Sorry, Mumei, I didn't see your reply!
I'll have to listen to this again when I get home, because I've never heard what you're talking about. She's no Mariah (or Beyoncé) when it comes to demonstrating unostentatious ease, but she does possess about as much ease and flexibility as you're going to see in a full lyric soprano, and there are multiple examples of her performing very difficult intervals with aplomb. In fact, the only time I've seen her struggle with a song's demands is when she sang what appeared to be an impromptu cover of Mariah's Emotions on one of those Asian variety shows.
I wasn't detecting struggle, but maybe she was purposely avoiding the higher belts to prevent causing stress because she actually starts off singing a lower note before briefly reaching the peak of that line.
I'll post links from two different videos that showcases this. She actually uses this for more than some of the higher belts, so maybe it's just how she sings those particular vowel sounds. I'll emphasize the section of the word where she starts lower and ramps up to the peak:
Where-eh-EH-vah
oh-OH pen (1) |
oh-OH pen (2)
Yoh-OR (1) |
Yoh-OR (2)
Nuh-UH-thing (1) |
Nuh-UH-thing (2)
Foreh-EH-vah (1) |
Foreh-EH-vah (2)
I don't recall if she used crescendi on her belts in that performance, but I do know that if she did it was a conscious choice and not a crutch. She is nearly on Beyoncé's level when it comes to her control of dynamics, and she doesn't need to crescendo (or scoop) to reach her top notes or
achieve power.
I don't listen to enough of her performances to know what she relies on or whether it's a crutch, but I do hear it in both of those MYHWGO performances, which is why I included it. Maybe it's just something she does on particular vowel sounds to gradually ease herself into a more open tone.
And tone is purely subjective, but on a personal note I think she has a gorgeous, crystalline tone, especially in her upper register or when
singing lightly, and a
beautifully supported scale throughout her range (sans a bit of the lower register).
Oh, I know it's subjective.
It's like Regine Velasquez and Mariah. Regine clearly has mastery of her instrument, but when she does Mariah covers, I can't help but think that despite her hitting all the notes, there's a soulless, mechanical execution to the way it's all performed. SoHyang becomes shrill to my ears after once she hits her D5s, but below that, it's soft and quite magical. There are cases where her tone doesn't seem as harsh, like that run she did at the
beginning of the Virtuosity video where the way she sings that line where the melody trumps whatever focus I'd have on her tone. It's beautifully executed.
She's clearly quite capable of a lot, which is why I find it odd I'm hearing those scoops. Maybe Roy can confirm what I'm hearing as I'm not technically inclined but I do swear I hear scoops.
But
perhaps singing a mediocre Celine Dion song was not the best introduction to a goddess like SoHyang. Have you seen
this video? Her control is machine-like (TM Leona).
Wow at
this. That B5! You're right, MHWGO is beneath her capabilities.
[Edit]
OMG, THIS WAS LIVE?
I'm so using this song.
[Double edit] This song has ended me. The melody, the emotion, her belts, the tension, the
flawless transition from falsetto down into her chest,
this belt where you think she can't go any higher, but she does and THEN she does a run, and the way she
ends it! I'm sorry, Artpop, but I have been thoroughly slain.