When international music icon Ne-Yo stepped into a Korean karaoke room, nobody expected the multi-Grammy award winner to lose a singing showdown against South Korean actress Ji Ye-eun. The unexpected musical face-off was recently featured on the YouTube channel ‘Studio Modak’ via their variety show ‘What are you doing, Ye-eun?’.
During the episode, Ji Ye-eun boldly proposed a 10,000-won bet to the R&B legend, setting the stage for an unforgettable competition. Ne-Yo took the first turn, passionately performing one of his global hits with the smooth vocals expected of a superstar. However, the karaoke machine’s scoring system brought an unexpected twist, awarding him a modest 91 points. Visibly surprised by the low score for his own song, Ne-Yo offered a sheepish smile that delighted the crew.
Stepping up to the challenge, Ji Ye-eun chose Girls’ Generation’s classic hit ‘Into the New World’. Delivering an energetic and spirited performance, she scored an impressive 99 points. Euphoric over her first-round victory against a three-time Grammy winner, she jokingly offered professional advice, telling Ne-Yo that you have to project your voice loudly in a Korean karaoke room.
Determined to redeem himself, Ne-Yo returned for the second round and scored 98 points, proudly reminding everyone that he wrote the track. Ji Ye-eun followed up with 95 points, tying their individual rounds at one win each. However, when the final scores were tallied, Ji Ye-eun edged out the pop star with a combined total of 194 points to Ne-Yo’s 189.
Celebrating her narrow five-point victory, Ji Ye-eun humorously declared that she officially conquered the Korean karaoke system, demanding that the losing pop star foot the bill. The lighthearted match proved that even global music royalty is no match for the unpredictable scoring of a Korean norebang machine.
