Are audiences gradually becoming more accommodating?

From past to present, the encore stage (Closing stage at music shows – PV) is always a measure to evaluate the singing ability of Kpop idols. Surely Kpop fans are familiar with the fact that idols will have an encore stage if they win No.1 in weekly music shows on SBS Inkigayo, MBC Music Core, KBS Music Bank,… This is where artists will comfortably celebrate their wins with their fans, have the opportunity to interact and thank the audience. If the main stage is meticulously staged with the support of MR (accompaniment music) including chorus and vocal recording, the encore stage will be completely eliminated, thereby showing each person’s true singing ability. artist or individual band member.

The generation transition period of the Kpop idol wave is coming when a series of idol groups with very young ages are debuting. Even though they have been in operation and have been widely promoted, many new music groups that have recently debuted are still disappointing because they cannot sing live without the “powerful” support of a sound system like when performing. main. This makes idols’ anxiety and pressure about the encore stage increase.

Live performance of the song EASY by LE SSERAFIM on stage M! Countdown received a lot of criticism

Recently, Kpop girl group LE SSERAFIM released a new song EASY has beaten many hits to win on music shows. With these victories, LE SSERAFIM became the first Kpop girl group in 2024 to win the “Weekly All-Kill Cup” – winning all 5 weekly music shows from Wednesday to Sunday.

However, the group had an encore performance that was no better because the members’ voices had not improved, and they sang out of tune, far different from the recording. Despite achieving many digital successes, this comeback of LE SSERAFIM has generated controversy and mixed opinions regarding the group’s ability to sing live.

ILLIT wins on The Show

ILLIT wins on The Show. (Photo: X)

LE SSERAFIM is not the only rookie group causing controversy over their vocals. Recently, ILLIT – the youngest girl of HYBE family – won her first music trophy for the song Magnetic. On The Show, ILLIT sang an encore to celebrate new achievements but accidentally revealed some flaws. The two members with the most stable live ability in the group are Minju and Yunah. The remaining 3 members are criticized for poor live performance, especially the Japanese female idol Moka whose voice is quite shaky and cannot be heard clearly. In spite of Magnetic It’s a gentle song that doesn’t require difficult techniques, but ILLIT still couldn’t perform well on the encore stage.

IVE’s ELEVEN encore stage was criticized by mumbling and being out of breath without words

When talking about the famous Gen 4 girl group, we cannot ignore the representative from Starship – IVE. Right from their debut, the group attracted attention with two famous members who came out of survival TV shows. Produce 48: Jang Wonyoung and Ahn Yujin. Since debut, IVE has always led in digital music achievements and coverage but still continuously receives “criticism” after each live stage.

IVE’s ELEVEN encore stage

In the debut song ELEVEN, IVE had “lifetime” stages when it was labeled a disaster. In particular, “Produce 48 center” Jang Won Young is always the member who receives the most criticism for not being able to hit high notes, sing the notes and needing the help of the whole group.

The issue of encore singing by Kpop idols has also become a “hot” topic in recent days when there have been many encore stages of new groups causing controversy. There is an undeniable truth that 4th generation idols are rated lower in their live singing ability than Gen 2 and Gen 3 Kpop idols. Some senior Kpop groups always make fans “bloom” because they can perform their best choreography with fans while still maintaining a stable voice that is not inferior to the recording. Prominent among them are EXO, BLACKPINK, BTS, Red Velvet, GFRIEND,…

Compare encore stages of past and present idols to see that high standards have been set by previous generations of K-Pop stars. Those are the people who tried to balance live singing and dancing well. This partly shows the subjectivity of entertainment companies when training idols to focus too much on appearance and forget that to be a singer, besides image, one must also have talent. Furthermore, is it true that the audience’s standards of admiration are decreasing compared to before, making the essential elements of a star now just a beautiful face and a perfect body?