‘Singer No. 33’ Kim Ki-tae wins season 2 of JTBC’s ‘Sing Again’

Kim Ki-tae, singer No. 33 on the second season of JTBC’s hit TV competition “Sing Again,” became the final winner Monday, bringing the three-month music competition to a close.

Season 2 of “Sing Again,” which aired its first episode in December, drew attention by giving a second chance to 73 singers who had released albums in the past but failed to gain traction. With each contestant called by a number instead of a name, viewers’ curiosity about the singers’ identities was piqued.

Six finalists -- Kim So-yeon (No. 7), Kim Ki-tae (No. 33), Lee Ju-hyuk (No. 73), Shin You-me (No. 31), Park Hyun-kyu (No. 37) and Yun Seong (No. 17) -- gave their final performances Monday. The winner was determined by tallying scores from online voting before the show (10 percent), scores from judges (40 percent) and live voting (50 percent). While the top three contestants were to receive 30 million won ($25,000) each in prize money as a grant-in-aid for their activities, the winner took home the top honor, along with prize money of 100 million won.

Singing veteran rocker Jeon In-kwon’s “After Love,” Kim Ki-tae won a landslide victory with 2,807.26 points. Although the singer failed to come in first place on the judges’ combined score, he secured the top position by winning viewers’ hearts.

“I’m extremely grateful. I want to thank God first, and fans for loving my songs,” Kim Ki-tae said after winning the competition. “I know there are many people who struggle out there. I would like to tell them to never give up with a message of encouragement. Although this moment won’t last forever, I’ll hang in there until the end, too.”

Kim So-yeon, who showcased SSaW’s “People All Change,” came in second, while Yun Seong came in third with his performance of Sinawe’s “I’m a Candlelight Before You.” Park Hyun-kyu came in fourth, while Lee Ju-hyuk and Shin You-me came in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Also on the stage on Monday night’s final episode were the top three contestants from the premiere season of “Sing Again” -- Lee Seung-yoon, Lee Mu-jin and Jeong Hong-il -- who performed together with the six finalists of the second season.

Meanwhile, the program’s top 10 contestants will begin a nationwide concert tour across 12 cities, starting with Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan on April 9. Tickets for the Busan concert will be available through Yes24 from 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)