…this man is the definition of an ace.
Let's begin with his role as a producer since he seems to be the most known for that among non-fans.
He has 113 credits to his name in KOMCA (and this doesn't include the countless songs sitting on his laptop). He achieved that in not even 4 years, making him one of the most prolific idol producers. He has worked on almost every song the group has released; as a lyricist, composer, and even arranger. He is constantly working on songs, not just in his studio, but also on planes, while waiting at music shows, and even at award shows' waiting rooms (Scars was one of those songs). He is always ready to support his group with his skills: If someone wants to record a cover, he'll help him do it. He helps them in their own creative endeavours; he has arranged almost all original SKZ-PLAYER/RECORD songs (with the sole exceptions of All Night and Little Star). He also supports them in learning songwriting; such is Hyunjin, who isn't in 3RACHA, but is nevertheless interested in writing his own songs. He has written and recorded several songs with Chan's help, such as the soft emotional "Spring", the lighthearted "Sway", the sultry and jazzy "Beautiful", a waltz song, an unnamed emotional rnb song, and of course the most well known one, Red Lights. As you can see from this too, Chan has an incredible ability to adapt to whatever the group needs or wants.
I cannot forget to mention that outside producers who have worked with 3RACHA also talk about how talented these three are and how refreshing it is to work with them.
And I also want to point out that "Slump" which was used as the ending theme of the anime "Tower of God" was made by him and Han only. (It's also very touching and sad and almost made me cry.) You already need to to be very good for a big company to allow you to have such far-reaching creative control, then imagine being responsible for a song that's going to be used on a highly anticipated show.
Lastly on this topic, I want to say that he's also the main recording director of most SKZ songs and has a sound engineering credit (on Red Lights) too.
Moving on, his vocals. They're gorgeous. Not only is his vocal colour very unique, versatile, and pleasant, but the years of training also show very well.
While he tends not to put himself in the spotlight a lot, that doesn't make his vocals any less amazing.
To begin with, his vocal range is very impressive, and one of the widest in Stray Kids; he can both hit high notes and go surprisingly low with his voice. If you listen to Stray Kids' discography, you'll hear it. You'll also encounter a lot of background vocals by him. Thanks to his capability and range, he does those harmonies often.
Another thing about his singing that is often brought up are his harmonies. If you watch his lives, you'll see that he harmonizes with songs he's playing with ease. He also does it sometimes during live performances with their own songs. It's suspected that he has perfect pitch or similar, so that definitely helps. (This man was born for music, wasn't he… )
Talking about live performances, he is very stable on stage—I'm glad Stray kids take pride in singing live all the time. He is also known to perform on most music shows without in-ears.
Last but not least, he can express emotions with his voice amazingly. From his sweet, desperate lines in "3rd Eye", his angelic and resigning vocal in "Voices", his soft, yet broken sounding delivery in "Ex", to his dark and powerful performance in "Red Lights", he can do anything.
Of course, he also raps, not so much as he used to pre-debut, but he does. I think what's most notable about him in this aspect are his insistence on writing bilingual lyrics (cue up Cypher I), his ability to create and deliver emotional and raw lyrics (one of the reasons his "lazy rap" style fits him well), and his confident aura and stage presence. Reading his 3RACHA lyrics I feel like I learn more about him as a person, while as a member of Stray Kids in intros with 3RACHA for instance, it's like he embodies the passion of the entire group.
Now, his dance. I don't think many people nowadays know this, but when Stray Kids used to have official positions, dance was also among Chan's positions. It's easy to see why, the years of training paid off well. His moves always look satisfying to watch; always sharp enough, always fluid enough. Dance is not his main focus yet he still draws you in with that too. He can embody any song well, if it requires gracefulness, he'll be graceful, if it needs power he'll be powerful, if it requires a certain sassiness he'll have that—there is no concept or style that makes him look out of place.
I also must mention that I'm yet to figure out how he can jump over members with such ease in certain choreographies…is he a kangaroo, or what?
Last but not least, I've touched upon this already: he is a very good performer. He sings live, and has charisma you can't ignore on stage. Watching videos where they perform for an audience, he also knows well how to interact with them. Whatever he does always feels natural and a joy to watch.
In conclusion, Chan amazes me every day with his talent and I want everyone to recognise him for them.
