Brutally Ranking Kpop Companies By The Vocal Training And Treatment Of Their Vocalists

the way you pointed out that seventeen's vocal line is only one carrying hybe. thats because they DID NOT debut under hybe, they got acquired 5 years after their debut.

Hybe: "If you look great, we're gonna make you dance great too. Forget everything else." JYP: "We're gonna make a show and pick the ones with better vocal potential. But here's the catch: they will stay at that level forever, lol." YG: "It seems you can sing well. Have you ever thought of singing with more twang, a bit more nasal, and cutting off the syllables? Producer thinks it would be great if you did!" SM: "We spent 10 years casting the best singers. Now we'll spend 20 more years honing their skills. This group debuts in 2043, stay tuned!"

The fact that Kai (Exo) and Taemin (Shinee) both started barely able to sing at all and now both have pleasant, sweet voices is just proof that SM vocal trainers are second to none. (That is not an insult to either Kai and Taemin, who I love! They are extremely talented dancers who obviously worked really hard to get to where they are and now are almost as nice to listen to as well as to look at.)

The fact that the mayorities ex SM trainees are main vocalist in others groups... Speaks a lot.

The case of HYBE annoys me so much it's unreal. They have more than enough resources to provide good vocal coaches, but no instead they let their artists regress, struggle and ultimately get dragged to hell and back by the entire internet. I'm also sick of their company stans using the royal "they focus on dancing and rapping!" excuse (also with rapping only BTS excels at that department while the rest are tragic). At the end of the day they still have vocal positions and they need to be thought how to sing without damaging their voices in the longrun

I don't like SM Entertainment as a company but their artists are the best when it comes to singing they can sing acapella and definitely live they are amazing dancers and amazing rappers I like that rapping because it's not always about fast rapping they rap where you can understand them and it flows so good every generation of SM Entertainment we're vocal kings and queens facts

To be fair, SM did create the whole training system that the industry adopted so they had a head start. 😂 But it is quite evident that SM prioritizes vocals as it’s been consistent with all their artists throughout the generations. Edit: I’m not a company stan and I know lsm didn’t actually create it, he was heavily influenced with what he saw in the us. I’m just saying the rest of kpop copied them but catered it to their own style. Which is why each company has a distinct identity or type of idol.

Seventeen isn't Hybe-bred; hence, having good vocalists. So, doesn't really count for Hybe 😅

The thing is SEVENTEEN and fromis_9 have amazing vocal lines and they didn't originally come from HYBE.

The biggest problem with hybe is the training they give their vocalist. Instead of improving, the keep pushing their idols to the point where they get regressed. Just the opposite, sm never forces their idols to opt for wrong vocal practices. They make them do best according to their capabilities and support range. In case of JYP, they have incrediblely stable idols. The vocal stability with difficult choreos and the fact that they 'actually' sing 'live'.

If you think again, this is why SM and YG never have any problem with their encore

Another proof showing the risks associated with JYPe's techniques is the fact that Seugmin, Jeongin, and Lee Know from Stray Kids stopped taking lessons from the company and had to pay for another vocal coach, about a year ago for Lee know. And this was done to get rid of their habits and learn to sing in a manner that's good for them. I know Seungmin mentioned this during a live stream. And personally, I notice a difference in their singing just between Maxident (case143) and 5star (S-class) : I feel like they are more confident, project better, have more support,...etc

SM also seems to be the only company that cares about the longevity of their idol’s voices. Maybe because they intentionally keep groups active way past 7 years. Their songs typically always play to the idol’s strengths and they’re rarely singing way out of their range or doing risky things without technique. When they do incorporate difficult vocal moments, they’re given to the main vocalists who’re able to handle them healthily. YG I think do this unintentionally simply because their idols aren’t being given difficult vocal parts to begin with so it protects their voices. JYP and Hybe clearly could not care less, I can name numerous vocalists they have caused to regress by abusing their voice without training them first. Listening to some of their groups can be painful sometimes.

Another thing about SM is that they develop even the less vocally talented Idols/Trainees. For example, TEN, started out as a Main Dancer and Rapper but is now Main Vocalist of WayV. Kai, Joy, Jisung and many more can confidently carry their lines successfully.

Something I've always appreciated from SM is they have a strong focus on making all their idols go through vocal training no matter their position, every SM group is able to do sing in harmony which you can't say for other companies. The improvements over time in all of their groups vocally is also incredible when you compare to other companies too.

SM clearly cares about vocal improvement compared to other companies as well. Ten and jisung from NCT are good examples i believe, as they began as relatively weak vocalists but have improved tremendously, ten even being the second main vocal of wayv now.They clearly allow their artists comfort in their styles too, since many groups do recording videos and it really shows their confidence (nct dream and 127 recording videos are fucking insane)

SM does appear to have some talented vocal trainers. I'll point to the case of Taemin of Shinee, who debuted with absolutely no vocal ability but through hard work and help from the trainers, has become a solid vocalist.

Imagine signing a trainee contract that could put you in debt and your company doesn’t give the right materials/guidance to develop as vocalist. Like that has to be a massive ripoff.

I also noticed a huge diff between studio and live stages for hybe .most times there live singing sound nothing like there actual audio released .this shows how heavily edited there vocals r but if u listen to sm audio vs live u legit hear same thing .i believe sm was smart not relying on edited voices and keeping the original cos the voice u hear in audio vs live is legit the same

The back story of Taeyong (NCT) is all you need to know to fully understand how competent SM is in terms of training. They literally took a boy that had ZERO knowledge of anything music related and ZERO talent (singing AND dancing) only to make him one of the top 10 idol in today’s industry. Top 5 if we’re talking dancing, and unbelievable stable in both raping and singing on stage. And the guy is also insanely good looking. So I don’t want to hear anyone saying SM is a visual company cause you WISH it was, then maybe they wouldn’t make your favourites look so bad.