“1st Legend” Seungri: “I Survived the Wildcard Round to Win it All!” (Muming Jeonseol)

Singer Seungri, the “1st Legend” of Muming Jeonseol, recently looked back on his miraculous journey to the final stage.

A press conference for the TOP7 of the MBN audition program Muming Jeonseol – Trot Men’s Hierarchy War (Muming Jeonseol) was held on the 20th at the Shocking K-Pop Center in Sangam, Seoul.

During the event, Seungri admitted, “I never dreamed I would actually win.” He shared that when he first applied for Muming Jeonseol, his primary goal was simply to make it to the final round at least once.

Before joining Muming Jeonseol, Seungri was a singer who never stopped challenging himself through various auditions. He recalled, “I had tried out for six different auditions in the past. Those experiences piled up, and they helped me narrowly escape elimination during the wildcard round to finally move forward.” He had previously introduced himself on the show as being on his fifth trot audition.

Seungri faced a major crisis in the wildcard round just before the finals. After losing points to Haru during the main competition, he had to fight his way through the wildcard round to secure a spot among the final 10 contestants.

He remembers that wildcard performance as a moment where he “let go of the pressure.” He explained, “I sang while thinking deeply about my fans and my family who always support me, letting go of the tension and just singing from the heart.” He believes the professional judges appreciated that sincerity.

Once in the finals, Seungri dominated, taking 1st place in both the first and second rounds. Combined with seven consecutive weeks of topping the online public vote and a strong lead in text voting, he was crowned the “1st Legend.” He expressed his gratitude, saying, “The public and my fans created this truly honorable position for me.”

Seungri credited his victory to his “relentless effort to keep challenging himself.” He noted, “As seen on the show, many called me the ‘icon of effort’ for my constant challenges, and it made me feel that all my hard work wasn’t in vain.” He added that he has always believed he should never give up and should continue singing and dancing for the rest of his life.

As for his next goal, he is aiming for a “hit song.” Reflecting on his past, Seungri said, “When I first debuted as an idol, I thought everything would be set once I debuted, but I realized that debut was just the beginning.” He added, “After switching to trot, becoming part of the TOP7 feels like I’ve debuted all over again in front of the cameras.”

He continued, “Ultimately, success as a singer comes down to having one hit song,” and expressed his hope that fans would listen to and love the songs he performed during the final hit song mission.

After 99 unknown singers competed over 12 episodes, the final TOP7 were revealed as Seungri, Haru, Jang Han-byeol, Hwang Yun-seong, Jeong Yeon-ho, Lee Chang-min, and Lee Ru-ne.

Muming Jeonseol premiered in February and concluded on the 13th. According to Nielsen Korea, the final episode recorded a viewership rating of 9.3%, with the series peak hitting 10.1%. The finale’s 9.3% rating broke its own record and secured the 1st place spot among variety shows in its time slot.

As the winner, Seungri received a prize of 100 million won, the release of a new song, a national tour concert, and the production of a movie starring himself. The TOP7 plan to keep the momentum going with dinner shows and a national tour immediately following the show’s end.