‘Singer-Songwriter Incubator’ 33rd Yu Jae-ha Music Contest Preliminary Registration Open

The Longest-Running Audition in Popular Music Producing Bang Si-hyuk, Yoo Hee-yeol, and Kim Yeon-woo
Applications Open Until July 7, Submission of Two Unreleased Original Songs Required

CJ Cultural Foundation announced on the 13th that it is recruiting participants for the country's only new singer-songwriter competition, the "33rd Yu Jae-ha Music Competition with CJ." Photo by CJ Cultural Foundation

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] CJ Cultural Foundation announced on the 13th that it is recruiting participants for the country's only rookie singer-songwriter competition, the "33rd Yoojaha Music Competition with CJ."

The Yoojaha Music Competition, which began in 1989, is the nation's first singer-songwriter audition. Over more than 30 years, it has produced numerous musicians such as Bang Sihyuk, Yoo Heeyeol, Kim Yeonwoo, and Sweet Sorrow, establishing itself as a "gateway for singer-songwriters."

This year's competition is open to individuals or teams aged 17 and older who can write lyrics, compose, arrange, and perform. Musicians with a history of releasing singles, EPs, or full albums are also eligible to apply. Applications can be submitted by uploading two unpublished original songs' audio files and a live performance video YouTube URL through the Yoojaha Music Scholarship Foundation website by July 7.

After the first screening and the second offline preliminary round, 10 teams will advance to the final stage in November. Through the final competition, a total of 21 million KRW in scholarships will be awarded to the 10 teams, including 5 million KRW for the Yoojaha Music Award Grand Prize, 2.5 million KRW for the Gold Prize, and 2 million KRW for the Silver Prize.

Winners will receive various benefits, including the production and release of the "33rd Yoojaha Alumni Commemorative Album," support for commemorative performances, access to the "CJ Azit Gwangheungchang" space for performances and recordings, appearances on YouTube's "Azit Live," and opportunities to participate in domestic and international planned performances.

Notably, this year, the final competition, which had been held online via live streaming for the past two years due to COVID-19, will resume offline, allowing direct interaction with the audience.

A CJ Cultural Foundation official stated, "CJ Cultural Foundation, which has strived to discover rookie creators in underrepresented areas of popular culture and expand diversity in the Korean cultural industry, plans to continue providing practical support so that talented rookie singer-songwriters participating in this year's competition can grow into professional musicians and engage in diverse musical activities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.