Vocal Range

F2 ~ F#5 (3 octaves and 1 semitone)

*F#5 does not sound like the upper limit of his range, therefore he could definitely go higher in falsetto.

Supported Range

D3 ~ G#4/A4

Voice Type

Lyric Tenor

Strengths/Achievements Decent support in his middle/belting register up to G#4/A4, producing healthy (non-strained/tense-free) and effortless notes within that area Decent placement, including a lifted soft palate in the belting register, allowing him to produce fuller and more projected notes Most consistent one in the vocal line along with Chen, in terms of vocal placement and increasing pharyngeal space Several resonant/powerful belted notes achieved (e.g. His A4 belt in Immortal Song’s “It’s Still a Dark Night”) Has done a relatively complex vocal line in the studio version of Black Pearl starting with a properly placed and sustained G#4, along with a brief Bb4 with a healthy vocal sound and ending with a vocal run without losing much tonality, precision and speed Most agile voice in EXO / Masters overall vocal runs and melisma the best in EXO Weaknesses Tendency to strain notes or produce tension above A4 with uneven vocal mixing Inconsistent vocal placement including a lowered soft palate,  incorrect jaw and tongue position and a throaty placement Constrictors tension not allowing maximum vocal power to be projected Shallow/lazy breathing approach for softer songs that do not require any belting, or during certain days, showing his inconsistency in vocal technique Lack of confidence and nervousness on stage, negatively impacting his sense of pitch and breathing, hence his overall stability at times Breath unsteadiness, negatively impacting his stability in challenging lines Weak vocal cords connection in the upper register, hence awkward register transitions and falsetto usage Sloppy, pitchy runs with lack of precision at times Registers Lower: Averagely trained lower voice as support and decent placement are present down to C#3. Support is usually dropped and airy quality appears below C#3, although there is no extreme laryngeal pushing down there. Middle: Decently trained middle voice with a certain degree of proper breath support and proper vocal placement being apparent up to G#4/A4, but power is lost above that point. Has however the tendency to pull more darker tones or chest-dominant qualities in his vocal mixing, limiting his potential and ease in the higher middle range. Upper: Underdeveloped and does not explore this high register very often. Agility

While Baekhyun and Chen are known for their higher range and for handling challenging high notes in the vocal line, Kyungsoo, on the other hand, has a different type of forte, which is the mastery of vocal runs and melismas. Possessing a naturally light voice with a darker yet softer vocal color, his voice is made for vocal ornamentation and embellishment, including vocal runs and he masters them the best in EXO. He is not known to excel in the techniques of vocal runs/riffs and melismas as he does not have coloratura/agility skills yet. Instead, he is more known to use vocal runs as a stylistic musical approach to embellish his vocal phrases.

From what he has shown, his voice could be considered semi-agile, capable of executing vocal runs with medium tempo. His vocal runs, when doing them properly, are precise, as in the listener is able to hear each intermediate note accentuated in the vocal run, yet still maintaining mid-speed. A clear example of this skill is in the bridge of EXO-K’s Black Pearl, in which he executes a relatively complex vocal line (or adlib) and ends that line with a downward vocal run starting from G#4-Bb4. That run was of medium speed and he emphasized each intermediate note in that run with relative precision and tonal accuracy, meaning that he maintained speed and precision, without dropping support, pitch accuracy and precision. His downward run in It’s Still A Dark Night is another one good example. These rare examples show the potential he has in developing his vocal agility.

Sometimes, his runs are not executed properly, hence they are sloppy because of either lack of freedom, precision (including pitch), flexibility or all three combined. Here, Kyungsoo tried to improvise a riff but the sound was in the back of his throat, showing the lack of freedom, which as a result, affects his vocal speed as well.  A lot of practice is therefore needed to improve the precision and speed of vocal runs (including a better vocal placement for a better speed), along breath control to maintain tonal accuracy ad ease throughout a complex vocal line.

Overall analysis

Unlike many male vocalists in the K-pop industry, Kyungsoo does not possess a very bright vocal color in his vocal instrument, although it is soft and light like many male voices in K-pop.  Fans of Kyungsoo and the majority of the EXO fandom would collectively agree that he has the most pleasant and interesting tone out of EXO’s vocal line. His actual vocal timbre is relatively dark and, in my own personal opinion, the texture of his voice is silky, warm and honeyed, comparable to the sound of a saxophone.

In the lower register, he is typically able to produce a supported soft sound down to D3without pushing his larynx down. Below D3, his voice usually becomes breathier and muffled with a clear drop of vocal color as one can hear with any notes below D3 in his vocal range video. He does not descend to his lower register very often and has shown drop of vocal color often, so he is not entirely consistent in that area of his voice. Based on what he has shown vocally and his natural characteristics of his voice, the lower area of his voice has the potential to become more refined, smoother and even more interesting, if he trained it more and incorporated it in his musical style.

As a lyric tenor, the strongest area of his voice where it shines the most lies in his middle register, in which he shows vocal strength and comfort up to G#4/A4. Therefore, Eb4-G#4/A4 is the most polished area of his voice and this is the part of his voice where he mostly sings well with a good technique. This is also the area of his voice where he shows the most consistency, as he is able to produce healthy, decently supported and full-sounding mid-belts with acceptable intonation most of the time, during normal or good days when he is in good vocal condition. During his best days when his bodily technique, mind and emotions are well-shaped, well-focused and free from all struggles for a vocal