Set to premiere Sept. 23, "The Ballad of Us" is a large-scale audition series from SBS and SM C&C that celebrates the ballads that scored our lives―while searching for 2025 voices to reinvent those classics. Emcee Jun Hyun-moo leads an all-star panel that’s already drawing attention.
Ahead of the launch, a prerelease clip has been blowing up on social media. Posted to SM C&C STUDIO’s YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, a teaser featuring a mystery contestant has become a viral talking point.
In the video, the unidentified singer belts "Never Ending Story" as celebrity panelists Cha Tae-hyun, Park Kyung-lim and Mimi react with visible tears.
The powerhouse vocals and the panel’s genuine reactions have sparked major buzz, racking up 2.07 million views on YouTube Shorts and over 4.08 million on Instagram Reels―more than 6.15 million combined and counting.
With word of mouth surging from the sneak peek, anticipation is soaring for the premiere and for the yet-to-be-revealed contestants.
"The Ballad of Us" premieres Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. KST on SBS with an extended 160-minute first episode.
Photo: SM C&C STUDIO/YouTube
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)