JYP-Yang Hyun Suk Surprised by BoA's Skills as a Producer

Pop artist, BoA, is flourishing as a judge and producer on "K-pop Star 2." Her eye for talent andprofessionalism are on par with Yang Hyun Suk and Park Jin Young, who are decades her senior.

Boa represents SM Entertainment as she features as a judge on SBS "K-pop Star 2" along withYG's Yang Hyun Suk and JYP's Park Jin Young. Following season 1, they have stayed onboard to search for the next big K-pop star.

The three judges are clearly different in what they look for in participants. In fact, their critiques reveal their personal affinities as well as the interests of their record labels. As they represent their respective companies, they become spokespersons of their record labels. And as such, they have huge weight on their shoulders.
Having debuted in 2000, BoA is a seasoned veteran. But being born in 1986, she is only in her twenties. Yang, born in 1972, and Park, born in 1972, are decades her senior. Also, BoA has never produced any artists on her own. Big Bang and 2NE1 were made by the hands of Yang, while Wonder Girls and 2PM were produced by Park. Clearly, it is not a fair comparison.

For obvious reasons, there were concerns when BoA was selected to be a judge on the show. A young, inexperienced BoA was to represent SM Entertainment? Many voiced their opinions, mostly negative.

But Boa has proven herself over and again as seasons 1 and 2 have progressed. Her critiques were sharp and accurate, and she still managed to offer sympathy as a friend to participants. She shined especially during training sessions at SM when she repeatedly brought out the most from the participants by picking out the right song. Every participant performed to his or her potential when trained by 'producer' BoA.  Last "Battle Audition" proved it so. BoA trained Kim Do-yun, Bang Yae-dam, Two Dollars, Choi HeeTae, Lee JinWoo and Racoon Boys; five of them advanced to become the top 10.

Boa's talent as a producer was showcased again on Kpop Star's Top 4 Performance on the 24th. Andrew Choi and Ak Dong Musician, whom BoA trained, both advanced into the top 3.

Boa assigned Lee Moon-sae's "In The Rain" to Andrew Choi and 10cm's "Love in Milky Way Café" to Ak-dong Musician. "In The Rain" was a great fit for Andrew Choi's soulful voice, while "Love in Milky Way Café" brought out Ak-Dong Musician's funky colors. Both were wonderfully executed.

Andrew Choi received round-high 281 points along with showers of compliments from the judges and Ak-Dong Musician managed to advance to the next round in the midst of mixed reviews.

Yang Hyun Suk and Park Jin Young are well-aware of BoA's abilities as a producer. That is perhaps why they give her respect though she is far younger than either of them. "Yang and I fear BoA the most. She brings out the best of whomever she works with," Park commented. He added, "I made her drink a lot a few days back because I was so afraid of her."

Any fan of "Kpop Star" would not doubt BoA's abilities as producer anymore. BoA has earned the respect of her fellow judges as well as the viewers. BoA, who was the star of Asia and led the frontier of K-pop wave, is showcasing her talents as a producer that might be just as great as hers as an artist.
We look forward to BoA's career as a real producer outside of "K-pop Star" in the coming years.