 |
| Photo: ENA’s Change Street |
[Sports Today reporter Song O-jung] ENA’s Change Street signed off on a high note, using music to dissolve borders and bring people closer.
On March 20, the large-scale ENA project Change Street (directed by Oh Jun-seong), produced to mark the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic ties between South Korea and Japan, aired its final episode.
The episode closed with a final busking set featuring Korea’s team—Kara’s Heo Young‑ji, ASTRO’s Yoon San‑ha, PENTAGON’s Hui and HYNN (Park Hye‑won)—and Japan’s Miwa and Kanno Miyu, capping a meaningful cross-border journey.
Yoon San‑ha chose Taeyeon’s “The Poem That Is You” from the Hotel Del Luna OST, his warm delivery dressing the night air. His earnest phrasing pulled at the audience’s emotions, and MC Shin Dong‑yeop quipped, “If I’d been born a woman, I’d say yes the moment San‑ha confessed,” drawing laughter and easing the room’s mood.
 |
HYNN (Park Hye‑won) delivered Ailee’s “Like a Brief Farewell,” blending the ache of parting with the bittersweet sentiment of a final busk. Her powerful vocals and nuanced emotional shading filled the space with resonance.
Heo Young‑ji tackled Kim Jong‑kook’s hit “Lovely,” dissolving the barrier between stage and audience. Despite the song’s age—more than two decades—it has enjoyed renewed popularity across Korea and Japan thanks to a recent social challenge, and the crowd sang along in a moment of shared joy. After the performance, Kangnam lightened the studio with a charming anecdote about his wife, Lee Sang‑hwa.
Hui closed the busking portion with T‑Max’s “Paradise,” from the Boys Over Flowers OST. The youth team rose and sang in unison, and for an instant the street truly felt like a collective paradise.
As the finale, the youth team leaned into audience interaction, taking spontaneous live requests and amplifying the raw, immediate energy that only street performance can produce. The busking didn’t stay confined to a stage—it moved between people, living as a shared emotion.
Japan’s lineup matched that intimacy with solid live work and tender delivery. Miwa reinterpreted Official HIGE DANDism’s “Pretender” in her clear, charming tone, warming the winter air. Kanno Miyu offered a refreshing take on Miki Matsubara’s “Glass‑Colored Earth,” channeling a cross‑generational sentiment with a bright vocal approach.
 |
In the special request segment that followed, Miwa delivered “Blue Coral Reef”—a song NewJeans member Hanni recently spotlighted at the Tokyo Dome—with a sea‑like clarity that felt bright and invigorating. Kanno Miyu lifted the mood with playful choreography, then showcased another facet of her artistry by imbuing Miki Matsubara’s city‑pop classic “Stay With Me” with a dreamy, romantic atmosphere.
On the signature Street Song finale, HYNN and Kanno Miyu offered heartfelt performances from separate locations. HYNN opened her lungs for “I’ll Cheer for You Today, Too” at Fuji TV’s spherical observatory, sending a buoyant message of hope. Kanno Miyu performed “Terminal” in the lobby of the Hongdae Rise Autograph Collection Hotel, capturing the thrill of new beginnings. She also expressed her excitement about promoting in Korea and said she hopes to serve as a bridge between the two countries.
Back in the studio, the hosts closed with farewells and a tease of future Korea‑Japan busking, stoking viewer anticipation. Shin Dong‑yeop hailed the project as a genuine achievement in Korea‑Japan exchange, while U‑Know Yunho suggested that, although it began in Japan, the concept could expand to streets around the world.
Change Street is a global music variety show that brings together leading Korean and Japanese artists to immerse themselves in each other’s neighborhoods, languages and sensibilities, connecting through music. By staging busking sessions against everyday backdrops in both countries, the series repeatedly underscored music’s fundamental power and generated conversation each week.
Using music as a universal language, the show linked different cultures and emotions organically, creating more than entertainment—a cultural moment. Anchored in busking, it highlighted local tourism and regional charm while weaving together content, spaces and people—arguably Change Street’s most meaningful accomplishment.
By turning unfamiliar streets into stages of harmony and interlacing music, people and culture, Change Street stands to be remembered as one of the warmest forms of Korea‑Japan exchange.
The series was co‑produced by Forest Media Co., Hangang Fore ENM Co. and ENA. Each episode features fresh arrangements and full‑band sounds; reimagined tracks by Korean and Japanese artists are available on major streaming platforms. Full‑length busking videos can be viewed on the Change Street official YouTube channel.
[Sports Today reporter Song O-jung ent@stoo.com]
The closest, most entertaining news ⓒ Sports Today
Most Commented