what do you think is more important in k-pop, vocal tone/color or vocal technique???

Visuals

Quote from Yama-Chan

Visuals

agreed

if ur good looking

i can overlook anything

but in all seriousness

tone

some people have great technique but crappy tone

im not a big live stage watcher so i dont care about how good u really are

I prefer tone over technique. Some idols have both and this is what I like the most.

It also depends on the songs. A company can give ambitious songs to their groups but if no member can sing them, their unique or beautiful tones are not going to save them.

i can appreciate anyone with a good technique, i can't appreciate anyone with a bad one.

The first thing that matters is visuals.

Then, considering the most popular/successful idols in Kpop then and now, it's tone/vocal colour.

A few idols use very good technique and they are not even the most successful so...

Look at BP and BTS and IU. All are weak to average vocalists but they are on top. So it's visuals and vocal colour.

Quote from SooYoung

Vocal technique

You can have the most beautiful vocal color in the world the song you'll quickly reach your limits

The reason why artist like taeyeon or Iu can be so versatile and so successfull is because even if they don't have a very distinctive vocal color

It's because they have great technique that make them able to do anything, try different genre

And they can also make the most generic song sound so captivating because with their vocal technique they can add layer to the song that someone who doesn't have any vocal technique can't do

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IU has great technique? Really? That's new to me.

Quote from SooYoung

I think this

I much prefer to listen to a 1 hour album of Taeyeon who doesn't have a distinctive vocal color

than 1 hour album of Somi just because she have an interesting vocal tone

This discussion is interesting because it shows how subjective vocal tone is. For me, Taeyeon has one of the most distinctive and beautiful pop voices. Since her technique is on point, it makes her a great and well-balanced vocalist.

Marketing

Quote from SooYoung

I think this

I much prefer to listen to a 1 hour album of Taeyeon who doesn't have a distinctive vocal color

than 1 hour album of Somi just because she have an interesting vocal tone

i feel this way about taemin. whos tone i dislike. But it would be horrible to listen to say tate mcrae , i would take taemin anytime.

Quote from Eldeweiss

I prefer tone over technique. Some idols have both and this is what I like the most.

It also depends on the songs. A company can give ambitious songs to their groups but if no member can sing them, their unique or beautiful tones are not going to save them.

I agree.

I mostly stan SM idols and most have both great technique and beautiful tones. In fact, I believe it's part of the formula to make them successful. Every SM group has vocalists with unique tones and good technique like;

Suju Kyuhyun, Reowok and Yesung

Snsd Jessica, Taeyeon, Sunny and Tiffany

Shinee Onew and Jonghyun

Fx Krystal

Exo DO, Baekhyun, Chen, Luhan and Chanyeol

Red Velvet Joy, Seulgi and Irene

Aespa Winter and Karina

Nct Haechan, Jaehyun, Doyoung, Taeil and Ten

Each with a very distinctive tone but with serious technique for Kpop idols even for non main vocalists.

Quote from SooYoung

I think this

I much prefer to listen to a 1 hour album of Taeyeon who doesn't have a distinctive vocal color

than 1 hour album of Somi just because she have an interesting vocal tone

Taeyeon definitely has such a distinctive vocal colour which helps her emote so well especially in sad songs like break up songs etc. That's what makes some of her singles like INVU, Fine, Four Seasons and Can't Control Myself so iconic. Her tone is no joke.

Quote from Eldeweiss

This discussion is interesting because it shows how subjective vocal tone is. For me, Taeyeon has one of the most distinctive and beautiful pop voices. Since her technique is on point, it makes her a great and well-balanced vocalist.

Ikr!

Why would vocal technique be optional. 💀

Everyone needs good technique regardless of their vocal color.

Vocal color is god given while technique is learnt. Do the time ppl.

Quote from SooYoung

I'm a tate mcrae stan x))

but i must agree that i love Tate mcrae in her pop star era with songs like it's okay not okay,

or more pop rock with "she's all i wanna be"

and i like some more chill song of her like "I know the love"

but there's some songs that i completely skip of her cuz i don't think that her voice was the most fitting for these songs

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Quote from SooYoung

I don't think taeyeon vocal tone is one of her strenght even in songs you mention

she's just a very good technical singer, so she can add layer to a song thanks to her skills

and she's also a singer that do a good job at sharing the emotion of a song

Vocal tone is definitely one of her strengths. I remember one time Jonghyun praised her for emoting sadness in songs so well. It's one of the things she's known for. I'm surprised you don't know that. But, with her superior technique, it's easy to think she doesn't use tone so much or that she doesn't need it but she does.

Quote from Eldeweiss

This discussion is interesting because it shows how subjective vocal tone is. For me, Taeyeon has one of the most distinctive and beautiful pop voices. Since her technique is on point, it makes her a great and well-balanced vocalist.

yes taeyeon is a rare case of beautiful tone and great technique. (she improved alot too from her younger years). but most importantly, her biggest strengh lies in her mastery of emotional singing. she is the best at it. only baek yerin comes second.

while iu is the perfect case of an outstanding vocal color and just average/decent vocal skills. and even thou her emotional delivery is good, it's not as outstanding as taeyeon's.

baek yerin is again another case of a beautiful tone, plus outstanding vocalist. she is pretty exeptional.

for another comparaison, we also have wendy vs joy. great vocalist vs great vocal tone. personally, im always drown to beautiful and emotional voices. but with a decent vocal technique. like if you're voice is off pitch, inconstitant or lacks dynamics and musicality, it's not even that enjoyable to listent to anyway.

there are some cases of nice vocal colors with bad technic and weak pitch, and i don't think i'm fond of this voices. but i don't think a singer really needs to have an insane range and belts D5 and F5s. personally i'm generally not fond of this kind of vocalists who belt for the sake of it without it even having any purpose in the song or just to brag or whatever. i prefer more low key kind of vocalists full of soul and emotions and a beautiful distinctive vocal color.

Quote from Tatiana1820

yes taeyeon is a rare case of beautiful tone and great technique. (she improved alot too from her younger years). but most importantly, her biggest strengh lies in her mastery of emotional singing. she is the best at it. only baek yerin comes second.

while iu is the perfect case of an outstanding vocal color and just average/decent vocal skills. and even thou her emotional delivery is good, it's not as outstanding as taeyeon's.

baek yerin is again another case of a beautiful tone, plus outstanding vocalist. she is pretty exeptional.

for another comparaison, we also have wendy vs joy. great vocalist vs great vocal tone. personally, im always drown to beautiful and emotional voices. but with a decent vocal technique. like if you're voice is off pitch, inconstitant or lacks dynamics and musicality, it's not even that enjoyable to listent to anyway.

there are some cases of nice vocal colors with bad technic and weak pitch, and i don't think i'm fond of this voices. but i don't think a singer really needs to have an insane range and belts D5 and F5s. personally i'm generally not fond of this kind of vocalists who belt for the sake of it without it even having any purpose in the song or just to brag or whatever. i prefer more low key kind of vocalists full of soul and emotions and a beautiful distinctive vocal color.

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Have you listened to Baekhyun or DO? Or Super Junior Yesung?

honesty gotta have both as one is useless without the other, but for pop music tone is more important.

Quote from sonemariam

Have you listened to Baekhyun or DO? Or Super Junior Yesung?

i have listen to Do and to Yesung. I do like their voices. Do suits rnb perfectly and Yesung ballads. They're both good .

they were both my favorite voices in their groups and probably overall alongside Jonghyun.

Quote from Tru-Multistan

There's no in between for Tatiana, she's either cooking or going full

that's why you love me .

Depends on the idols, if we are talking vocalists, then

Vocal technique is a necessary condition. If the singer can hold the tune, can't do the pitch/range required for the song, then they are a disaster.

But in general most idols can do that much, at least for the parts they have been given.

Technique is quantifiable, whether they stay on pitch, the range etc.,

And NO - having a wide vocal range is not necessary to have a good techinque. Technique lies in effective use of range, not just having a wide one.

But "color/tone" that is "intangible", it can't be measured or defined. It is that quality which makes listener connect to the song, it is what that evoke emotions in the listener.

A great singer will have a "distinct" colour, that is unique to them, yet familiar to the listeners invoking some thing like deja vu.

Assuming all vocalist idols are technically decent singers, then it is the "colour" that matters.

vocal tone and the ability to showcase their strengths not their weaknesses. Being a smart singer is important.

I would give an example. Jessica is what I considered a smart vocalist that had a nice and unique tone.

it's obvious that most idols at least have their basics down so as long as they sing in their vocal range it's all good.

personally vocal colour however you cannot have a poor vocal technique

and thus the two choices are

average vocal technique but good vocal tone

vs

good vocal technique but average vocal tone