Final Competition for “Youth Takeoff,” KT&G SangSang Madang’s University Musician Support Program, Concludes with Flying Colors
Opportunities to produce collaborative albums with established musicians and hold solo performances, Rottnest and Choi Yoon-young selected as the final winners
Photo Description
KT&G SangSang Madang held the final competition for “Youth Takeoff,” a support program for university musicians. Members of Rottnest and Choi Yoon-young, the final winners selected as the High2 teams, pose for a photo after the awards ceremony.
On August 18, KT&G SangSang Madang announced that it had held the final competition for “Youth Takeoff,” a support program for university musicians, at SangSang Madang Hongdae.
“Youth Takeoff” is a new music support program launched by SangSang Madang Hongdae for the first time this year. It was designed to give university musicians opportunities to perform on real stages and collaborate with established artists on music albums. Recruitment began in March, attracting applications from approximately 50 teams representing 39 universities.
Five teams selected through preliminary screening—O-Sheep, Choi Yoon-young, Rottnest, Grand Cinema Theme Park, and DEWPOINT—participated in the final competition. Following an online competition featuring one-minute live videos of original songs and an in-person evaluation by professional judges, Rottnest and Choi Yoon-young were selected as the two High2 teams. The selected teams will receive KRW 2 million each, an opportunity to perform at a collaboration concert with established musicians, and free rental of the SangSang Madang Hongdae Live Hall.
Kim Cheon-beom, Performance Manager at KT&G’s Cultural Contribution Department, stated, “Youth Takeoff is a new program designed to help university students aspiring to become musicians gain stage experience and pursue their dreams.” He added, “SangSang Madang will continue supporting a wide range of musicians in their creative endeavors through its music support programs.”
KT&G SangSang Madang serves as a multifaceted cultural and artistic space, supporting the creative activities of emerging artists while offering diverse cultural experiences to the public. Since starting with the online SangSang Madang in 2005, the platform has expanded to five locations, including Hongdae, Nonsan, Chuncheon, Daechi, and Busan, contributing to the development of local arts and culture as well as expanding public access to arts and culture. KT&G SangSang Madang hosts over 3,000 cultural and artistic programs every year.