Lim Bada, Heo Chae-min, and Kim So-yeon Tie for Highest Votes with 147 Each on ‘Our Ballad 2’

In the first broadcast of the SBS audition program ‘Our Ballad 2’, Lim Bada, Heo Chae-min, and Kim So-yeon each obtained 147 votes, setting a joint record for the highest votes in the first round. As the participants prepared their stages under the theme of 'The Song That Made Me Cry', the three individuals were chosen by 147 out of 150 Top 100 Listeners. All of them secured advancement to the second round. The first broadcast viewership ratings also surpassed the first broadcast records of the previous season, with the second part in the metropolitan area recording 6.2% and the peak minute rating reaching 7.1%.

All three receive 147 votes out of 150 evaluators

‘Our Ballad 2’, which aired its first episode on the 5th, began with the first round of the main competition, where participants chose 'The Song That Made Me Cry' to present their own stages. The participants' stages were evaluated by the selection of 150 Top 100 Listeners. Lim Bada, Heo Chae-min, and Kim So-yeon each received 147 votes, tying for the highest votes in the first round. The scores of these three individuals are the highest first-round vote records for the entire program series. Although they took the stage with different songs, the results were the same, and all three secured advancement to the second round. Broadcast-related reports stated that Heo Chae-min surpassed the highest score of 146 votes recorded by Season 1 winner Lee Ye-ji.

The first broadcast viewership ratings were 4.7% for Part 1 and 6.2% for Part 2 in the metropolitan area. The peak minute rating rose to 7.1%. The 2049 viewership ratings recorded 1.2% for Part 1 and 1.7% for Part 2. The viewership figures are based on Nielsen Korea. According to the original data, the Part 1 and Part 2 viewership ratings exceeded the first broadcast figures of the previous season, and the 2049 viewership ratings also surpassed the previous season's first broadcast record, ranking first in the same time slot and in Monday variety programs.

Lim Bada receives 147 votes with ‘Kim Seong-ho's Reminiscence’

Korean-Australian participant Lim Bada selected ‘Kim Seong-ho's Reminiscence’, which Kim Sung-ho released in 1989. The program introduced the song as one that has recently recorded over 15 million views. Lim Bada reinterpreted the song with her own exotic vocal style to prepare her stage. 147 out of 150 Top 100 Listeners chose Lim Bada, and she secured advancement to the second round. Lim Bada, who was the first of the three to be introduced, was also introduced on the broadcast as a Korean-Australian participant who 'made the British King fall in love'.

Watching the stage, Roy Kim said, “It seems a balladeer who follows in the footsteps of seniors Jung Hyun Park and Kim Jo-han has appeared.” Lim Bada presented a stage filled with her own sensibility, receiving 147 votes in the first round and becoming a joint highest vote-getter with Heo Chae-min and Kim So-yeon. The result of the three participants receiving the same number of votes was tallied as the highest first-round vote record for all seasons. Along with Lim Bada's stage revealed in the first broadcast, the competitions of subsequent first-round participants are scheduled to continue. The program will reveal the next stages of the first-round participants in the broadcast on the 12th.

Heo Chae-min applied with the goal of having a different stage than her brother

15-year-old participant Heo Chae-min sang Wheesung's ‘Can't It Be?’. According to the original data, Heo Chae-min applied for the program wanting to beat her brother, who is currently active as an idol. Broadcast-related reports stated that Heo Chae-min's brother is active in the band Hi-Fi Un!corn. Heo Chae-min said on the broadcast that after her brother debuted, her brother's stage videos continuously appeared in her grandmother's YouTube algorithm, causing her to be pushed from 1st place to 3rd place. She also revealed that the 2nd place was trot singer Park Ji-hyun.

After Heo Chae-min's stage ended, Jung Jae-hyung and Joo Woo-jae stood up and applauded. Moon Geun-young said, “I feel like my chest has been opened up.” Heo Chae-min received the choice of 147 out of 150 Top 100 Listeners and rose to a joint first place with Lim Bada. According to broadcast-related reports, Heo Chae-min revealed that she received offers from SM and Starship Entertainment but declined them because they overlapped with the program's appearance schedule. Roy Kim asked Heo Chae-min if she had an agency, and Heo Chae-min replied that she did not. Heo Chae-min secured advancement to the second round by recording the highest votes in the first broadcast. Her motivation for applying and her brother's career history, which she revealed before her stage, were also introduced on the broadcast.

Kim So-yeon also receives 147 votes... Next broadcast on the 12th

16-year-old participant Kim So-yeon chose Yang Hee-eun's ‘About the Loneliness of Love’. Kim So-yeon, who was introduced during her first appearance with an image reminiscent of Yang Hee-eun's debut days, said she wanted to show her perspective on the world through music. She decorated her stage by putting emotion into the lyrics while singing, and she received the choice of the Top 100 Listeners, including Moon Geun-young. Kim So-yeon obtained 147 votes out of 150, becoming a joint highest vote-getter in the first round along with Lim Bada and Heo Chae-min. Kim So-yeon also advanced to the second round.

The program stated that the average age of the participants, including Lim Bada, Heo Chae-min, and Kim So-yeon, was 17.9 years old in the first broadcast. The three individuals took the stage with different songs and received the same 147 votes. Lim Bada chose a song by Kim Sung-ho, Heo Chae-min chose a song by Wheesung, and Kim So-yeon chose a song by Yang Hee-eun. All three secured advancement to the next round in the first round, and in the first broadcast, their stages and the reactions of the judges and Top 100 Listeners were revealed.

‘Our Ballad 2’ will be broadcast on SBS at 10 PM on Monday, the 12th.

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