After the spotlight fades

Ma, who initiated the documentary, believes the production speaks directly to audiences today.

In an era where social media permeates daily life, she says, many people post a photo, a thought, or a moment from their day only to anxiously await likes and comments.

"If ordinary users feel this quiet desperation for attention," Ma asks, "how do those who experienced overnight fame and then faced the ebb of public interest cope with it?

"These individuals reached the peak of public attention, then lived through its decline. How do they face life after the spotlight fades? How do they find and become their true selves? Perhaps this documentary can offer reflection and insights for everyone," Ma says.

"By diving deeply into real-life stories, it reawakens viewers who hold shared memories of the talent-show era or the cultural milieu of yesteryear. In tracing the paths of others, it invites each of us to look back on our own," adds Zhu Lingqing, chief director of the documentary.

Along with Huang and Li, the documentary also follows former contestants He Jie, the fourth-place finisher of Super Girls 2005, Chen Chusheng, champion of Super Boy 2007, Zeng Yike, ninth-place finisher of Super Girls 2009, and Bai Jugang, third-place finisher of Super Boy 2013.

Recently aired on Tencent Video, the second episode traces the daily lives of Huang and Li. It invites viewers into Huang's home, where she films lighthearted videos with her husband and two children, sharing snippets of family life in the hope of attracting more followers on Douyin. The camera also follows Li as she drives alone to a windowless studio — where a painting of a blue sky is taped to the wall beside her desk — to write and record songs.

"Embracing immense success requires more strength and a healthier mindset than enduring failure. I was young back then and didn't handle it well. While it brought me great fortune, it also carried with it an equal measure of confusion and restraint," Li recalls. "Competing in that show and being known to the public is part of my life's journey and remains the luckiest chapter so far. No matter how 'entertainment-focused' it may have seemed, it has allowed me to keep making music, and that is what truly matters."