Libelante takes home first prize from 'Phantom Singer 4'

Music & Performance

Published: 06 Jun. 2023, 14:18

Libelante takes home first prize from 'Phantom Singer 4'

From left, tenor Jin Won, baritone Noh Hyun-woo, musical theater singer Kim Ji-hoon and tenor Jeong Seung-won are members of male crossover quartet Libelante, which won first place on JTBC's music show "Phantom Singer 4" on Friday. [JTBC]

Friday was a victorious night for crossover quartet Libelante who took home the final prize of “Phantom Singer 4.”

“It was already a dream come true when I got to sing on ‘Phantom Singer,’ but this outcome is just unbelievable and I cannot be happier today,” baritone Noh Hyun-woo told the local press on Tuesday in Mapo District, western Seoul.

“Phantom Singer” is a male crossover survival show on JTBC that brings together undiscovered vocalists in various musical fields such as classical, musical theater or K-pop, who then form crossover quartets that compete against each other for the final prize of 200 million won (around $150,000).

“We weren’t expecting the win, especially after placing third in our last battle,” said Kim Ji-hoon, musical theater performer and leader of Libelante.

Libelante received a check for 200 million won ($around 150,000) after coming in first place on JTBC's male crossover survival show "Phantom Singer 4" which aired Friday. [SCREEN CAPTURE/JTBC]

Libelante — which is a combination of “liberta” and “brillante” — finished last in the first round of finals. But in the second round, it blew away the crowd with performances of Plácido Domingo’s “Risuona anima mia” (2008) and Fernando Varela’s “Verita” (2017), raking in over 100,000 votes taken real-time and nabbing the final win.

“It’s all thanks to the fans really,” said tenor Jin Won. He said that they hung promotional posters in Sinchon, central Seoul, encouraging others to cast votes for Libelante.

“We were feeling a bit down after the results from that first round, but seeing our fans rally like that for us really gave us the energy to perform better the second time,” said tenor Jeong Seung-won.

“They [the fans] are who wrote this happy ending for this coming-of-age story of Libelante,” said Kim. “They opened their hearts to four young men who weren’t getting a lot of attention, supported our small wins and immersed themselves in our stories and music.”

Libelante consists of men in their 20s with most of them still studying classical music in college. It is the youngest winning team in the history of the survival program which has been on air since 2016.

Going forward, the members wanted to sing songs that are “less dramatic.”

“Because of the nature of audition programs, we have performed many songs with a large orchestra, but we strive for a more commercial sound so that people can listen with ease,” said Kim.

But whatever may be in store in the future, one thing was for sure for Libelante: the four of them would do it as a team.

“A memorable comment from the judges on the show was that the four of us singing sound like a single person,” said Kim. “I believe the most important foundation of a quartet lies in the ensemble. Now, my dream isn’t to play a lead role in a big-scale musical or gain other musical success, but it is to become a good person, and Libelante has helped with that. Meeting my team members gave me some confidence that I can become a better person.”

“Not only are we harmonious as a quartet, but we are also harmonious with each other in regular life as well,” added Jeong. “I think we would be a good team, even if we hadn’t met through music.

“I hope the four of us can sing together as a group... forever!”

The three finalists of “Phantom Singer 4” — Libelante, Forténa and Crezzle — will hold concerts nationwide, starting in Seoul on July 14. Tickets to the concerts open Thursday on the local ticketing platform Interpark.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]