'Veiled Musician' expands globally with SBS, Spotify

Asia-wide audition show selects top vocalists based solely on voice, with 12 countries joining Season 3 of the blind music competition

Screenshot of "Veiled Musician Season 2," aired in 2023 (Youtube)

The audition program "Veiled Musician," which selects top singers based solely on their voices, is expanding into a global project in partnership with Korean broadcaster SBS.

"Veiled Musician" is a blind audition program where participants sing from behind a curtain, concealing their face, age and all other identifying details. The competition focuses purely on vocal talent and musicality.

The series launched in 2018 under the title "Blind Musician" through Naver TV and YouTube. In 2023, the show was rebranded as "Veiled Musician" for its second season, which aired on Wavve and YouTube. This year, the show returns for its third season, teaming up with SBS and Spotify.

Season 3 is set to unfold across 12 Asian countries. Hidden vocal talents will be discovered in Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos. The top three contestants from each country will gather in Korea to compete in a final round.

Kim Yong-jae, head of the Global Business Center at SBS Prism Studio, stated, “This is the first time in Asia that 12 countries will participate simultaneously in the same format, with leading local broadcasters airing the show. It marks a shift in the global stage for musical exchange -- from the West to the East -- with SBS at the center.”

Season 3 of "Veiled Musician" is set to premiere in the second half of this year.