Hidden Voices (Vietnamese: Giọng ải giọng ai; English: Whose the voice?; abbreviated as GAGA) is a Vietnamese television mystery music game show series that formally recognised as part of the I Can See Your Voicefranchise.[1][2] It premiered on HTV7 on 5 November 2016,[3][4] and has been aired for five seasons.
Gameplay
Format
Presented with a group of seven "mystery singers", two opposing guest artists must attempt to eliminate bad singers from the group without ever hearing them sing, assisted by clues and a celebrity panel over the course of three rounds. At the end of a game, the last two remaining mystery singers are revealed as either good or bad by means of duets between them and one of the guest artists.[5][6]
Under the "battle format", two opposing guest artists eliminate one singer each during the proper game phase, and then remain one singer each to join the final performance. At the end of a game, the following conditions for winning mystery singers chosen by opposing guest artists, depending on the outcome of final performances, if:
One opposing guest artist has revealed as a good singer and the other one has a bad singer, or
Both two opposing guest artists have revealed as good or bad singers.
The guest artists and winning mystery singers are rewarded on following conditions:
The guest artist gets đ50,000,000 if a good singer was revealed; in case of a two-way tie, the main prize is halved leaving with đ25,000,000 each. Both winning singers, regardless of being good or bad, receive đ10,000,000 each.
For the fifth season, the eliminated good singer gets a consolation prize of đ2,000,000.
Rounds
Visual round
s1–5: The guest artist is given some time to observe and examine each mystery singer based on their appearance. Afterward, a muted video of each mystery singer that reveals only 0.3 seconds of their singing voice is played as an additional hint.
Lip sync round
s1–5: Each mystery singer performs a lip sync to a song; good singers mime to a recording of their own, while bad singers mime to a recording by someone else.
Interrogation round
s1, 3–5: The guest artist may ask questions to the remaining mystery singers. Good singers are required to give truthful responses, while the bad singers must lie.
Talent round
s2: The guest artist must describe one of the mystery singer's other talents, except "singing" itself. This may not be related to the "stage of truth", but depends on their identity.
Background
Production and development
A local adaptation of I Can See Your Voice in Vietnam was first mentioned, as per report by BNT News at the time of its (South Korean) second season that premiered on 22 October 2015;[7] this was subsequently confirmed by VTV in March 2016, including with production duties being proposed by Cát Tiên Sa [vi].[8] HTV would later acquire the rights in July 2016,[9] this time with Điền Quân Media, Color Entertainment and Pixel Factory co-producing the said show.[10][11]
Naming and concept
The show's Vietnamese title Giọng ải giọng ai is literally translated to "Whose the voice?", with an English subtitle of Hidden Voices.[3] Being the formally recognised Vietnamese adaptation of I Can See Your Voice,[1][2] the introduction of "battle format"[5][6] would later implement to existing ICSYV counterparts; entirely in Indonesia[12][13] and Thailand[14] — and partially in Mexico (with two opposing contestants)[15] and Russia (used by Catch Me If You Can, featuring a team of celebrities and mystery singers as opponents).[16][17]
Filming
Filming of the show took place at the Pixel Factory Studios in Gò Vấp, Ho Chi Minh City.
According to a statement with director Khương Dừa on 5 April 2020, the series was initially planned to temporarily suspend broadcasts for an upcoming fifth season due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a possibility of discontinuation, which he later decided to reverse its plans and commence "digital auditions" anyway.[18][19]
Broadcast history
Hidden Voices debuted on 5 November 2016.[3][4] Linear television airings for the fourth season premiered on 27 July 2019. Also, the same season finale that initially scheduled for 2 November 2019, was later extended to 11 episodes through streaming television until its formal conclusion on 18 January 2020.[a] Despite with the COVID-19 pandemic, the fifth season premiered on 28 June 2020.[25][26]
The series has a panel of celebrities who assist the guest artist(s) to decipher mystery singers' identities throughout the game. Alongside with mainstays, guest panelists also appear since the third season. Overall, four different members have been assigned as panelists, with their original lineup being Ốc Thanh Vân [vi], Thu Trang [vi], Trấn Thành, and Trường Giang [vi].
^ abThe 4th season has initially scheduled to air for 15 episodes,[20][21] with Phan Mạnh Quỳnh [vi] defeating Thùy Chi on its tentative [15th episode] finale on 2 November 2019;[22] this was later added by 11 unaired episodes[23] until the formal conclusion on 18 January 2020.[24]
