Prior to her debut in 2012, she started off as a YouTube singer and got noticed with her beautiful voice. Her success on YouTube took her from her home in New Jersey to Korea in order to make her dream of being a professional singer come true. There are so many powerful vocalists like Ailee in the K-pop industry, but some voices will always stand out whenever you hear them. In this article, Channel-Korea will provide you with seven other K-Idols whose voices are as powerful as Ailee’s.
Soloist Wheesung
Choi Whee-sung, known by his stage name, Wheesung, is a South Korean R&B singer, producer, and musical actor. He is one of the best male singers in Korea with his powerful voice and wide vocal range. He started his career in 1997 as a member of the dance team, ING,later becoming part of the four-member boy-band ‘A4’. Then he joined M-Boat music, which was part of YG Entertainment. In 2017, Wheesung set up his own independent label, called Realslow Company, and also promotes under another stage name, Realslow. Realslow is the stage name used by Wheesung when he was an underground singer. He first gained attention in the early 2000s as an underground musician before debuting in 2002. When he was under M Boat Entertainment, he underwent a few years of vocal training and released his first solo album, Like A Movie, in 2002. The album became very popular after receiving praise from many well-known artists, including Seo Taiji and Shin Seung Hun. In 2003, he released his second album, called It’s Real. It became as popular as his first album, making him the best-selling artist of 2003 in Korea.
Wheesung was recently swept up in a controversy after he was accused of injecting drugs with Amy. The singer strongly denied accusations by sharing a phone call recording with Amy.
SHINee’s Jonghyun
Kim Jong-hyun was a popular South Korean singer who earned international fame as a member of the popular Korean boy-band, SHINee. He was also a songwriter, a singer, a producer, a radio-show host, and an author until he committed suicide in 2017, at the age of 27. He debuted as part of SHINee in 2008, under SM Entertainment. In 2015, he debuted as a soloist with the solo album extended play, Base. He was found dead in his apartment after committing suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in December, 2017. It was reported that he suffered from severe depression. During his life, he has released some work as a soloist. His discography consists of two studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play, nine singles, and six appearances in soundtracks. Jonghyun released a collaboration single with Heritage, titled “Your Voice“, on March 18, 2016, for the project SM Station. On May 24, 2016, he launched his first studio album, She Is, containing a total of 9 songs. On December 9, 2016, he released the song “Inspiration” for the project SM Station. He released his second compilation album, titled Story Op.2, on April 24, 2017. After his death, his album Poet | Artist was released, exhibiting his unchanged thirst for being known as a ‘poet,’ more then as a mere K-pop star.
Jonghyun was one of best idol vocalists, who had a natural, light ,and thin voice which allowed him to produce a very soft sound as well as a very powerful sound when he chose. His vocal timbre was youthful, with a very bright quality. Over the years, his voice has matured and lighted up in tone, allowing for an even brighter sound, with more ease in the upper register and enabling his voice to be much softer in his lower range and better placed. His soothing voice during performances always satisfied the audiences.
Soloist ALi
Cho Yong-jin, known professionally as ALi, is a South Korean singer-songwriter. Her stage name is based on the famous boxer Muhammad Ali. ALi debuted as a singer in 2009 and gained fame for her appearances on music shows, most notably Immortal Songs 2 on KBS2. She also worked as a professor in applied musical arts at the Seoul Technical Arts College. ALi released her first album, SOULri, in December, 2011, two years after her official debut. She was also a vocalist on several Leessang songs, including “Ballerino” and “I’m Not Laughing”. ALi was known for her memorable and soothing voice in her songs, OSTs, and performances. She has contributed to theme songs for the following shows: Just Stay – Kill It OST (2019) Just Give Me One Day – My Only One OST (2018) The Two of Us – Producer OST (2015) I Love You, I’m Sorry – Angry Mom OST (2015) A Flower in the Rock – Gunman in Joseon OST (2014) Tears Keep Falling – Triangle OST (2014) The Vow – Gold Rainbow OST (2013) In My Dream – Empire of Gold OST (2013) Carry On – Faith OST (2012) Hurt – Rooftop Prince OST (2012) All of a Sudden – Terroir OST (2009) ALi has a husky, warm voice. Her voice is fully-charged with strong emotion and she used it to dig deep into torn young hearts pining for past loves.
ALi once said that her world was all pitch-black when she sang ballad songs, because she always had to dip herself into that sad emotion. Because of that, many people could relate to her songs. But now, as she grew older, she started to realize that she also wanted her life to be filled with less sadness, and more joy.
Soloist Hyorin
Kim Hyo-jung, better known by her stage name, Hyolyn, is a South Korean singer and a former member and leader of the popular Korean girl-group SISTAR, and their sub-unit Sistar19. Now she is under the management of her own, self-started production compan, Bridʒ. Hyolyn has loved singing and dancing since childhood and when no one was around to help her, she began picking up auditions on her own. Before she debuted as a member of SISTAR in 2010, under Starship Entertainment, she had auditioned for JYP Entertainment twice before being accepted after placing first in the audition. She, along with Secret’s Jieun, EXID’s Hani, and Bestie’s Ujiwas was set to debut in a project group. However, the plans for their debut were canceled.
Hyolin is one of the most famous female K-pop vocalists, not only for her group activities but also individually, for her powerful vocals and vocal performances. Hyolyn’s voice is one of the lightest and purest among her peers. Her voice is very light, girly, and bright, with a very pretty tonal quality that at times can be soft and sexy or powerful and present. Her voice sits high where a Soprano voice would sit and still retains a youthful quality. Not only does she possess one of the largest vocal ranges among K-pop vocalists, but she is also constantly working to become a better musician, performer, and vocalist. One of her strongest assets is her developed the lower range, which is one of the rarest things among pop vocalists in general.
On May 22, Hyolyn released one of her most vulnerable standalone singles, called Youknowbetter. The single is based on her own personal experience and it is her first release of 2019. The new track is a powerful dance-tinged ballad with her expressive vocal tone. The lyric of the song relays her loneliness and focuses on sorrowful relationships.
Brown Eyed Girls’ JeA
Kim Hyo-jin, better known by her stage name JeA, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. She is best known as the leader of South Korean girl-group Brown Eyed Girls. As a solo artist, she has contributed numerous songs to various soundtracks. JeA is the one responsible for the formation of Brown Eyed Girls and was actively involved in the selection of the other members The four members – JeA, Narsha, Ga In, and Miryo – performed several small shows under the name “Crescendo” before officially debuting as Brown Eyed Girls in 2006. JeA is the leader and main vocalist of the group. JeA released her first solo album, Just JeA, in 2013, and is the last of the members of Brown Eyed Girls to release a solo album. JeA is part of one of Korea’s most well-acclaimed and respectable vocal idol groups and one of most respected and highly-praised vocalists. She has a light voice with a certain degree with brightness, but it is Jea’s slightly darker tone that helps her stand out from most other vocalists. Having a voice that lies closer to that of a Full Lyric Soprano, her voice possesses an extra weight and size in volume that allows for it to be naturally bigger and stand out from other vocalists, in general, and from the other vocalists in her group.
On June 20, JeA made her solo comeback with a new single called Dear.Rude, featuring the South Korean rapper, Cheetah. The music video for the single is a a bit creepy, with zombies around every corner. The lyrics give a message to a relationship that hurt you in the past.
