With more and more talented acts entering the game, people have also become way stricter
about their standard regarding which type of vocal is considered good enough to make
the idol a legit artist.
Probably this is also the reason why gen4 idols are working harder to perform live but
according to netizens, there were only a few that manage to stand out not only because
of their always singing live but also for the sophisticated singing techniques that
never made them sound off pitch and homespun.
Lily (NMIXX)
Though NMIXX has just debuted for around three months, her vocal capability has already left
people speechless because it both possesses an overwhelming internal force and the skillful
use of various techniques, especially the legato and resonance.
Even when professional critics entered the chat, for example the famous vocal coach Katriinka,
the positive reaction to Lily’s vocal was still the same.
She said Lily was a promising power builder super similar to Solar from MAMAMOO and there
was a fun combination of power and clear resistance in Lily’s voice, which Katriinka very very
liked.
Though Lily hasn’t done any big belts, Katriinka said she saw the capabilities in Lily to be
among a few developed belters because of the little belt from the chest she made in the
Survivor cover with Chaewon.
Some netizens even said Lily was a total game changer for the entire company’s positioning
because JYP Entertainment has never been home to vocals that could gain such a reputation
like her.
This viewpoint was even further consolidated when Lily’s raw vocal was heard in NMIXX
debut showcase and most agreed it was so surreal that they were brought to a new dimension
by her voice.
Putting her capabilities into the objective perspective, others still said she was probably
the best vocalist of JYP Entertainment until now and as her vocals got that Western and
heavy R&B feel to it, some said it was refreshing to see a new element like Lily in the K-Pop
where vocals are often more soothing, bright and pure.
Ningning (aespa)
Being home to many legendary vocalists of K-Pop, SM Entertainment never once fails to
meet the expectations of people about what a main vocalist of a group should sound like.
That’s also why when Ningning appeared in her introductory video teaser and implicitly
claimed the main vocalists position, no one raised questions about that because her voice
is scarily impressive.
Her vocal is so impressive that after the famous vocal coach Justin Burke learned about
Ningning, he immediately traced back to her predebut live vocal to see if it was true
that she was so good.
And as you can guess, Burke's impression of Ningning in the reaction video was priceless
and everything he said about her throughout the session were flattering compliments.
He even paid attention to little details and said he especially liked her vowels when singing
and because they were perfect, her resonant tone was also complimented.
Another special thing about Ningning’s vocal according to this vocal coach was that, though
her voice is like a power house, the vocal tone was extremely pure and soothing rather
than giving out a heavy and opera-esque feeling.
In other words, she sounds like a Disney princess and this well explains why SM actually reached
out to her first.
Or according to a deep-dive analysis, Ningning was also said to be among the most developed
gen4 vocalists with every register having some type of development, especially that
from her chest.
Compared to other girls in aespa, her mid range is the cleanest and strongest and her
approach was also most highly regarded.
One of the most impressive things about her vocal is that, despite an inherently high
and light tone, Ningning’s low notes still have lots of depth and ease, making her one
of the rare idols with the broadest range in K-Pop.
For example, her support was seen diving down to G3 and even F3 comfortably.
Despite all of this, Ningning has been made a laughing stock due to the fact that aespa
doesn’t sing live but apparently, after their trip to Coachella, people’s point
of view drastically changes.
Though the group debuted amid the pandemic and the occasions they performed in front
real people are counted on the fingers, Ningning still has the confidence to perform live,
in front of hundreds of people, in a foreign country and in one of the most anticipated
music festival in the world.
Liz (IVE)
If you have watched our video about things people don’t like about IVE, you will know
that the act was said to debut too early and people were annoyed by how the members’
skills are rather lacking than most average idols.
However, when Starship Entertainment released more videos about Liz’s covering famous
songs, many changed their mind right off the bat because her vocal was not only stable
but her tone also had an oddly soothing and natural vibe to it.
This unique color of her voice stands out even more when she chooses the famous track
Friday by IU to cover.
Despite the broad vocal range and sophisticated legato and vibration requirements of the song,
Liz still effortlessly nailed it.
When the Youtuber Jojobas reacts to this cover of hers, he also said she had the potential
for the R&B and jazz genre with that natural but slightly brassy voice.
Maybe Starship is also well aware of her vocal so when they let her do cover songs, most
of them would be originally sung by IU or Taeyeon, two iconic soothing voices of K-Pop.
Liz herself was also confident in her impressive vocal as even on radio, she just casually
covered Four Season with Yujin and also released another cover of This Christmas by Taeyeon
several days after that.
These appearances also made people believe that though Starship has never confirmed her
position, Liz is still the implicit main vocalist of the group in the public's eyes.
Sieun (STAYC)
As STAYC barely, or probably has never, lip-synced on stage, it’s super easy to spot out the
best vocalist of the group.
According to netizens, it was none other than Sieun and the reasons not only come down to
her vocal range but also the way she professionally adjusts the voice, and even the tone, to best
express the songs.
Especially because most STAYC’s songs are bright and have an upbeat, high-teen vibe
but the other members’ colors mostly fall into the mid-range and low, husky genres,
Sieun stands out significantly as she can hit really high notes.
Of course Yoon and Seeun could also reach high notes but in terms of an inherently strong
vocal that could casually sing any songs under any circumstances, aka the typical trait of
a top vocalist, Sieun still deserves the spot.
For example, when STAYC appeared on the radio of Seulgi, Sieun was the only member to effortlessly
hit the falsetto of Wendy in Psycho then moved on to dancing like nothing.
Or back when she had just debuted for several weeks only, she had already proven herself
to be a prowess singer when casually hitting the highest note of STAYC’s So Bad while
sitting.
In the Bang Bang cover, she also hit the signature high notes of Ariana Grande with ease and
a little moment of ENHYPEN’s Heeseung, an idol that has been professionally trained
for years, turned around to see who was singing when Sieun did the adlib was also enough to
say she was among the top vocalists of gen4.
TREASURE's Bang YeDam
Similar to Lily who struck people hard with the impressive vocal when first appearing
on KPOP STAR, Yedam quickly built up his reputation as one of the best vocalists of gen4 idols
because not only his tone is unique but even his capabilities of controlling various techniques
to express the songs is also overwhelming.
The thing is, while fans admit that Yedam barely hit high notes and seemingly he’s
also not the expert on that, he still proves himself a prowess singer among top gen4 idols
by focusing more on his strengths: the heavy Western-inspired, a little swaggy yet soothing
tone.
Even when the famous vocal coach Burke reacted to the vocal capabilities of all members in
TREASURE, he still picked Yedam out to be his top favorite voice because his use of
dynamics, his manipulation of his own vocal texture is too good to ignore.
Yedam’s voice is also said to have a strong breathy feel but as he knows to incorporate
power at the right time, listening to him all day was always a blessing.
Yedam’s voice was also good enough to draw the attention and flattering compliments from
Shawn Mendes after his cover Nothing Holding Me Back though at the time, he was only 15.
Or as Youtuber itsLexa showed in an 11-minute video that compiled all the viral moments
of Yedam’s special, unmatched vocal that can’t be seen twice in K-Pop.
As many netizens said, they would never mind if TREASURE’s concert ticket was expensive
because Yerdam’s voice is super pricey already.
ONEUS's SeoHo
Though ONEUS is not really a big group, SeoHo’s reputation still managed to go beyond the
group’s scale because when people listen to his voice only once, they immediately got
hooked with the vocal that is fully developed and masterfully controlled.
His vocal range was also impressive because despite being a male idol, he could reach
notes higher than many female ones struggled to do.
When the vocal coach Burke reacted to ONEUS’s singing, his attention was also drawn to SeoHo
more.
He even complimented that the falsetto and runs of SeoHo were extremely beautiful.
His improvisation and control capabilities were said to be impressive because in the
context where everyone was just chilling, SeoHo still managed to hit both the pitch
and the vibration gorgeously.
Many netizens also shared the same view as after watching SeoHo’s cover of BTS’ songs,
they all wondered how his vocal could be versatile enough to change a tone from Jimin’s part
to Jungkook’s in one sec.
His voice also reminds people a lot of the king of R&B Bruno Mars and in the K-Pop scene,
this means his vocal is extremely special and skillful.
So, do you think these idols deserve the titles as the best vocalists of idols gen4?
Or do you have any other names in mind?