Vocals and voice in the KPOP industry [Cherry]

What's going on with vocals in the k-pop industry anyway? Is talent so important nowadays? Maybe only appearance is important now?.. Does it make sense for idols to strive to improve their skills? And why do they "squeeze out" their voice?

Koo! Today let's discuss how the idol's voice affects his perception, and also discuss the problem of vocals in the modern world of k-pop. By the way, in my telegram channel I asked you for your opinion on this topic, if you also want to participate in my posts, and maybe even tests, then come to me soon!! (keep the link: https://t.me/Chereshyaaaaaaa ). And as usual, I delayed the beginning, so let's get started soon.

Important

This post was not created to offend or humiliate these or other idols. I am only expressing my position and point of view. Also, I want to say that I am far from a professional, so I took information from various videos and articles. Of course, the opinion of a professional will be more objective, so I also "consulted" with my very good friend, for which I thank her very much (Lee, I adore you). If someone tells me now that I have no right to discuss this topic, that is, I cannot criticize idols, then I will say that I can do what else I can, because the kpop industry siphons a huge amount of money out of us, so all fans can point out the mistakes of idols in one way or another. The only question is how and how this will happen. After all, the KPOP community is not always able to support constructive criticism and every comment indicating an error turns into a haight. 

The soundtrack and MR. removed

What is Mr removed? MR. removed is a video version created by removing backing vocals and backing tracks using audio editing programs so that you can hear just one voice without plywood.

Is a soundtrack always a bad thing?

My opinion: A soundtrack is bad when an artist can't cope with vocals without it. That is, without a phonera, he can't sing. I will not give examples so as not to offend anyone. And also, a soundtrack is normal when everything is justified by complex choreography. Let's take the Aespa group as an example. The girls' vocals are just fine, but on stage they sing with a soundtrack solely because of the choreography. 

The objectivity of MR removed

Let's think about it, can we always rely on Mr Remove? 

The author of this statement just says that if we evaluated the vocals only by Mr. removed, we would look like complete idiots. Which I absolutely agree with.

Mr removed is always a very questionable thing. That is, very privately, the soundtrack is specially made with all the gasps and sighs in the choreographies so that people say "look! They have such a complicated choreography, but they still sing beautifully!!". Therefore, in order to judge the vocals of idols by Mr. removed, you need to take into account a lot of different factors. Such as: The state of the idol's health, the complexity of the choreography, the complexity of the song itself in the quality of performance and much more. Also, you need to take into account that different idols always have different "sounds" in in ear (I do not know how to translate it exactly into Russian, but that's what the headphones that idols wear on stage are called). Whether it's a bill, etc. It is often noticed that idols pull out in ears during performances in order to better hear their voice and themselves in principle.

Is vocals so important in kpop?

This topic became very relevant in the 4th generation, when most companies began to focus on dancing and visual rather than vocal. It is often said that compared to previous generations of idols, 4th generation idols are more focused on performing than singing abilities. In particular, it was discovered that many bands use phonograms at major events in Korea and abroad, which partially affected their image in the eyes of the public. As for the question of what is the main priority in the career of k-pop idols — dancing or singing, the majority of the Korean audience is now leaning towards vocals, because, after all, idols are still singers, and obviously a singer will not be able to win the hearts of his audience if he does not know how to sing. I'm inclined to the same opinion. Anyway, idols are primarily singers who should sing well. 

An example of opinions on this topic. This proves once again that the KPOP community does not know how to soberly criticize and point out mistakes. All this turns into a haight. 

"Squeezing out the voice"

Korean culture

The Korean mentality itself implies for a woman the image of an elegant, sweet and kind girl. Accordingly, the voice should be what it is typical for a cute girl to be. Interestingly, the girls in Korea themselves speak in rather low, bass voices. 

Therefore, if we are talking about idol girls, then everything is about clear. In general, this happens not only in Korea, but also in Asia as a whole. Let's take Japan as an example. The girls there have a very high voice, but why?

In this article, the author discusses the topic of Japanese girls' voices. He says that it can be said that the high timbre of the voice has already somehow entered the culture of this country. After all, they have already established that a girl is a sweet, fragile creature compared to a man. Also, the author says that this is also influenced by the content that the Japanese consume. After all, different anime also affects the formation of an understanding of proper behavior. 

And here the author says that most Japanese people in real life do not have high voices, but quite the opposite. He says that mostly girls do it to emphasize their innocence. 

And here, once again, the Anime aspect is touched.

so, I think one of the main reasons is to make a pleasant impression on a fan or just another person. Let's remember the viral videos with Wonen's real voice. Wonen herself has a very beautiful, deep voice. But in order to maintain the image of a "cutie," she must squeeze it out. Idols just want fans to like them. That's why companies tell them to make their voice higher and sweeter. After all, you must agree, when an idol speaks in such a voice, we perceive idols to be more friendly, or something. 

double standards

I want to touch on the topic of double standards for kpop idols separately. Specifically, we will touch on the differences in requirements from girls and boys in kpop. 

In general, guys don't get as bad as girls. It has been, is and always will be. If we are talking about an ordinary voice, then the guys also squeeze it out privately when communicating with fans. But if the idol does a deeper, lower voice, then the fans will squeak with delight.

but! If the idol girl shows a lower voice, haight and insults will immediately fly. 

And if we're talking about vocals, then it's just uhh. Let's remember the video with the remakes.... Twice, for example. There was a lot of haight there. But if it's mg, then the fans are actively protecting their idols. Double standards. It seems to me that the main problem stems precisely from the patriarchal attitudes and the inner misogyny of the fans. After all, it's no secret that most of the kpop fans are girls. that's why they elevate their favorites, and belittle the girls. 

Separate analyses of individual groups and idols

Now that we've talked about it all, I suggest you take apart some idols and groups. The way they sing and talk. To be as objective as possible, I'll start with some of my favorite bands. 

Twice

I think the most important thing to discuss in Twice's vocals is Momo's voice, which is constantly being subjected to haight. This is actually a very painful topic for me, because Momo has been my ult-biaska for FOUR YEARS, which is why I would like to defend her, etc., but are we being honest here? Right? 

I'll be as honest as possible. Momorin's voice has never attracted or fascinated me. I will say more, quite often it is difficult for me to listen to him. Let's remember the Sixteen show, where Momo sang in a very beautiful, deep voice, and then something happened, and Momo started singing with a very nasal sound. We will most likely never know if it was the company's fault or not, but personally I think there were some requests from the company like "Sing like this and like this".

Kiss of life

An example of excellent vocals. Have you heard them sing? If not, then keep the video:

Everyone's voices sound very beautiful. I just hope that as many people as possible will find out about them.

Le sserafim at coachella

Yes, this is a very old topic, but still, I want to speculate on it.

I can safely call Le Seraphim the queens of performances. Their dancing and preparation for performances are really impressive. When they were preparing to perform at Coachella, everyone was talking: "Get ready, they'll smash everything here!" I don't know how much they managed it, but this performance was definitely remembered for a long time

I will express my opinion. No matter how much I love Le Seraphim, it's been a long time since I've felt so strongly about kringe. Perhaps the fact is that the girls were worried, because there was a noticeable tremor in their voice, but in any case, this is not an excuse. I'm not afraid to call the vocals we got terrible. But the most important thing is that the fearnotes turn a blind eye to this and, seeing the haight towards the girls, begin to actively defend them, citing fatigue, excitement, etc. I find this extremely unpleasant, that is, no matter how much you love the band, you have to think and assess the situation soberly. No matter how much I tried to reconsider my opinion on this topic, nothing has changed. Many fans say, "Well, you try to sing and dance at the same time," and I will say that this is not our job, this is the work of idols, which they voluntarily agreed to. So this argument doesn't fit here in any way. 


Well, that's probably all. Write your opinion in the comments, bye-bye!!