“They Said It Must Be Chinese Before You”: Na Ying Winning Mainland Singing Show Over Foreign Competitors Sparks Accusations Results Were Rigged

Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen had seemingly hinted about the rigging of results to fourth-place Morrocan-Canadian singer Faouzia in a now-viral clip. However, he has since he claimed he was referring to something else.

The ninth season of Chinese singing competition show Singer came to an end last Friday (Jul 26), with Na Ying, 56, emerging as champ.

However, Na Ying’s victory has been shrouded in controversy.

Many viewers were stunned by the results, believing it to be unfair.

This season saw a total of 23 participants, made up of famous singers hailing from China and other regions.

During an earlier ranking of the top 10, Moroccan-Canadian singer-songwriter Faouzia, 24, led with a majority 20.77 percent of votes. American songstress Chanté Moore was second place with 18.16 percent of votes.

Na Ying was fourth, with 15.99 percent of votes.

Their average placements throughout all episodes was also calculated, with Faouzia maintaining her lead in 1.9 place. Na Ying, on the other hand, ranked fifth at 3.6.

Faouzia ultimately finished fourth in the competition, and Chanté, fifth.

The outcome of the competition was made more awkward when Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen seemingly revealed that the final results were rigged.

Dimash, who appeared on the episode as Chanté Moore’s guest singer, was heard on hot mic whispering into Faouzia’s ear. A live stream, focused on Faouzia throughout the finale, captured the short exchange.

He was heard telling Faouzia: “They said, it must be Chinese before you.”

Though she looked slightly affected by the information, Faouzia simply replied: “Okay, it’s no problem.”

The clip soon went viral with netizens saying Faouzia was “robbed” of the win.

Some also said the show was “a joke”, and Faouzia was given “the ultimate lesson in showbiz”.

The organisers of Singer have since addressed the controversy on the show’s official Weibo page, stating that the competition was “definitely real, with nothing to be wary of”.

They also emphasised that “music can’t deceive people, and music can’t be used to deceive people”.

Despite their statement, netizens still called for the production team to issue an apology to Faouzia and Chanté.

“Music can’t deceive people, but the production team can,” read a popular comment.

Dimash has also spoken up about his message to Faouzia.

In a video posted over the weekend, Dimash explained that Faouzia had suggested they collaborate on a performance. However, according to the show’s stipulations, a foreign singer could only be paired up with a Chinese singer.

He then claimed his exact words to her were: “They said, must be a Chinese singer for you.” He added that his command of English isn’t good.

He also said he was informed of that particular regulation before filming the episode. Hence, Faouzia was arranged to collaborate with Chinese singer Jason Zhang Jie, in the hopes of “facilitating the cultural exchange between Canada and China”.

What do you think of his explanation? And for those who tuned in to Singer, do you think Na Ying is deserving of the title?

Photos: epop.my, k_j_pop_oni/ Instagram