both the audience and for the contestants, who did not know the other cast members’ identities beforehand. She continued to show her star power through songs like “XTRAORDINARY (Dawn ver.)” and her cover of Block B’s “Very Good” with Yubin. Though Jimin was eliminated before the show’s finale, she successfully reintroduced herself to the industry. She finally made her solo debut this February with the EP BOXES. 

The Strength of the Maknae, Kim Seonyou

CLASS:y’s Kim Seonyou was the youngest contestant and the newest idol on The Second World. She competed against Billlie’s Moon Sua, the second youngest, in the first round. Despite being nine years apart, they debuted within six months of each other (November 2021 and May 2022, respectively). The show compared the differences of Moon Sua’s debut after a 12-year training period with Seonyou’s debut without prior trainee experience. However, Seonyou prevailed by wowing the voice readers with her cover of Younha’s “WINTER FLOWER.” Though Moon Sua would enter the finale without Seonyou, The Second World accomplished showcasing a surprising side with other powerful performances: her cover of MONSTA X’s “DRAMARAMA” and her stage of “Burinake NEWTRO ver.” are two excellent stages with some variety.

The Reign of The Emperor, Moonbyul

The Second World used a tarot card theme to represent new possibilities, and labeled Moonbyul as “The Emperor.” It ended up foreshadowing her eventual win. Moonbyul ruled The Second World, and for good reason: the voice leaders awarded most of her stages the highest amount possible. Jungup even commented, “you’re the main vocalist [of MAMAMOO], right?” in Episode 3. Standouts include her cover of DAY6’s “Congratulations”  and her finale song “COMMA.” Both displayed creative ideas featuring stellar singing and compelling performance elements. At the 37th Golden Disk Awards, Moonbyul performed “COMMA” and her The Second World introduction song, “On My Way.”