A new concept audition program, judged solely on music with no information about the contestants, has been unveiled. The Veiled Musician, which Netflix premiered yesterday, is a large-scale audition program conducted simultaneously in nine Asian countries including South Korea, Japan, China, and Thailand.

Contestants are concealed, and the top three are selected based solely on their voices, with the top three from each country gathering on SBS’s Veiled Cup stage next January to determine Asia’s best vocalist. Producers said that while previous masked music programs leaned toward a puzzle-like entertainment format, Veiled Musician emphasizes the audition aspect as its main difference.

Acclaimed vocalists including Ailee, Paul Kim, and Shin Yong-jae will serve as judges. Ailee said the focus is not on who performs best but on who can represent Asia, and asked audiences to support all the participants.