Born Kim JiWon, Liz has always had an affinity for music. Seeing as she dropped out of school right before debuting goes to show how much she wants to focus on her passion and succeed with it. And she does have an accomplishment to be proud of ; not everyone can say they’ve appeared in a TaeYeon music video. Liz has proven to be the best vocalist in IVE, arguably, but she is undoubtedly one of the best vocalists the fourth generation of K-Pop has to offer. Check out the reasons below.
1. A smooth vocal tone/color
As soon as “ELEVEN”, IVE’s debut mini album and title track of the same name starts playing, Liz’s smooth vocal tone graces fans ears. For some fourth generation vocalists, this is a feat not easily achieved. Some of them have vocal colours that sound either too sharp or a vocal tone that is too heavy. Liz has one of the smoothest vocal tones among fourth generation female vocalists, and this makes it extremely pleasing to listen to her sing. Even when she transitions from a lower pitch to a higher one, it sounds so smooth and effortless that you wonder if she’s even trying at all. An example of such a transition is in the hook of their B-Side, ‘ROYAL’.
2. Solid vocal support
Being able to belt out or sing notes that are strong, broad and not tight, and clear is of utmost importance, but Liz seems to already know this. With Liz, you never have to struggle to hear her notes when she sings, and even with her vocal style, every note is clearly sung with just the right energy. To attain this, a lot goes into your posture and breathing ; we wouldn’t know what exactly Liz does, but she must be doing one of these right.
3. A medium but well developed range
Liz definitely knows her range and sings well within it. Some vocalists may try to hard to reach higher notes, maybe to impress their audience or challenge themselves, but when done without consideration for their vocal range, it could be very harmful. A vocalist could miss notes as they climb to higher pitches and their voice begins to sound strained. Liz’s vocal range is in F3-E5 and her supported range is in Eb5-D5. She very well knows what her range is and what octaves come the easiest to her, and this awareness is what makes Liz’s delivery steady yet graceful.
4. Strong vocal control
Control isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, it is the easiest aspect of music to lose track of. K-Pop groups are sometimes made up of so many members that it’s almost difficult for one member to understand their pitch and stay on it. Even though with IVE, the members are not that many, Liz knows her voice and sings with her pitch all the way. If she has to deepen it, make it lighter, or belt accurately with the same pitch, she does that seamlessly, all the while retaining the said pitch’s musical effect.
5. Almost perfect and clear enunciation
Some would argue that clear enunciation isn’t much of a deal with pop songs, but it still is valuable. No one wants to hear a vocalist sing and all they hear is mumbling. And some folks don’t find a vocalist that shapes o’s and e’s excessively while they sing all that appealing either. The art of clearly singing each syllable of the lyrics of a song, being relaxed yet clear enough that anyone listening understands exactly what message the lyrics are trying to pass is a skill Liz has perfected hands down. Liz displays her clear enunciation skills in the second verse of ‘LOVE DIVE’, where she sings right after WonYoung.
6. Versatility
Liz doesn’t just want to be good and stay good. She wants to be good and continue to improve until she is the best. Liz has voiced out many times that she would love to try on different concepts that require different musical styles so she can challenge herself and her voice. The passion for learning even when you are already phenomenal is rare, and Liz certainly classifies as a rare gem, and fans can’t help but support her journey. To end this on a beautiful musical note, check out Liz’s cover of IU’s ‘Friday’ below. She absolutely kills it in this cover, further proving her potential to be the best of the best vocalists in the future of fourth generation K-Pop. Go Liz! Check Out These 6 Underappreciated Rookie Female Idols KPOP STORIES|Apr 22, 2022
