‘Superstar K3′ runner-up alleges talent show result was fixed

Busker Busker’s (from left) Jang Beum-jun, Brad Moore and Kim Hyung-tae (Photo by www.newsen.com)

The drummer of indie band Busker Busker, who wound up runner-up in the Korean talent search TV show “Superstar K3″ in 2011, claimed the final result of the contest was fixed with the winner already known beforehand.

Brad Moore, the American member of the band, dissed the TV show and its producers in an interview with English music site Noisey (www.noisey.vice.com).

The interview came out on the day Busker Busker released their new album in South Korea.

Moore alleged their Korean celebrity manager Seok-Hyeon Kim told them before the show’s finale that band Ulala Session would win “Superstar K3.”

“He said, ‘Okay, Ulala Session is going to be announced winners, they’ll say thank-yous, [you’re] gonna say thank-yous—and what you guys gotta do is get Dani up onstage,’” Moore told Noisey. Dani is Danielle Bacon, Moore’s girlfriend.

“Superstar K3″ aired on TV channel M.net from August to November 2011. The celebrity judges on the show were Lee Seung Chul, Yoon Mi-Rae and Yoon Jong Shin.

Busker Busker is composed of Moore, vocalist Jang Beum-jun and bassist Kim Hyung-tae.

In the interview, Moore said he and girlfriend moved from Ohio to Cheonan City in South Korea in 2008 to teach kindergarten. After a year, they got jobs to teach at Sangmyung University.

Kim Hyung-tae asked Moore, who was his professor, to join him in the band.

Moore said they did not audition for “Superstar K3.” He said Jang Beom-jun got a call from people behind the show.

He claimed, “They just needed diversity in their narrative, in their broadcasting—so they had us come in to make the show look successful. Even though they had called us.”

During the show’s “Superstar Week,” Moore said they were paired with singing duo Two Months to perform SHINee’s song “Juliette.”

“When they linked us up with these kids, the narrative had already been set: Two Months were passing, Busker Busker was failing. That was predetermined, we found out later… [the producers] just didn’t think we were marketable,” he told Noisey.

Busker Busker was eliminated but was called back to be in the Top 11 when Yery Band decided to leave the show.

Moore claimed that when they returned to the show, they experienced the “autocratic” policies at the place where they stayed.

Noisey said, “His phone and wallet were confiscated upon arrival, and he would remain confined until whenever Busker Busker lost.”

Moore told Noisey that he was supposedly “fed a slimming diet of salad and tofu.”

He also claimed that the “Superstar K3″ producers made snide remarks about their physiques and requested them to undergo Botox injections.

Moore agreed to have Botox injections.

“There’s this freakish, Dr. Kevorkian chair in the middle of the room—just one chair—and sitting on top is a stuffed elephant. I sit down and they put it on my lap, and say, ‘You might wanna squeeze the elephant.’ Tears. Instant tears. You start squeezing the elephant just so you don’t scream and scratch yourself.” he said.

Moore also complained that they didn’t receive money even though they endorsed brands on the show.

“We were popular because we were on TV, but we couldn’t legally make money. We were at ‘amateur status’ in the broadcasting contract. We were on the show for eight weeks straight, and we did commercials for eight weeks straight. We took home no money from that,” he said.

He also alleged that they didn’t get paid for their song “Makgeollina” even though it sold $1.4 million.

“Our sales were in the millions [USD]. One song, ‘Makgeollina,’ sold $1.4 million in a month and a half—and yet we saw nothing from that,” Moore said.

Moore said they signed a contract with CJ E&M on the conditions that they would write their own songs, record songs in Cheonan and the contract was only for six months.

“The CJ time, those six months—I mean, it was like the TV show. It sucked. They booked us every day, all day, because contractually they could,” said Moore.

After the contract ended, Busker Busker signed up with Chungchun Music.

“We’re lucky to be in this position. And I say we’re lucky—but we also fought for it, and made a lot of enemies to get where we are—to be happy,” he said.

After the interview became a hot topic in South Korea, Moore issued a statement on Twitter on Oct. 3 to say that he didn’t know Korean culture when he was in “Superstar K.”

“When I was on Superstar K3 I didn’t know Korean and Korean culture well and misunderstood things. But now I’m studying Korean hard and happy doing music and broadcasting. I am very thankful for Superstar K3 for all their support and their contribution to my life,” he tweeted.

A representative from “Superstar K” denied the allegation about the contest rigging.

“The words to Busker Busker about Ulala Session winning was said when we were telling them what would happen in the case that Ulala Session did win… Rather than us scouting them [Busker Busker], we had made a request about them joining the audition… The decision of joining is up to the participants. We cannot force them,” the rep said, according to Korean entertainment site AllKpop.

‘Superstar K3′ runner-up alleges talent show result was fixed

Source: Mb.com.ph (October 04, 2013 at 04:09PM)

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