'Textbook of Ballads' Taeyeon's Transformation

Although buried due to lack of broadcasting activities, the masterpiece 'Something New.'

 

 

JYP Entertainment's representative producer Park Jinyoung has mentioned before that a singer he'd like to work on a song with is Girls' Generation member Taeyeon. She was the 3rd singer he chose after Lee Hyori and Big Bang's Taeyang. I remember it was in a broadcast from around 2009. That's the reason why Taeyeon, who is part of his rival company SM Entertainment, was eye-catching to him. "She sings as if she is speaking". Park Jinyoung said that Taeyeon's singing sounds so natural to his ears that it's not indistinguishable from [the way she speaks in] everyday conversation. 

 

When you listen to Taeyeon's 2008 solo songs, you'll be able to relate to what Park Jinyoung said. Taeyeon sang in whispers for the OST 'If' in the drama 'Hong Gildong' and the OST 'Can You Hear Me' in the drama 'Beethoven's Virus'. At that time, Taeyeon was 19. Without technical skill, the resonance of her clean and delicate voice was pretty big. As Taeyeon's songs received as much love as the drama, the music world began to pay attention to her singing as the "Textbook of Ballads". It was a reverse of the female group member who kicked off the debut stage with the song 'Into the New World' in 2007. More than Girls' Generation, there was an expectation for Taeyeon's solo projects.

 

So like that, 8 years flew by to the year 2015. "Sky that pours light, I stand under it~" In the first solo mini-album 'I', Taeyeon displays the presence of a singer while flaunting her refreshing high notes.

 

 

 

 

The more solo albums she released, the greater Taeyeon's influence was. However, when new work came out, so did a shadow. 'I', 'Why' (the album released in 2016), and the title track 'Fine' of 'My Voice' (released last year) all sounded similar. Although the genre of the song was different, the way Taeyeon's vocals were expressed was the same. The composition of raising emotion with the high note in the second half of the song made it easy to imprint these three songs, but this freshness became poison. The image that 'Taeyeon = High Notes' was hardened, but a preconceived notion, 'it will be a similar style again' arose. Naturally, the musical curiosity of Taeyeon's new work cooled down.

 

This preconceived notion about Taeyeon was broken this summer. Taeyeon walked a new path with the 3rd mini-album 'Something New' last June.

 

In 'Something New', which is a mix of Soul and Jazz, Taeyeon hums faintly, and in 'Baram X 3', which has a strong Hip-Hop color, she sings while chewing on the lyrics like a bad boy. Taeyeon's solo albums include work that's never been attempted. I wonder if the model student has turned into a free-spirited 'hipster'. Taeyeon's transformation in 'Something New' is particularly surprising. With a song that starts with the buzzing sounds of people, Taeyeon's subdued voice leisurely crisscrosses like a rapper. The high note never comes out. Instead, she leads the song rhythmically by mixing the nasal sounds and blowing controlled breaths. It is reminiscent of the voice of a UK singer Corrine Bailey Rae, who is familiar to Korea with her song 'Like A Star'. In 'Baram Baram Baram', you can hear the hidden humor in Taeyeon's voice.

 

Taeyeon's new sound can be found in 'Something New', like its title. In the K-pop music market, which is flooded with electronic dance music, the atmosphere of Neo-Soul and Jazz is sophisticated, so it's pleasant in terms of diversity. It's also an album where you can get a peek at Taeyeon's past and future with 'Ballad rep Taeyeon' in 'Circus'. Taeyeon didn't even sing the B-track songs from this album on music broadcast programs. So they were buried, but it's just sad to put aside a K-pop masterpiece.

 

 

Strongly recommended:

If you want to see Taeyeon's developmental future, which goes from Jazz to Hip-hop, beyond electronic dance music.

 

Not recommended:

It may be flustering for fans who think 'Ballad rep Taeyeon' is the truth. Instead of 'Something New' and 'Baram X 3', they'll take a detour and choose 'Circus'.

 

 

2018.09.08.

Written by: Yang Seungjoon

Translated by: Bee (@taengab)

Source: Hankook Ilbo