Chinese Singing Competition Invites Foreign Grammy Winners, Then Regrets It & Rigs The Results

Summary

Moral Of The Story: Chinese Singing Competition Invites Foreign Grammy Winners, Then Regrets It & Rigs The Results

Host: Stephanie Soo
Episode Release Date: February 17, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of "Moral Of The Story," Stephanie Soo delves into the tumultuous ninth season of the highly controversial Chinese singing competition, "I Am a Singer. 2024." This season stirred unprecedented debate by inviting foreign Grammy-winning artists to compete alongside established Chinese singers, leading to accusations of favoritism and rigged results.

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Background of the Show

"I Am a Singer" originally premiered in China in 2013, adapting the format from a South Korean series. The competition featured only professional singers who had already made significant names for themselves in the industry. By 2020, after eight successful seasons, the show faced a decline in viewership and went on a four-year hiatus. However, in 2024, Mango TV revived the show with ambitious plans to rejuvenate its format by introducing live-streamed performances without any editing or lip-syncing, promising a raw and authentic competition.

Notable Quote:
Tiffany [03:14]: "This is probably the most controversial singing show other than a different one that we covered. But we're not going to get saddies right now."

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Season 9: Introduction of Foreign Singers and Format Changes

The ninth season marked a significant shift by inviting two foreign singers: Fozia, a 24-year-old Moroccan-Canadian singer and songwriter, and Shantae Moore, a 57-year-old Grammy-nominated American vocalist. The inclusion of these international artists was intended to elevate the competition's prestige but instead ignited fierce debate among Chinese netizens.

Notable Quote:
Chris [02:19]: "Ni hao from the other side."

The new format emphasized live performances with no room for perfectionism, exposing singers to real-time critiques and eliminating the polished facade typical of East Asian entertainment. This transparency was a double-edged sword, showcasing both genuine talent and vulnerabilities.

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Key Contestants and Performances

1. Na Ying: A revered figure in the Chinese music industry, often compared to Western icons like Celine Dion. Despite her status, Na Ying consistently ranked low each week, stirring skepticism about the show's fairness.

2. Shantae Moore: Her performance of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" was met with overwhelming praise, showcasing flawless vocals and emotional depth. Audience reactions were intensely positive, positioning her as a frontrunner.

3. Secondhand Rose: Known as China's "funeral band," their traditional ceremonial style clashed with the modern pop performances, leading to mixed reviews and memes mocking their performances.

4. Fozia: Demonstrated exceptional vocal prowess with her rendition of Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain," earning her the first place in the initial rounds.

5. Adam Lambert: Introduced in the third episode as a challenger, renowned for his vocal range and stage presence. His participation intensified the competition, leading to debates about national pride and musical integrity.

Notable Quote:
Chris [34:13]: "Someone is tooting up a storm right next to her at all times."

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Netizen Reactions and Meme Culture

The integration of foreign artists triggered a wave of memes and online discourse reflecting nationalistic sentiments. Netizens expressed concerns over foreign dominance, leading to humorous yet critical memes like "National Protection War" and calls for better Chinese singers to represent the nation.

Notable Quote:
Tiffany [35:04]: "This is no longer a singing show. This is a battle to defend the honor of Chinese music."

The show's transparency fueled creativity among viewers, who populated social media platforms with memes depicting exaggerated scenarios of national pride and musical supremacy.

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Controversies and Allegations of Rigging

As the competition progressed, discrepancies between live performances and final rankings raised suspicions of bias towards Chinese contestants. Despite Fozia and Shantae Moore's strong performances, the eventual win by Na Ying, who had previously underperformed week after week, led to widespread allegations of rigging.

Notable Quote:
Chris [67:28]: "She wins."

Post-competition analyses revealed inconsistencies in voting patterns and ranking criteria, further fueling distrust among the audience. Veteran singers, including Jenny Tseng, publicly criticized the show's integrity, accusing it of favoring established Chinese artists over foreign talents.

Notable Quote:
Tiffany [69:20]: "She was friends with Coco Lee... they felt really shitty for the foreign singers."

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Finale and Aftermath

The grand finale, held on July 26, 2024, coincided with the Paris Olympics' opening ceremony. Na Ying's victory was met with mixed emotions—celebration from her supporters and outrage from those who believed her win was undeserved. The show concluded amidst a cacophony of criticism, with netizens vowing never to support another season.

Notable Quote:
Tiffany [68:10]: "And the production team does. They said, well done, singing competition. Let's not do it again."

The finale solidified the show's legacy as one of the most scandal-ridden competitions in entertainment history, highlighting the complexities of blending nationalistic expectations with global talent.

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Conclusion

Stephanie Soo's exploration of "I Am a Singer. 2024" unveils the intricate dynamics between cultural pride, entertainment integrity, and audience engagement. The ninth season serves as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of globalization in competitive formats and the power of social media in shaping public perception.

Notable Quote:
Tiffany [71:14]: "I was getting goosebumps. All the hairs on my arm were standing up and doing the wave dance like they were at the Super Bowl."

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This episode underscores that while the moral of the story may not be clear-cut, the intricate dance between tradition and innovation continues to shape the landscape of international entertainment.

Transcript

[Tiffany]

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[Brandon]

Net Credit Credit to the people.

[Chris]

There was a clip that was going viral. Also, if I start sweating or if I look red, it's because the AC in our home is broken.

[Tiffany]

And I don't know why. It's the middle of winter technically, but I'm sweating. It's never been hotter. It's hotter than our wedding night.

[Chris]

This is like the steamiest we. The chemistry is.

[David]

I'm gonna start pens in a minute.

[Chris]

He has a Ziploc bag full of ice that is under his shirt. It's practically in his groin. It's up his pants.

[Tiffany]

It's in places that I've never seen before. That's all I have to say about that ice pack. Whoa. It's melted.

[Chris]

It's completely melted. I just spit.

[Tiffany]

There was a clip that was going viral, and this clip just sent me down a rabbit hole. And I still think about this clip every two to three business days. And it is a world renowned, intelligent, beautiful, fascinating, so talented singer Chantal Moore on stage on one of the most grandest stages I've seen.

[Chris]

The set production of this is out the window. And she is doing a cover of a very famous.

[David]

Oh, my God, yes.

[Chris]

Of a very famous song that, you know, I know we both love the song Adele. Okay? And she starts whipping out the chorus and she says, ni hao from the other side.

[David]

Can I do it?

[Chris]

Yeah.

[David]

Ni hao from the other side.

[Chris]

And I watched this clip. I want to say I watched it every single day for like two weeks straight. Anytime I felt a little saddy, you know, baddies get saddies. A little depresso. Espresso. I would watch this clip of Nihau from the other side.

[Tiffany]

And I just want to say that set me down a rabbit hole because the show that she was on was China. It was a singing competition. And that clip goes viral, but so does so much other stuff. This is probably the most controversial singing show other than a different one that we covered. But we're not going to get saddies right now. We're not going to get Sadies, Honey, that's your fault.

[David]

No, that's your fault.

[Tiffany]

It's just like every time I see a TikTok of if you're not doing this to your washing machine every two.

[Chris]

Weeks, your house is going to explode. I send it into the family group chat. And I think they're so sick of me.

[Tiffany]

Anyway, I dig. It's actually from one of the most.

[Chris]

Controversial Chinese singing shows in recent times.

[Tiffany]

And that is called the Singer. I am a singer. 2024.

[David]

So good. This show unexpectedly became the biggest meme producing entertainment last year. It just came out of nowhere and nobody expected it to be like the biggest comedy.

[Chris]

I think we were talking about this show every night in bed. He would turn over and show me another meme and then he would to explain it to me. And sometimes he would look at the meme and he would laugh for five minutes straight. And I would be so patient on this side and I'd be like, why? What is it? What is it? And then he'd be like, no, you wouldn't get it.

[Tiffany]

I'm sweating.

[David]

Oh.

[Chris]

And you don't want to give up your ice pack. You're holding onto that ice pack like it's your firstborn child.

[David]

You guys want to hear the ice pack?

[Chris]

Yeah. It's like all water now.

[Tiffany]

July 27, 2024, about, let's say, six months ago, there are some other viral clips that are going from this show. And it's not just Nihal from the other side.

[Chris]

There's so much controversy from this show.

[Tiffany]

And it all starts with a Kazakh singer and songwriter by the name of Dimash whispering to a Canadian singer, Fauzia. And he. It's hard to hear exactly what he says, but when you audio enhance it, it's in English, it sounds something along the lines of they said it must be Chinese before you. And everyone was like, wait a minute, wait a minute. And if you're just listening to this right now and you don't understand the context of this show and you haven't seen clips of people singing on this show, then you're going to be like, I don't understand what any of this means, but let me tell you what this means. That means he's hinting at.

[Chris]

They said a Chinese person has to win before you because you're not Chinese.

[Tiffany]

You're not even ethnically Chinese. She's Canadian and I believe she's Moroccan.

[Chris]

Oh, she's incredible at singing. Just you wait.

[Tiffany]

Right? And you know what? This Reminds me of this. Reminds me of another clip that I'm going to insert into this YouTube video of a very race in China.

[David]

A very what?

[Tiffany]

We've talked about this. There was a race in China, a marathon, a marathon race. People were running on their two legs, okay? And they were a group of four foreigners that were running, and they were running really fast, and they're really good at running. And then near the end, near the finish line, suddenly, I don't know if all of them simultaneously get some sort of shared leg cramp. They just slow it down in slow mo. You see a Chinese runner just surpass.

[Chris]

All of the foreigners and win the marathon. And it is the goofiest that you're ever gonna see.

[Tiffany]

And I thought that this was gonna be something like that, right? But it just gets so much worse. You've got Adam Lambert show up on this show.

[David]

So this, by the way, that clip was at the finale of the show. They're about to pick the champion, the winner of the whole season. And then a guy whisper to Fauzia saying, it must be Chinese before you.

[Tiffany]

Yeah. So.

[David]

And it goes viral.

[Tiffany]

Chinese netizens, they're going viral with this. And at the end of the competition, we what do you know? A Chinese singer does win the show.

[Chris]

Now.

[Tiffany]

Her name is Na Ying, and she wins the title of the king of singers. Logically speaking and technically speaking, I will say that naying has a very high status in the Chinese music industry. Her music itself, her songs, they're incredible songs. However. However, many netizens are very upset that she is labeled the king of singers. They are criticizing naying and saying that she might actually be one of the.

[Chris]

Worst singers in this season's show. So how the is she the king of singers?

[Tiffany]

People were commenting, this has got to be the biggest scandal in history. Always ranking at the bottom and occasionally making it to the top three.

[Chris]

Singing off key, forgetting lyrics can win the title of king of singers. They're treating us, the audience, like fools for months. They think we're idiots.

[David]

Little background naying is like, how do I describe her? Like, she is okay.

[Tiffany]

OG Yes, I asked.

[David]

Respect.

[Chris]

Okay?

[Tiffany]

So I was. I was like, listening to naying on this show, and Tiffany comes over and she goes, oh, my God. She's shaking her head no, right? And I said, so, like, what? Who is naying in American standards? And she goes, before this, I would say, like Celine Dion. And I said, what about now? And she was just like, I don't.

[Chris]

Know what to tell you right now, because it just gets so bad.

[Tiffany]

So she was like the Celine Dion.

[Chris]

I guess, just og OG OG Highly respected.

[Tiffany]

Yeah.

[David]

But this is a competition show, so every week they have a rank. So there's like 10 people, 10 famous singers sing, and then they will rank them. And naying is always like at the bottom. Not at the bottom. She's never, never like number one.

[Tiffany]

Yeah, I mean, I'm gonna. I'm gonna go through the whole show's rules and regulations. The show is actually a South Korean.

[Chris]

NBC show that they adapted into the.

[Tiffany]

Chinese version, and it's called I Am a Singer. And what they do is they only bring in professional singers who have already made a name for themselves. This is a competition of. Imagine getting Ariana Grande. I feel like I'm gonna start some.

[Chris]

I'm just gonna shut the up. Imagine getting Stephanie Su all on stage competing for the king of singers. That's what this show is.

[Tiffany]

And this started in 2013 in China. And I will say, in the beginning, it was rough. It was rough. They would invite foreigners over, but in 2020, the show would end. After eight seasons, they were declining in viewership. Nothing really was happening except 2024. Out of nowhere, they announced that they're going to redo a show. They're going to do the ninth season of the show after a four year hiatus, and now it's going to be hosted on Mango tv. And I said.

[Chris]

Do I need to file a copyright? No, just kidding. Infringing on my intellectual property. No, I'm just kidding. So in 20, they start scheduling and they start promoting the crap out of this show. And they say, guys, guys, this time.

[Tiffany]

We'Re about to make it insane. So here's the thing about C Pop, here's the thing about Chinese celebrities and influencers that I've noticed thus far. You're not gonna believe it based off.

[Chris]

Of what we talk about on the Chinaverse, but it's kind of like Korea.

[Tiffany]

In terms of everybody is extra polished.

[David]

What does that mean?

[Tiffany]

Like, you know, when you see East Asian celebrities, they're just so polished.

[David]

What does that mean?

[Tiffany]

They're just so put together. Oh, they're very put together. You know, you have some of like the OGs that will goof around on stage when they're performing and singing songs. But a lot of the times, a lot of the artists pride themselves in being perfectionists and they don't like, they're really polished. That's how Tiffany was explaining it to me. Right.

[Chris]

Okay, okay.

[David]

Smooth. They know how to get around. They know what to say and what not to say. Yeah, right.

[Tiffany]

And a lot of them lip sync.

[Chris]

Sorry, sorry. That's where I was going with this. A lot of them lip sync because it's very.

[Tiffany]

Do you know how difficult it is to deliver a splendid performance working on your visuals, your aesthetic, aesthetics, not looking like you're choking like a dog on.

[Chris]

A fresh bite of kibble and then.

[Tiffany]

Dancing whilst singing, belching out the highest chords of a song that you, you know, wrote 20 years ago and you don't remember the lyrics to. Really? So, yes, lip syncing. I. I don't really have beef with lip syncing. Do I think if I go to a concert and they're lip syncing, I'd be a little disappointed? Perhaps, yeah. Depending on how much I paid for the concert. However, I feel like some people think lip syncing is like Satan's creation on this planet. A lot of them lip sync. So this is why this show becomes big. Because in 2023, they say, hey, it's gonna be f Cking livestreamed. No one's gonna lip sync. There's not gonna be any perfection.

[Chris]

Everything is gonna be so cutthroat, so raw, so real. It's gonna be. You're never gonna see your faves like this.

[Tiffany]

This is the first time you're gonna see something like this happen. So everybody starts with freaking out. They start, who's gonna be on the show. The show starts releasing these posters, these teasers. They're just releasing little names here and there. They hit him with the. You might know. You might know this name. Rose.

[David]

Rose. Rose what?

[Tiffany]

You might know this name. Lisa.

[David]

What? You're kidding me. But they were not on there.

[Tiffany]

Is that what you think? Maybe you didn't see. Yeah. Rose. Lisa. It's gonna be a celebrity lineup that you have never seen before. International celebrities are gonna be flown into China for this show. This is about to be the biggest fucking show that you have ever laid your eyes on. Everybody was stayed tuned. Everything is gonna be live streamed.

[Chris]

Everything on the teleprompters, livestreamed.

[Tiffany]

Not a second of it is going to be edited, cut, Nothing.

[Chris]

It's. It's all live. May 10th, the day of the first episode release. Everybody's sitting there. Blinks.

[Tiffany]

Blinks are f. Cking.

[Chris]

Sitting there in China like, hello, where's my rose? And they say, we would like to proudly announce the next contestant on the show, Secondhand Rose.

[David]

Say Secondhand Rose.

[Chris]

That's the band name, Secondhand Rose. Okay. It's a Chinese rock band.

[David]

I mean, they used to call it First Hand Rose.

[Chris]

Now they went to Secondhand Rose.

[David]

Now they're old, so they changed to Secondhand Rose.

[Chris]

It's the second generation.

[David]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Okay. And I'm just kidding.

[David]

I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

[Chris]

And Lisa. Lisa. L I S a. We would like to announce, proudly announce.

[Tiffany]

That all of our audio equipment, the brand is from L isa.

[Chris]

Yeah, Top quality. You're never gonna get high quality audio experiences.

[David]

You're saying there's rumors they released the.

[Tiffany]

Teaser that Lisa is going to be involved on the show.

[Chris]

You say the name Lisa, who the are you imagining? I don't know any other Lisa. I probably know 10 Lisa's personally, but.

[Tiffany]

I'm not gonna think of them.

[Chris]

I'm thinking of Lisa from Blackpink.

[David]

They say Lisa is gonna be involved.

[Tiffany]

They say Lisa's gonna be involved.

[David]

That's so funny.

[Chris]

And then in the opening they say, oh, all of our audio equipment is.

[Tiffany]

From a brand called L isa, otherwise known as Lisa.

[Chris]

What the f is happening? So there's gonna be seven singers. Five are Chinese singers who are really well known amongst the Chinese audiences.

[Tiffany]

And then they're bringing in two foreign singers that were announced to appear on the show. You've got 24 year old Moroccan Canadian singer and songwriter Fozia and 57 year.

[Chris]

Old Grammy nominated American singer songwriter Shantae Mo.

[Tiffany]

Now I will say many Chinese viewers were unfamiliar with the two foreign singers because I think even in Korea, like you have maybe a handful of western singers that are super famous, like household names. Any random person, you ask the ajumma on the street and you say, do you know who this person is? Right. If it's not Beyonce or Taylor Swift, she's gonna be like, I don't know this person. Who is this person? Is that the president? We don't know these people.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Tiffany]

And they would just keep it moving. They'd probably stare at you weird. So they've got these two foreign sing and everyone, all the Chinese netizens, because Naying is on this show, they start joking.

[Chris]

The winner is already decided. It's gonna be our girl Naying. Have you heard her sing? Like she's crazy. She is one of the most famous OGs. I mean, oh, she's incredible.

[David]

She's like what, 50, 60?

[Tiffany]

She's only one year younger than Shantae.

[David]

Oh, so like 55.

[Tiffany]

50, yeah, 55. Shantae Morris, 56. Which by the way, both of them look Max like 35. It's crazy. She is one of the most recognized female vocalists, particularly famous for her explosive. That's how they describe her. Like she's just got explosive lungs. And she's known as the queen of pop. She's known as like a diva in.

[Chris]

The Chinese pop music history.

[Tiffany]

She has been in the industry for over 30 years. I'm telling you, like Celine Dion is what Tiffany said. She also was a judge on the Voice of China. So she's been judges on these singing competitions and now she's coming in as a contestant. It's not even. It's not even a fair game. It's not even. Everyone in the comments is like naying, you got it in the bag.

[Chris]

You don't even have to be nervous.

[Tiffany]

About any of this. Now the show finally begins and the host seems very nervous because everything is being live streamed. Everything is raw, unedited, live. And at the very beginning of the show, they even make a verbal slip up. They say, drink singer watch Jianchen. Oh, I mean, watch singer drink Jiancheon. Jiancheon is a yogurt brand that's sponsoring the show. So this little mistake goes viral because they're like, oh, the show is absolutely being live streamed. It's so real. Look at the hostess and host. They're so nervous that they mess up the lines of the show.

[Chris]

But then there were some audience members that were there at the production date.

[Tiffany]

And for some reason, somehow they were able to get a close up of.

[Chris]

The teleprompter and it shows that they wrote drink singer.

[Tiffany]

Pretend to make a mistake, correct yourself. Oh no, you're kidding me.

[Chris]

Because they want to draw more attention and make this clip go viral so that everyone will hear about the yogurt brand.

[Tiffany]

And they successfully generate so much buzz for the brand.

[David]

Whoa, that's so good.

[Tiffany]

That's what I'm saying.

[Chris]

It was crazy.

[Tiffany]

Additionally, the production team had set up individual rooms for each singer with dedicated camera angles that are being live streamed with the front of each singer's face. Just like online streaming their rooms.

[Chris]

And viewers could see the singer's reactions.

[Tiffany]

During the entire show. And netizens were so exhausted, they would come home from a 9 to 9. They'd settle down at 10pm and they.

[Chris]

Said that they feel like they are busier than the director of this show. They got seven screens with seven different live streams set up. They got the show. They got one contestant, two contestant, three contestant.

[Tiffany]

They're like, hey, bring me your laptop. I got another.

[Chris]

I gotta get another screen.

[Tiffany]

It was exhausting. It was exhausting.

[Chris]

And the cameras, the singers themselves, the.

[Tiffany]

Cameras are pointed directly at their face. Nonstop live streaming. Because normally in these edited shows, you would see singers sitting there and then they would just kind of zone out because nothing's happening right now.

[Chris]

Right?

[Tiffany]

But then it's being live streamed. And Fozia, I love her so much. I fell in love with her because of this show.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Tiffany]

She, she.

[Chris]

She has a beautiful resting face.

[Tiffany]

However, it's not super smiley. So then she would constantly catch herself just very serious looking. And then she would be like, there's.

[Chris]

A camera just right in her face. And she's like, I don't want anyone to think I'm like, being rude because she's so sweet, but it's just like she's just pondering, preparing to go up on stage and she's not smiling. So then she's like, it's just. It's just so awkward. Okay. I mean, she handles it like a queen, but I can imagine it's very awkward.

[Tiffany]

And her whole, listen, I wish I could. I'm gonna try my hardest to, I don't know, do some, like, copyright.

[Chris]

No, I'm just kidding. I can't.

[Tiffany]

But I'll just sing it for you. I'll just sing how she sings.

[David]

Oh, my God.

[Tiffany]

There is something about her singing. I usually don't get goosebumps when I watch people live because I feel like you watch a lot of people live and then it just kind of wears off. And then you got to go to the concert to get goosebumps. I was getting goosebumps at every single one of her performances on this show. Especially her. I think it was like Desert Rose. Anyway, I'm gonna link it. I was getting goosebumps. All the hairs on my arm were standing up and doing the wave dance like they were at the Super Bowl.

[Chris]

Like, it was crazy.

[Tiffany]

I was feeling so many things. People said that her voice is like a deep ocean. Not the beach, but the ocean in the midst of us. Calm, like wave cycle.

[Chris]

That's not how they describe it. They describe it.

[Tiffany]

She just has.

[David]

It's like the last cycle of your.

[Chris]

Washer, you know, it's like a gentle power.

[Tiffany]

It's so powerful, but it's not chaotic. It feels warm and inviting.

[Chris]

And then you have all of these emotions surging in your chest. I think I love her. I think I'm in love. Okay. Her vocal range, her technique, her stage presence is impeccable. When she finishes performing her very first.

[Tiffany]

Song, first of all, I thought it's like playing a record on a cd. You're telling me this is not lip synced? It's not. It's not. I'm not even saying it is, but it was absolutely incredible. Everybody in the crowd, they don't even know how to act. They don't know how to respond.

[Chris]

They're so shocked. What the fuck is going on? How is she? 24?

[Tiffany]

How is this happening? And they thought, okay, this is about to be the best show ever. She is the first person to sing.

[David]

Oh, she's the very first.

[Tiffany]

It's only going to go up from here.

[Chris]

That's fucking crazy.

[Tiffany]

It's about it because, you know, you would think that they're going to save like the best for a second to last. Last, you know, and then it's just.

[Chris]

Going to amp up and play with your emotions and it's just escalating more and more. And then they play the second one.

[Tiffany]

Hai Lai Amu, a folk singer that became famous through Douyin TikTok in China and mainly famous with, like 50 year olds. The song he chose to perform was clearly not a fan favorite. And it's like, it was like a boner kill. Everybody was so confused what just happened.

[Chris]

Like, they were so emotionally stirred up.

[Tiffany]

People were getting emotional in the crowd, people were crying in the crowd. And then all of a sudden, it.

[Chris]

Was like, back to reality. So weird. It was really weird. I mean, the skills were just completely unable to even compare.

[Tiffany]

It just didn't make any sense. And then you had Rainy Yang. She's an icon of Taiwan pop culture.

[David]

That's. That's childhood.

[Tiffany]

Yeah, yeah. Tiffany said, the millennials love her.

[Chris]

And I said.

[David]

You know how many, like, drama she was in? Like, the really, really trendy drama, really.

[Tiffany]

She's known for, like, having some crazy concerts. She'll hang upside down like a moth, like a moth in a cocoon. She'll go underwater and she'll sing. And it sounds like.

[Chris]

No, just kidding. It sounds really good.

[Tiffany]

However, unexpectedly, I don't know if it's due to being extremely nervous. She was allegedly very out of tune. I'm so musically intellented. I was listening to every single person going, it's not that bad.

[Chris]

How do I know if it's out of tune? It sounds on tune to me. Sounds perfect.

[David]

But your. Your. But your hair on your arm is not doing the super ball waves.

[Chris]

No.

[Tiffany]

It was still like a desert.

[David]

Yeah.

[Tiffany]

There was not even 1 mile per hour of wind. Yeah. It's like this room is sweaty. Today's episode is sponsored by Acorns. The most valuable financial advice I've ever encountered is pay yourself first this simple approach transforms saving into a non negotiable priority. You can easily do this with Acorns. Acorns is a financial wellness app that makes it easy to start saving and investing for your future. Acorns lets you get started with the money you've got right now. Even if all you've got is spare change, you don't need to be an expert. Acorns recommends a diversified portfolio that can help you weather all of the market's ups and downs. You just need to stick with it and Acorns makes that easy too. Acorns automatically invest your money, giving it a chance to grow with time. Sign up now and join the over 14 million all time customers who have already saved and invested over $25 billion with Acorns. Head to acorns.com rotten or download the Acorns app to get started. Paid client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns. Tier 4 compensation provided investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. View important [e-mail] rotten hi Zoe Saldana.

[Zoe Saldana]

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[Tiffany]

And here's my old phone to trade in.

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There's always a trade in.

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I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender.

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Seriously, Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints.

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[Tiffany]

So she goes up there and she. I will say there was a lot of discourse amongst Chinese netizens at the time saying that a lot of the Chinese singers were too focused on perfectionism. They were too focused on being perfect with their body language, that it didn't feel like a performance.

[David]

Yeah, they're saying, like, they're too focused on making every note perfect. Like every note, pace everything to be perfect rather than, like, immerse in the music and get lost and be freed. And even if you make mistake, you're still like, in the moment.

[Tiffany]

Yes. I will say, watching their performances, she definitely feels more stiff. Yeah, she doesn't. She's not moving. She's not feeling this song. And then there's this one meme that went viral. She has to do hit a high note and she. I don't know what's happening. She just overexerted herself. It's not that high of a note, but she tilts her head all the way back to look at the stars and the moon in the sky.

[Chris]

And then her mouth is all the way open. And people have compared her to a sneaker.

[David]

A what?

[Chris]

A sneaker. You know when you take off your sneakers and you put them on the ground, the hole of the sneaker is perfectly circular and staring at the sky. Yeah, they said that she was a sneaker. I'm sweating, honey. I'm sweating. Stop. I don't know why they compared her to a sneaker. I think the heat is making us lose our minds right now. So they compared her to a sneaker.

[Tiffany]

And so that was like the first.

[Chris]

Big meme to come out of the show.

[Tiffany]

And even for the first episode, even the very experienced naying that everybody thought it was gonna. She's got it in the bag. She fell short of expectation. She was not doing well. When it was her turn. She was so very clearly nervous for this very first live broadcast, the opening of her song, they said it sounded too tight. Her voice was obviously trembling, but not in the way that it should be. It just sounded like her voice was shaky and not stable. It felt. It didn't feel good. But after the first chorus, she quickly gets back into her groove. And once her voice opens up, she gets a lot better. And when she finished singing, she comes down from the stage and fans are shouting at her like, great job.

[Chris]

Don't worry, don't be nervous. You can't lose. You got this.

[Tiffany]

And then after her, Shantae Moore goes up onto the stage and everyone is like, okay, so the first foreigner killed it. Let's hope this one doesn't. Because, you know, Chinese netizens, they were feeling a lot of Chinese pride. So they were like, we got it, we got it. And I think all of it was friendly, fun, competition, right? And so she gets up on the.

[Chris]

Stage and they said, someone call the cops. Someone call the president. Somebody call somebody. Because we don't got it in the bag. The bag is missing. The bag is with the foreigners. Shantae Moore comes up on stage and.

[Tiffany]

Performs the song if I ain't got you by Alicia Keys. And the way she comes up, you would think that she is up on the stage, Sunday service singing a random song for five members of the church. So casual, so carefree. And her voice, this is like a 10 out of 10. The vocals are so powerful, even like the register changes. People were saying everything was so smooth, so natural. And this is a pretty difficult song to sing. It's not an easy one. And the audience comments, I mean, they said this is definitely first place. Like, this voice is so comfortable. This is not even at the same level as any of the Chinese singers. What's going on right now?

[Chris]

Even the professional singers like Naying can sit there and recognize the difference in skill level. When she hears Shantae's part, she scrunches.

[Tiffany]

Up her face in amazement. Naying throughout the entire season. Looks like everyone around her is farting.

[Chris]

Like, I don't know how to describe it. Just.

[David]

Yes. So accurate.

[Chris]

Someone is tooting up a storm right next to her at all times.

[Tiffany]

That's her look every single time. What's even more amazing is the host and hostess are talking to Shantae and she's like, yeah, I literally just got here from the airport and everyone.

[Chris]

You didn't, like, need to prep for the.

[Tiffany]

Past few weeks, make sure your vocal cords are opened up, do those facial steamers and stuff. You just like came here a red eye, 16 hour flight, probably a layover because there's barely any direct flights from.

[Chris]

America to China these days. And now you're on stage. Okay, okay, what.

[Tiffany]

What's even crazier is she didn't even know she was gonna be performing because she said oh, yeah. Originally, I think that there was some miscommunication or language barriers because I thought I was coming onto the show to be a judge, but I came and I was a contestant.

[Chris]

She didn't even know she had to sing.

[David]

She's like, okay, let's see. Which song should we do? Yeah, all right, let's go for this one.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Tiffany]

She was like, let me just put.

[Chris]

My playlist on shuffle and see what happens. Okay. Alicia Keys. Let's do it. People were so.

[Tiffany]

People were commenting after participating, she did realize she definitely could have been a judge. She was right. She definitely has the qualifications to be a judge on this show. So after Shantae, you got the last contestant. And they were. A lot of people were talking about them, but not in the best way. Secondhand Rose. There's always been controversy surrounding Secondhand Rose. Some people call them China's funeral band.

[Chris]

They're like a rock band.

[David]

They're old school. Old rock band?

[Chris]

Yeah, they're like really old school.

[Tiffany]

And they have a lot of similarities to traditional Chinese ceremonial music that's typically used in funerals that happen not even in the cities, but in the villages. And so people say they're the funeral band.

[Chris]

And so they came up and they.

[Tiffany]

Sang a very expected song. And everyone says, this is the funeral for C Pop.

[Chris]

All the Chinese netizens said, this is.

[Tiffany]

The funeral for Chinese music industry.

[Chris]

The foreigners have taken over. We're being colonized. It's game over. Like, there's. We shouldn't even try anymore. And that is how they end the night.

[Tiffany]

Even naying when the funeral band is up.

[Chris]

She looks shocked. She looks shocked at what she is witnessing. It was.

[Tiffany]

It was bleak. Yeah. Yeah.

[Chris]

And so all the comments to the.

[Tiffany]

Reaction of the funeral band's song Secondhand Rose is if there's no way to beat the foreigners, then let's at least creep them out.

[Chris]

Was the motive from the second hand Rose?

[Tiffany]

I will say, I will say I will think.

[Chris]

I said I will say. I like Secondhand Rose. I like that they're doing their own thing. I like that. How unique they are. And they're not trying to conform to regular, you know, normal expectations of society.

[Tiffany]

I like them. I stand them.

[Chris]

Do I think that they sing better than Shantae Moore? No. Okay. That's just my humble opinion. Now, by the end of the first episode, it was undeniable that Shantae Moore.

[Tiffany]

And Fozia, who showed outstanding vocal skills, did much better in terms of vocals and stage presence. And unsurprisingly, they Ranked first and second, and then naying ranked in third. Third place.

[David]

So every week they. They rank them.

[Tiffany]

Yes, every single week they rank them. And then at the end they choose one.

[David]

Oh, yeah, at the very end.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Tiffany]

And the netizens are commenting the gap between Chinese and foreign singers level is like the difference between the Grammys and the Strawberry Music Festival.

[Chris]

That is a Chinese music festival held in a small town. Yeah. People were making memes of Fozia and.

[Tiffany]

Shantae at the Grammys singing, like they said, this is the Grammy awards. Naiin is the golden melody awards, which is like the Chinese Grammys. And then everyone else is the Strawberry music Festival. And then the other ones are the.

[Chris]

Red and white events, which are. Which is what they call traditional village weddings. Village wedding performers. Yeah. And so some netizens are commenting the.

[Tiffany]

Competition for the last place is even more intense than for the first place.

[Chris]

Yeah. So people were not having a good time.

[Tiffany]

And then you have, you know, naying was making some funny faces throughout the.

[Chris]

Entirety of the show. And there's one where she's looking off to the side, looking very stressed, looking around. And the meme is the words, who signed me up for this? Does anybody care about my life? And then at one point in this show, she holds up three fingers. It's actually these three fingers. She holds up three fingers. I think she was making the okay sign.

[Tiffany]

Right.

[Chris]

But her face is very serious. And the caption reads, need three people who can sing. Hurry and come right now. I need three people. And the Chinese netizens, they run with this show. They call this the national protection war. Okay. Netizens start suggesting finding better Chinese singers that can come to the show to compete. And they said, this is like, this.

[Tiffany]

Is no longer a singing show.

[Chris]

This is a battle to defend the honor of Chinese music. We need a national team. Assemble right now. Musicians, anyone on the national level. We need to bring glory to the nation. Okay?

[Tiffany]

So people start commenting. Singers, comment sections. And like, you know how on TikTok. Well, I don't know on TikTok, can you add memes now? You know how Instagram, you can add memes.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tiffany]

Well, on doing. And all these different places, you can add memes in the comments. Okay. And all of them are doing naying means. So there's another singer, Gloria. Dang. All the netizens were like, gloria, tap in.

[Chris]

It's your time. You gotta go in.

[Tiffany]

Come on. She's so good live.

[Chris]

She's very talented.

[Tiffany]

People called her the queen of iron lungs because her Body is like a pinky. She's like shaped. Not shaped like size, like a piece.

[Chris]

She's a tiny little woman. And the voice that she's got on her.

[Tiffany]

People say, how do you fit those lungs inside of you? That doesn't even make any sense. And she's very.

[Chris]

What?

[David]

Who? Who?

[Tiffany]

Gloria. D, E, N, G. And so people were.

[David]

Yes, honey. Yeah, just say G, E, M. Oh.

[Tiffany]

That'S how they know G, E, M. That's like code.

[David]

She's good.

[Chris]

Oh, yeah, she's.

[Tiffany]

Damn.

[Chris]

That's her code name.

[David]

I actually play you her song before. She's the one. Sing that. A movie with the spaceship. Jennifer Lawrence.

[Tiffany]

Yes, yes.

[David]

She's the one that sings the song really good.

[Tiffany]

I love her. So good. Okay, so they're all changing. All the netizens are changing their profile name to naying and then posting naying memes under Gloria's comment section. And it reads, dear Gloria, come back soon. Can't hold up anymore. Love naying.

[Chris]

And it's a meme of naying. About to cry. And then another one.

[Tiffany]

The nation is in crisis. Please help me.

[Chris]

And it's naying. So Gloria is live streaming one day.

[David]

Yes, yes.

[Tiffany]

And she's eating beef noodle soup. And suddenly there's like a million netizens tuned into her life, which is crazy. Like a million people on a live stream. She's like, whoa, what just happened? And she's like, do you guys just really like beef noodle soup?

[Chris]

What's going on? Like, I never have this many people on my life. And all the comments are, how can you still be in the mood to eat beef noodle soup right now? Help save the nation. Stop eating and go save Naik. And so this is all the comment section.

[Tiffany]

And Gloria, also a funny lady, she responds, of course. I know it's happening. I know.

[Chris]

I get it.

[Tiffany]

You want me to save the nation, right? But I'm currently on tour, okay?

[Chris]

So she can't go. So they all abandon her. And they say, come on tap in Gonglina, this is your dad's favorite artist. Your dad loves her. How do I know this information? I don't know. It's. It's stored somewhere inside my brain now, and I can't ever get rid of it. Okay.

[Tiffany]

She combines traditional, like, chi music. That's how they describe it.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Tiffany]

With pop fusion. She's incredible. Okay? And she's posting. She's on doing, posting K pop dance videos.

[Chris]

And everyone is commenting, gong, stop dancing. Stop dancing. I'm about to explode. The other foreigners have nuclear weapons. And we got the secondhand ruby throwing firecrackers. We need help.

[Tiffany]

How do you still have time for.

[Chris]

K pop when C pop is on fire?

[Tiffany]

And so then there's another band called a Phoenix Legend.

[David]

Ah, that's another.

[Tiffany]

It's a duo. Yeah. And everyone in the comments, you two stop training. It's time for the battle.

[Chris]

Come on, it's time to fight against the foreigners. Let's go. What are you doing?

[Tiffany]

And they're all responding. Sorry, scheduling conflicts.

[Chris]

And so people are getting so stressed out right now. And then on May 12, one of.

[Tiffany]

China's most respected and powerful vocalists, Han Hong, posts onto Weibo.

[David]

Oh, Han Ho.

[Tiffany]

Oh no. This is your dad's favorite.

[David]

Yeah, yeah, she's good.

[Tiffany]

Yeah, she's really good.

[David]

She's known for the highest freaking pitch.

[Tiffany]

Oh, she's the one that does. Oh, she's good. Yeah, yeah, she's really, really high. She's good. And in her post she declares, I am Chinese singer Han Hong and I volunteer to join the battle. She's like a TikTok battle.

[Chris]

Yeah, she tags. And she's also in her 50s.

[Tiffany]

And so all the netizens go, Damn.

[Chris]

Two 50 year old ladies guarding the national door hall. It's her. And naying. Really? That's what we got. That's what we got right now. Yeah.

[David]

So good.

[Tiffany]

So nevertheless, regardless of her intentions, people.

[Chris]

Were posting all these fighting for the country. Answer the call. Okay. All these videos and people are trying to tap in.

[Tiffany]

Even influencers are offering to go on there. They're saying that I think I can do better. And people were commenting, can these random people stop recommending themselves? We don't need more seventh places.

[Chris]

We don't need more seventh places.

[David]

But also I think these are just to clarify, people are making memes but they love Shantae and oh, they love.

[Chris]

Them Falsia like no, they, they're literally so famous.

[David]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chris]

So famous to the point where. Yeah, yeah, no, okay. It's kind of funny and it's really cute and endearing and I thought it was the cutest thing ever. So Shantae Moore, right after it premiered.

[Tiffany]

She was out scene shopping just so casually. And first of all that becomes a meme because.

[Chris]

Because how the is she just out there shopping so casually? And all the Chinese singers are probably rehearsing non stop and she's just like, she looks like she's on here for vacation and the show is a side gig. She's like doing it on the side for fun, like a volunteer Project. Okay. And so the first night she goes out, she is dressed super casually, but.

[Tiffany]

Everybody is like, you're the Shantay Moore.

[Chris]

And they keep taking pictures of her that the next time she goes out.

[Tiffany]

She'S dressed a little more formally.

[Chris]

And she's, like, trying to be respectful of the customs and, like, not that.

[Tiffany]

She wasn't before, but, like, trying to, you know, just more like, okay, let.

[Chris]

Me take pictures with you guys. And there's people just, like, lining up everywhere taking. They love them. They love them.

[Tiffany]

It's supposed to be a joke.

[Chris]

You know, they're having fun.

[Tiffany]

They're making fun of their own singers.

[Chris]

Okay?

[Tiffany]

And so everybody is calling this the great Chinese battle.

[Chris]

They're just having fun. They're bored. A bunch of people at home bored. And they're making memes. That's it.

[Tiffany]

And people also started these contestant recruitment rankings polls on who you think should be recruited for the army next.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Tiffany]

And you've got some of the best singers, right? J. Chow is on there, but he actually didn't get the most votes. The most votes went to someone named Lei Jun in La. Jun.

[David]

No.

[Tiffany]

He's the founder and CEO of Xiaomi.

[Chris]

Oh, what, the China Steve Jobs? Yeah.

[Tiffany]

And so people said. They actually. Here, let me show you the video.

[David]

He can sing.

[Tiffany]

Yeah. He's actually listed as a western male singer on Chinese music apps.

[David]

What is going on?

[Tiffany]

He went to India for a Xiaomi presentation, and, yeah, his very famous line.

[Chris]

Was, are you okay? And all the top comments are, nobody.

[Tiffany]

Asks if Le Joon is okay.

[Chris]

Cry face, cry face, cry face.

[Tiffany]

So he won top place for recruitment onto the show with 11.8 million votes.

[Chris]

Jay Chow only got 20,000 votes. Everybody voted for him to go on the show next.

[Tiffany]

It's a hit song, and because it's in English, he is listed as a western male singer on Chinese music apps. Yeah, I don't know what's so funny.

[Chris]

About that, but no, at the end.

[Tiffany]

Some netizens volunteered themselves. They said, if worse comes to worse, I'll do it. I'll brave myself. Even if the foreign singers win against me, it won't be an honorable victory.

[Chris]

So let me go. Let me go.

[Tiffany]

Others said, we need to get this guy on there. And they posted a link to a talent show, like one of those China Got Talent shows. And it was a male contestant who said that he can sing the highest pitch in China. And they were like, give it to us. What's the highest pitch? And he went.

[Chris]

Literally, he just screamed. He just screams like a Dog dropped in the lake. Yeah. So netizens commented, my dog makes a higher pitch when someone steps on its tail. This is scarier than stepping on a squeaky chicken toy. If a rat and a cockroach jumped on my face at the same time, I would hit a high note twice as high. So people were saying, he needs to tap in. So then a week after the second episode airs and the show continues trending, it actually gets more explosive in viewership.

[Tiffany]

In this new episode, you have two new singers. A Chinese singer that goes by the name Yellow and Hang Gai Band.

[Chris]

Band.

[Tiffany]

It's like a rock band from Mongolia. They joined the competition, and that means the two lowest ranking contestants would be eliminated. Everybody loves Yellow. I mean, he's got very impressive singing.

[Chris]

Skills, but he also is the new meme content for the show. People say he can make. His talent is not really singing. He's good, but his real talent is making 800 different expressions in one second.

[David]

Oh, is he bald? Is he bald?

[Chris]

Yes.

[David]

Oh, yes, he's good.

[Tiffany]

People say he looks like the muscular Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tiffany]

Or people say, what's that show? Austin Powers. You know, the bald guy with the pinky that goes like this.

[Chris]

He looks like him.

[Tiffany]

They were saying lots of stuff. They said that his head is perfectly egg shaped.

[Chris]

I don't know. Okay? I don't know. We're in an egg shortage. I haven't seen an egg in a minute, so I can't tell you. But after this performance, during the interview, he directly states that he had eaten.

[Tiffany]

Too much food and needed to urgently.

[Chris]

Take care of business. So they're, like, interviewing him after his performance and he's like, I gotta go take a sh t. Basically.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Brandon]

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[Chris]

Also, netizens dug up this Pizza Hut commercial that he was in last year. I don't know what Pizza Hut in China is doing, but Pizza Hut marketing.

[Tiffany]

In the US I don't know if their legal team just doesn't know how.

[Chris]

To have a giggle gaggle, but this.

[Tiffany]

Pizza Hut commercial in China is the most insane thing that you would ever imagine. It's like a fever dream. I feel like I'm high on drugs watching it.

[Chris]

I feel like I've taken ayahuasca shrooms. I've done acid, ketamine, I don't know. List all the drugs that I am legally not allowed to take simultaneously straight.

[Tiffany]

Injected into my skull. That's what this Pizza Hut commercial is. He morphs into a pizza. He's laying naked on the table and.

[Chris]

Then someone is throwing pepperoni to cover his groin. And then he morphs into a pizza. And then the pizza starts break dancing. I'm sorry. So serious.

[Tiffany]

Yeah, lots of memes are coming out. The lead singer from the band looks like the character King Kai From Dragon Ball.

[Chris]

And then he keeps smiling and holding.

[Tiffany]

Up his fist, and then he looks like Doraemon.

[Chris]

So everyone is like, what the F is happening at this point? They're recruiting singers based off of memeability. They're not even recruiting based off of their singing abilities. It's just absolutely crazy.

[Tiffany]

And then there was another singer by the name of Silence who goes up to sing a song that he dedicates to his mother, right?

[Chris]

Which would have been all fine and dandy, but at one point, he does, like, a monologue for his mom.

[Tiffany]

Like, he's like, I love you, mom. Mom, I love you.

[Chris]

Like, something like that. Okay. Which I feel like even if it.

[Tiffany]

Was a love song, it's kind of okay.

[Chris]

Bringing it back to 2010's R&B. That's good. I like it. But, like, the way he did it was just not confident enough.

[Tiffany]

And it was also, again, to his mom, right?

[Chris]

So it was just a lot. Everybody looked really uncomfortable backstage. So then what happens is, after your.

[Tiffany]

Performance, because all of this is live, the host will sit down with you, and they will go through their phone, look up the trending things for your name and your performance, and they'll have you react to people's netizens comments in real time. And she keeps, like, tilting her phone.

[Chris]

Away from the guy, and he's so curious, like, why do you keep doing that? So he leans over, and the top trending phrase was, silence is the worst singer. Silence has the worst voice. Silence is a horrible singer, and he just looks really sad.

[Tiffany]

And then Chinese netizens made fun of me.

[David]

My God, I do a meme too.

[Chris]

They memed it. Silence Wang internal monologue. Can't even win. But also not bad enough to leave. In the end, he got fifth place, and he seemed miserable. Like, he seemed like he wanted to be last so he could just leave, but he's still there.

[Tiffany]

And then when it was naying's turn, she seemed a little more confident this time. But then by the end, I think that she forgot the lyrics to the song. So then she's, like, reading the teleprompter, but I think the teleprompter is moving too fast. So she's pointing randomly at the sky. She's, like, trying to follow the words like this, but she's pointing in the air like this while she's singing. And everyone's like, what the f going on? And then the last contestant was Fozia.

[Chris]

She chose Adele's Set Fire to the Rain.

[David]

That was good.

[Chris]

I had goosebumps.

[Tiffany]

Every single cell in my body came.

[Chris]

To where my skin was to my.

[Tiffany]

Epidermis and was like, let me out of here. I want to set fire to the rain.

[Chris]

It was just so beautiful. It was so beautiful. And the contrast netizens were like. Like, we want to hate them. We want to hate them because it's fun, right? Because you want to hate the opposite team.

[Tiffany]

It's like the super bowl.

[Chris]

It's all in good fun. Well, I don't know. Know people get crazy about sports, but.

[Tiffany]

Like, they want to have that beef. Like, foreigner beef.

[Chris]

Ooh, national pride. But they were like, no, we love her. Like, she could literally pee on me. And I'll say, set fire to the rain. I don't care. Pee on me. You're the queen.

[Tiffany]

She is so good. Ultimately, at the end, she took first place, which was not a surprise. Yeah. And naying got second place, and Shantae secured third place. And the two singers that were eliminated were Rainey and secondhand Rose. So a lot of people are commenting. Why only eliminate two? Can't they just eliminate, like five and.

[Chris]

Just keep Fojia and Shantae? Because at this point, it's not even a competition.

[Tiffany]

And then in the third episode, they tease it. They said, in the third episode, we're gonna mix it up. We're gonna bring in a new contestant to challenge someone here. It's gonna be a one on one battle. And that challenger is Adam Lambert.

[David]

Oh, bruh.

[Chris]

Oh.

[Tiffany]

Listen, I don't know much about Adam Lambert. I don't know the whole lore. I know all of his songs.

[Chris]

I know a good chunk of his songs. Okay.

[Tiffany]

He was the lead singer of, like, a British rock band, Queen. But he has so many good songs. Like, I mean, they're just timeless songs. Anyway, he won a grammy for best male pop vocal performance. He just is so freaking talented. And once that was announced, all the Chinese netizens commented, Chinese entertainment industry, it's time to pray for yourself. And then netizens are joking. Someone get a bodyguard for naying right now.

[Chris]

Don't let her run away. 56 is the perfect age to run away and start fresh.

[Tiffany]

Okay, Naying, the plan has changed. Get ready to compete for fourth place. Okay, please. At this point, netizens are not even looking for Chinese singers anymore. They're asking foreign singers to come and represent China.

[Chris]

Okay. They went to Lana del Rey and they said, I. All right, you two, come on. Okay, Hurry up, let's go. They were going to Shawn Mendes. Very random. They said, you too.

[Tiffany]

The Grammys has changed its location. It's now being held in Changsha, China. Don't ask questions. Just come. Just come.

[Chris]

Shawn Mendes. Okay.

[Tiffany]

And then others were just warning foreigners. They were in Adele's comments like, you better not be coming either. Stay the away from China for the next few months. Okay? We're not gonna be happy. Yeah, we're not. Shaquille o' Neal, he was singing and he posted on Douyin. Singing. I don't know if he's posting it. I don't know if he personally has.

[Chris]

The douyin app on his phone.

[Tiffany]

I like to believe that he does.

[Chris]

I think so. I like to believe that Shaquille o' Neal is on Douyin. I don't know if it's his social media team. I think it's Shaquille.

[Tiffany]

I think it's him pressing five buttons at once.

[Chris]

Once because his hand is so large.

[Tiffany]

Posting on Douyin.

[Chris]

He was trying to get TikTok, but.

[Tiffany]

His fingers are so large.

[Chris]

Somehow he got douyin. Okay. Now he's just posting singing videos on there.

[Tiffany]

And they said, not YouTube.

[Chris]

Aren't you a basketball player? And it's just naying stressed out. Like, not YouTube. No more foreigners, please. Yeah.

[Tiffany]

So Adam Lambert comes also. People were saying, adam Lambert, the things you did for our nation, we love you. People noticed when he came to China, he was very respectful. They pulled up pictures Chinese netizens did, and they said, this is Adam Lambert in his hometown. This is Adam Lambert at his concerts.

[Chris]

And it's like him being Adam Lambert. Okay. He's got nail polish on. He looks cool. His style is very recognizable. Okay.

[Tiffany]

This is Adam Lambert at an airport.

[Chris]

In some random country.

[Tiffany]

This is Adam Lambert at an airport in Japan.

[Chris]

This is Adam Lambert in an airport in China. Do you recognize this man?

[David]

What do you mean?

[Chris]

He just looks so normal. And people were saying he was trying to respect, I guess, Chinese customs of not, you know, dressing it colorfully. I don't know.

[David]

Okay.

[Tiffany]

Because he usually likes wearing a lot of nice colors.

[David]

Yeah.

[Chris]

And then, like, he'll have really good. He has a very fashion forward sense.

[Tiffany]

And he wasn't doing that at the airport. And so people are like, wow, he has so much respect for us. Right before he destroys us.

[Chris]

Thank you so much. We love you. Okay, but please calm down.

[Tiffany]

And netizens were joking. It's the Chinese limited edition.

[Chris]

Well behaved look.

[Tiffany]

So he goes from the airport, he goes to eat some Chinese food and then he sings. Now people are saying, what kind of Chinese food did he eat? Turns out he went to Hunan specialty rice noodle soup shop. Now, Hunan people are very famous for eating relatively spicy food. Okay? I would probably be sharding 247 if I had some really authentic Hunan food, right? He goes, and people see. They see a picture of him from afar eating with, like, a whole entourage. They were like, that's Adam Lambert. And so the owner of this shop said that they did the national honor by adding extra chili oil to Adam Lambert's bowl of noodles so that he burns his throat and can't sing well. Right? Of course, Chinese netizens were super upset. And then the owner was like, guys, I was literally just joking, okay?

[Chris]

I'm not adding extra chilies. Are you crazy?

[Tiffany]

I'm not trying to get sued.

[Chris]

This is insane.

[Tiffany]

And so it was just all in good fun. Everybody was playing into the memes, right?

[Chris]

Except it's not Adam Lambert.

[David]

Wait, what? What do you mean?

[Tiffany]

People are commenting.

[Chris]

Good news, the owner added lots of.

[Tiffany]

Chili to help naying by spicing up Adam's food.

[Chris]

Bad news, the owner spiced up the wrong person.

[Tiffany]

So it's not Adam Lambert, but it's.

[Chris]

Lauv, the singer that sings I Like me Better, who happened to be in China for his concert tour.

[David]

Bro, do they even look alike?

[Tiffany]

What? No.

[Chris]

But also, people are saying it's so funny that it's just like, not another white guy. It's also another famous white guy. Like, what are the odds of that? To the point where Lauv has to post a video response. Where he posts, he says, hey, auntie, I'm actually auntie. Yeah. To the owner of the spice restaurant.

[Tiffany]

And he says, hey, auntie, I'm actually not Adam Lambert, but thank you so.

[Chris]

Much for the extra spice. I didn't actually have any, but my friends had it, and they said it was actually very spicy, but sending you lots of love. And he's laughing. He's being a good sport. But netizens are dying. They're like, I'm dying after all that fuss. It's not even Adam Lambert. It's not even Adam Lambert. It's not even Adam Lambert. But it's Lauv's team members.

[Tiffany]

They say, humor level of Adam eating spicy rice noodles, 100%. Humor level of spicing up the wrong person, 1000%.

[Chris]

Humor level of that person being Louth. 1 trillion percent. Okay, what the f. What?

[Tiffany]

Adam did indeed go eat noodles before the competition. And then he was also just spotted casually shopping around before the competition. No nervousness at all. But the Chinese singers were nervous when they Found out that it was going to be Adam Lambert. You can see all of them. Yeah. Even Naying is looking like she can't even catch her breath right now. So they say that all of them are going to sing against Adam Lambert. And he sang what do you want from me? Such a good song, right? A few things during that performance. First of all, nailed it.

[Chris]

Chill.

[Tiffany]

People are crying. It's not even an emotional.

[David]

Did you see the part that before he started singing.

[Tiffany]

Oh, I'm about to get there.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Tiffany]

So a few things happened at the very end.

[Chris]

There's this really cute moment that Chinese netizens are freaking obsessed with, okay. Because Adam Lambert, he's like a sexy dude, okay? He likes to pose sexy and strike all these fun poses.

[Tiffany]

Okay.

[Chris]

But when he is done with his performance, there's this moment where he turns.

[Tiffany]

Around and I feel like he's trying to hit. Hit a sexy pose. But then he remembers that he's in.

[Chris]

China and he stops himself. And the Chinese netizens think it's the cutest thing they've ever seen, and they f cking love him. Okay. Yeah, it was really cute.

[Tiffany]

And then what's even more shocking is that the whole performance. What do you want from me? Adam lowered the key, the whole key. When he performed. He was probably using 60 to 70% of his full singing capacity.

[Chris]

He performed in a lower key.

[Tiffany]

It's like. Like he's saying the same song at his concerts in the regular key, the very high key. And then he comes here like he's.

[Chris]

Performing at his nephew's bar mitzvah, you know, it's like, I'm just here for the fun. I'm not even, like, trying to win, y' all. I'm just here to giggle. Gaggle. Yeah. So I'm not even gonna, like, strain myself. I'm just.

[Tiffany]

I don't even need to. And people said respect. He respects the Chinese netizen so much that he's saying in a restrained manner.

[Chris]

He held back his full potential for Argy dignity.

[Tiffany]

Yeah. And then all the Chinese netizens said, go watch the one where he's got the lettuce flowers on his chest. That version is nice.

[Chris]

It's him wearing, like, a very elaborate brooch.

[Tiffany]

It does look like a head of lettuce. Yeah. They called it the lettuce head of lettuce version, and every Chinese netizen now.

[Chris]

Knows it's the head of lettuce version.

[Tiffany]

So what's more than that is that while another performer was up there singing, it cuts to the hostess who's in the back, and she's just getting ready.

[Chris]

To interview the performer.

[Tiffany]

And you hear Adam Lambert in the back warming up in the bathroom. I mean, I think he could shatter.

[Chris]

A whole glass building with how high.

[Tiffany]

His voice is able to go.

[Chris]

It's so good. And people were so confused.

[David]

And what was her face reaction again?

[Tiffany]

She just looks like we're fucked. Like, I don't even know if I'm.

[Chris]

Supposed to acknowledge what's happening right now. Yeah, it was pretty, pretty, pretty crazy.

[Tiffany]

To the point where netizens were commenting. His vocals were even higher than when he was on stage. When he was warming up in the bathroom, he really sang with his eq. He said, I want the Chinese netizens to not be too offended. I want them to like me, so I will humble myself. People commented, a man just eliminated some of the top Chinese singers by warming up his vocals in the bathroom.

[Chris]

He sang so effortlessly, even the high.

[Tiffany]

Notes didn't require him to.

[Chris]

To strain his voice at all. People said his energy, the way that he lowered it, but it was still perfection. It's like he was doing a commercial performance for an insurance company. You sing for, you know, like a little jingle would it. You're in good hands or what is it?

[David]

I don't know.

[Chris]

We are farmers. I don't know. Yeah.

[Tiffany]

And then people said when he opened with, hey, that's when we realized how good the sound equipment actually is. We said him just casually saying hi. That was better than all the Chinese singers.

[Chris]

These are Chinese netizens. Okay.

[Tiffany]

It was crazy. And then the last contestant in the episode was Fauzia, and she sang Desert Rose.

[David]

Did she sing her native?

[Tiffany]

Yes. Oh, she did like the Arabic because she's Moroccan. I don't know how to describe this song. I don't know how to describe this performance. It was emotionally enlightening. I think it changed my brain chemistry. I think the mitochondria, I think every cell of my being, I think the nucleus of every atom inside of me.

[Chris]

Was altered by this.

[Tiffany]

I think so.

[David]

It's good.

[Tiffany]

Yeah. It was so good.

[David]

It was really good.

[Tiffany]

Yeah. So Fauzia got first place. Adam didn't even rank. He just like leaves. After this episode, Yellow won second place, Shantae was third, and naying won fourth place. And so because Adam just left after one episode, he was seen at the airport afterwards. Netizens said he came all the way.

[Chris]

To China and used a nuclear bomb to blow up an ant nest. Because he came into this show to sing one song and get some random Chinese singer eliminated, that all Chinese netizens were like, you should have been eliminated, bro. Okay, so they said he came all the way here with the nuclear bomb to use on an ant nest. It was way too much power. We didn't need all of that. I'm sweating.

[Tiffany]

And finally, the final competition took place July 26, 2024. It was also the eve of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Oh, yes. And Battle of the King of Singers came to an end. This was also the time that the Kazakh singer Dimash seemed to have made a very. He whispered the words, and then it went viral to the point where he had to clarify. He came out and emphasized that what he was whispering was not. He did not say, it has to be Chinese before you. Like, you cannot win. He was just saying that they were going to pair people up to sing together, and he wanted to sing with Fao, but they told him, she's got to sing with someone Chinese. He was saying, I said, it has to be someone Chinese for you, not before you. That's what he claims. Nobody believes him. The Chinese netizen said, thank you. That was very nice of you. We don't believe you. And that's okay. That's not your fault. And then this is where it gets crazy. All the singers are standing on stage waiting for the host to announce the winner. And everybody's facial expressions once again become a trending topic online. Everyone seems like they know who's about to win. That's the vibe.

[Chris]

To the point where before the host.

[Tiffany]

Announced the result, the singer next to naying points at naying to be like, congratulations. And naying literally panics and does an.

[Chris]

X with her hands and pushes her hands down, and both of them look incredibly awkward.

[Tiffany]

Incredibly awkward.

[Chris]

And in the end, naying wins the title of king of singers.

[Tiffany]

She wins.

[Chris]

She wins.

[Tiffany]

I'm so confused. Another Chinese singer wins second place, and then third place is another Chinese singer.

[Chris]

And then faux wins fourth place.

[Tiffany]

The other singers are not even ranked. So after the announcement, Naying's performance became a highlight again. She felt like she wanted to cry in excitement, but she could not. She just looked like everybody around her was once again flatulent. Flatulent, gassy.

[Chris]

Just pooping it up, like, shorting their pants.

[Tiffany]

And so netizens were not happy with this. They were saying, I mean, she has exposed all of her weaknesses. She was very nervous. She was out of tune most of the time. Her voice was always shaking. And now she wins first place. That doesn't even make sense.

[Chris]

What Are you talking about?

[Tiffany]

And Falzia, she never fell out of the top three in the past season, and she unexpectedly ranked fourth in the finals. That does it. People were making Excel spreadsheets to show how the probability is improbabilitying. None of this is making any fucking sense. They were saying that she could have gotten into Tsinghua University, mit, Harvard, but then you said, nah, she's going here. That doesn't even make any sense. Sense what is happening right now. People started saying, naying is not the king of singers. She's the best actor. She needs to win best actor award with all of this. Naying did some interviews, and she responded in an interview, if you win the championship, there will definitely be a lot of negativity. Can you be brave enough to accept it? I can. I know what happened here. I want to thank myself and I want to thank every singer that is present.

[David]

Whoa.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Tiffany]

And when she was asked, which singers do you think should come for the next season? She replied, do they dare come? And people are not having a fun time with that. Another singer, veteran singer Jenny Tseng, she was friends with Coco Lee.

[David]

Oh, she's old. She's 71.

[Tiffany]

Yeah. She tweeted she was like, on Weibo saying she really didn't like the show. She said she has no respect for the show because. And she, with a lot of other veteran singers, felt this way. They felt really shitty for the foreign singers. They said they paid foreigners to be manipulated and played around when the media, when they clearly should have won. Like, you paid them here to get the views. And then they weren't even. They didn't even win based on merit. It just wasn't fair.

[David]

Yeah. But I do have to say they won everyone's heart in China. Like, they are the. Yeah. This actually made them even more loved.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Tiffany]

Yeah.

[David]

Everyone's rooting for them.

[Chris]

Yeah. Everybody loves them. I hope they release, like, albums in Chinese or something.

[David]

Oh, there's so many fans now.

[Chris]

They're so good.

[Tiffany]

And people. She was even asking this celebrity, Jennie was asking, naying, listen to your own singing. Aren't you embarrassed to win? You're humiliating yourself by being brave enough to accept the victory. Yeah. And then the show itself made an announcement that said, music cannot deceive people. Music cannot be deceived. Like, she was the clear winner. And netizens were also confused about. About that. They said, yes. Music does not lie, but the production team does. They said, well done, singing competition. Let's not do it again.

[Chris]

Okay?

[Tiffany]

Let's not do it. Again.

[Chris]

Yeah, that's the show. That's what's happened. What are your thoughts on this, bruh? What a journey.

[Tiffany]

And again, I want to clarify.

[Chris]

Chinese netizens loved the Foreign Scene singers, every single one of them. They were eating them up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I think they were just making these.

[Tiffany]

It was honestly some hilarious memes that were coming out of it.

[Chris]

Just hilarious.

[David]

Yeah.

[Chris]

So good.

[David]

So good.

[Tiffany]

Insane.

[David]

Now I gotta listen to those songs again.

[Tiffany]

Go listen to them. Go stream their music and I hope.

[Chris]

You guys enjoyed and I'll see you.

[Tiffany]

In the next one.

[Chris]

Bye.

[Brandon]

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