I Can See Your Voice

I Can See Your Voice (abbreviated as ICSYV; ) is an international television mystery music game show franchise that originated from the South Korean program of the same name, which is created by producer Lee Seon-young.

Background
In 2012, producer and creator Lee Seon-young initially planned to develop a singing reality competition show that includes "good singers". She would unusually add elements with "bad singers", lip sync, and "guessing game" flairs, creating a unique format that would become the "mystery music game show" in the process. Also, she originally envisioned a program that will allow anyone to be the main character regardless of their appearances, inspired by Kim Bum-soo who struggled to gain recognition because of his look.

I Can See Your Voice made its debut on Mnet and tvN on February 26, 2015, with host Kim Bum-soo as a guest artist, playing the game. Despite the poor reception in its first season, the show went on to become an instant success in South Korea, forcing to renew for a second season.

I Can See Your Voice subsequently entered franchising in June 2015, with Chinese broadcaster Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation acquiring the rights for its first locally-licensed adaptation. CJ ENM recognized the program as their flagship format, as per news reports by MIPCOM in August 2021 and Prensario Internacional in June 2024.

Format
The game's original format is presented with a group of "mystery singers" identified only by their occupation, a guest artist 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 several rounds. At the end of the game, the last remaining mystery singer is revealed as either good or bad by means of a duet between them and one of the guest artists.

If an ordinary person (as the role of "eliminator") is included, the contestant must eliminate one mystery singer at the end of each round, receiving a petty cash if they eliminate a bad singer. At the end of the game, the contestant may either end the game and keep the money they had won in previous rounds, or risk it for a chance to win a main prize by correctly guessing whether the last remaining mystery singer is good or bad.

Rounds
In order to help the guest artist decipher mystery singers' identities, the game consists of five category rounds with varying mechanics.

Visual round
The guest artist is given some time to observe and examine each mystery singer based on their appearance.
 * In a "multiple choice" variation, each assigned mystery singer shows two different identities as a good and bad singer, with one of them is a real identity.

Lip sync round
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.

Optionally, the Golden Mic can be used during the game, in which they may hear additional clues and observations from a celebrity guest off-stage.


 * This manner can be also performed through "pair" (a group of two) and "batch" (multiple participant) variations. At the conclusion of performance(s), the guest artist eliminates one mystery singer from each group.

Evidence round
Each mystery singer reveals an evidential piece. Good singers have own evidences, while bad singers had their evidences fabricated.
 * In a "problem solving" variation, the host has randomly assigned clues about the mystery singer and the guest artist must choose a clue for each one.
 * In a "video clip" variation, each assigned mystery singer is presented with a video package containing possible clues, or by the reaction of witnesses when they hear on its own performance that would appear on the show.

Rehearsal round
Each mystery singer demonstrates a pre-show rehearsal piece, but the voices of mystery singers are still concealed with the use of audio distorting.
 * In a "hearing test" variation, the random panelists are wearing headphones to listen to a recording of assigned mystery singer that lasts of a limited duration.
 * In a "studio session" variation, it is presented with a video from a recording session assigned by the mystery singer, but pitch-shifted to obscure their actual vocals.

Interrogation round
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.
 * In a "confession" variation, each mystery singer has a story of what kind of identity they have if the singer is bad.

Legacy
Unlike reality singing competition shows such as Idol, Rising Star, The Voice and X Factor, I Can See Your Voice is one of the game shows that considered as a "stepping stone" for aspiring singers to perform effortlessly, which refers to the "second National Singing Contest" because of its sudden impact on their local music industry. Notable participants include Hwang Chi-yeul, Lee Sun-bin, and Kim Min-kyu.

Controversies
In August 2015, CJ ENM accused two (locally unlicensed) programs, God of Songs by SZTV and X-Singer by Beijing TV, of plagiarism. They have also implement on modified game mechanics, strikingly similar to the original format of I Can See Your Voice without having permission from the said company.

During an interview with CJ ENM head of formats Diane Min in June 2020, she revealed that there was a dispute with Is That Really Your Voice?, another game show format by the Turkey-based Global Agency launched in 2013, in which I Can See Your Voice was accused as being plagiarized from their format.

Accolades
I Can See Your Voice was nominated for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment Program at the 44th International Emmy Awards, Best Light Entertainment Program at the 2020 Venice TV Awards, and a Studio Entertainment Award at the 2023 Rose d'Or.

International versions


Since the establishment of I Can See Your Voice franchise in 2016, it has produced 34 adaptations airing in 32 countries and territories. Other contributable programs also include: VNM s2 VNM s3 VNM s4 VNM s5
 * Giọng ải giọng ai (subtitled Hidden Voices), a formally recognized Vietnamese adaptation known for introducing the "battle format" that was later implemented to existing ICSYV counterparts.VNM s1
 * Catch Me If You Can, a breakaway counterpart and unofficial Russian adaptation supposing a second season of Ya vizhu tvoy golos, during the invasion of Ukraine.
 * Catch Me If You Can, a breakaway counterpart and unofficial Russian adaptation supposing a second season of Ya vizhu tvoy golos, during the invasion of Ukraine.