“K-pop Star 3” contestants Sam Kim and Kwon Jin-ah, who finished second and third on the show, respectively, have both signed with Antenna Music, the agency announced Tuesday.
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Sam Kim (SBS) |
Kim and Kwon have become the first “K-pop Star” contestants to sign with the agency, home to alternative artists Lucid Fall and the Peppertones.
The agency is run by CEO You Hee-yeol who was a judge on the SBS audition program for the first time this year.
“We think that Kwon Jin-ah is a musician that has her own distinctive voice and musical color,” said a representative of Antenna Music in the statement.
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Kwon Jin-ah (SBS) |
“Like Lee So-ra and Kim Yoon-ah, we anticipate her future success as a solo female vocalist and musician.”
“We believe that Sam Kim will be able to bridge this generation’s music with the next generation,” it continued. “In the future, we think that he will become one of the best producers and artists in the K-pop market.”
Both contestants gained popularity with their compositions and guitar skills, with Kim praised as a guitar genius on the weekly program.
However, Kwon and Kim eventually lost to Korean-American Bernard Park, who announced on the final episode that he would join JYP Entertainment.
“We have the mindset of turning Kwon Jin-ah and Sam Kim into stars and have big plans for their music in the future,” the statement read.
A number of previous “K-pop Star” contestants from past seasons have gone on to dominate the music charts with record-breaking debuts, including season one runner-up Lee Hi and last year’s winner, brother-sister duo Akdong Musician.
By Julie Jackson(
juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)
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