Just a little background on me: When it comes to music, I’m a proficient dabbler. I know enough about playing and performing to really respect talented vocalists and well-crafted songs. I love watching new artists find their sound and established artists push their sound in new directions. And I am ALWAYS looking for a sound that’s just a little different from the rest of the genre, making it stand out because of the hook, the harmony, or the chorus that gets eternally trapped in my head.
How’s that for an intro? Let’s get down to business, shall we? This week I present to you some of the new-to-me tight vocals that have tickled my neurons, and the soaring vocals that caught my ear in the last few months. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
ATEEZ — “Pirate King”
Oh my goodness, I love the harmonies on the “oooh – eee – ooh” part of this song. They’re pretty tight throughout, making ATEEZ an up-and-coming group I’m going to keep an eye on. But what’s the part of the song that my kids and I sing to each other constantly? The ultra-high, auto-tuned “Will you be my friend?”, of course. We’re SO refined.
Gaho — “Not Over”
I’ve been sucked into the insanity of The Last Empress and I don’t regret it one bit. The song over the closing credits caught my ear time and time again, so I finally looked into it. OH MY HECK GAHO’S VOICE. I love it. I’ll share more of his work below, but first, enjoy the masterpiece that triggered my fall down that particular rabbit hole.
Gaho — “Going On”
In the first 30 seconds, you can hear Gaho just float up to those high notes and make them gorgeous. You really get a picture of his complete range from the very beginning of “Going On.” Treat your ears. Listen to this song, and then tell me if you’re now a Gaho fan like I am.
Gaho — “Then”
I’m not a ballad fan — slow, poetic songs make me want to snore. There are the rare few, though, that snag my attention and keep me invested from beginning to end, and “Then” is one of them. I love the pull of it, maintained by the upbeat staccato keyboard in the background and the crashing percussion.
Voisper — “Heart”
It cracks me up a little that the piano intro to “Heart” sounds so similar to “Not Over”, but it happens. Kdrama Jen actually introduced me to Voisper, and this is the song I fell in love with. I loveloveLOVE their harmonies and how they make the chorus soar.
BONUS MV: SHINee — “Countless”
I just can’t leave out Taemin from SHINee. I mentioned it in our podcast — the one kpop/kdrama/k-whatever moment that stood out to me in the last year was listening to “Countless” and realizing that Taemin had stepped up to take the soaring vocals that Jonghyun always handled. Totally took my breath away and made me tear up.
Share with me, drama fans. What groups have produced your favorite harmonies? What high notes have captured your ears? I want to know!
Until the next record spins, I remain–
Karie the Maknae
Dramas with a Side of Kimchi
So, I admittedly know nothing about music!! That being said, I usually pick up new songs based on how they “feel” and/or if they speak to me with either their lyrics or a unique sound that sets them apart.
I also tend to get into a rut with songs I know and love and don’t take the time to venture out and find new ones to add to my playlist. Which is why I LOVE these music posts, because ya’ll do the hard work for me and I can just jump in and enjoy some new music instantly!!!
I am now head over heels for Gaho. I loved his song from Terius Behind Me and it stuck with me long after the show ended. But his track for The Last Empress is so hauntingly beautiful. I LOVE it SO much (and the fact that it gives me the those “feels” every time I hear it)!! I’m am beyond excited to have more of his songs to listen to now!!
I also really liked Heart by Voisper! There will be some Spotify stalking of Gaho and Voisper going on shortly!
Thanks for breaking me out of my BTS and Big Bang rut!!
YAY! I’m so glad I could share my newest obsession with you.