Vocal Range

C3 ~ G#6 (3 octaves and 4 notes)

Supported Range

F#3/G3 ~ B4/C5

Voice Type

Light Lyric Soprano

Strengths/Achievements Strongest vocalist in SISTAR Arguably, one of the best lower ranges amongst K-pop female vocalists Has shown a very good steady and consistent improvement from debut until 2013/2014 Has generally an agile voice with adequate pitch accuracy at times Can support her voice down to F#3’s and G3’s with a forward projection One of the lowest ranges for female vocalists in K-pop Was consistently able to produce resonant notes in her mix, up until Eb5/E5 and F5 at times in 2013/2014 Has been able to hit, although not sustain, supported F#5’s Generally good with pitch, control and support in her supported range Has been able to show musicianship and change songs around in different performances Resonance is produced consistently Good placement is kept outside her supported range Weaknesses Although she has an agile voice, her runs can often be miscalculated and not precise enough Generally airy tone in her voice, both in her falsetto and lower to mid range The airiness seems not to be controlled and may often create a raspy quality that irritates the vocal cords Her support below F#3 tends to go away and her notes become quite muffled and airy Although resonance has been produced up to F5, her consistency in support and bad vocal habits cause her to lose support above B4/C5 She has yet to extend her range in her mix anywhere above F#5 even after her improvements Nasality may be present occasionally in her voice At times may close when sustaining higher notes Very airy falsetto that often sounds thin and unsupported, inconsistent with producing a head voice At times her upper mixed notes can come accompanied by a tense tongue which causes a tighter sound than desired Has shown a lot of regression in 2015/2016 in terms of vocal health and technique Registers Lower register: Although able to maintain a stable larynx at times down to E3, her support and placement lose focus around F#3, where below her voice becomes cloudy and unclear and below E3 very airy. Support is kept on F#3’s and above, however, with a very good forward placement. Mixed Register: huge improvement in this aspect, Hyorin has been able to produce countless supported and resonant notes from the range of A4 ~ F#5. However so, she still lacks the stamina and consistency in support to keep every single F5 stable and relaxed. In 2013/2014 she had shown great consistency in resonance up until E5, with F5’s coming on and off with resonance or becoming strained. However lost such consistency in 2015/2016. Upper Register: Most of the time she sings with a falsetto, rather than a true head voice, which causes her voice to become thin and small in projection, often sounding throaty and raspy, without connection and becoming unstable above G#5. At times able to produce a fuller and truer tone in head voice, but very rarely. Agility

One of the most agile voices amongst K-pop vocalists, Hyorin possesses a very light and bright voice that seems to linger towards ornamentations and lend itself to embellishing her vocal performances. Her voice is able to not only be quick, but also separate and create a smooth connection between every single pitch and accurately hit each and every note in her best vocal runs. However so, Hyorin also tends to many times throw vocal runs around without really taking the time to make sure every single note lands correctly, having a very agile voice but with the lack of control and attention to detail when it comes to fully creating a clean series of ornamentations within her vocal performances. This is shown when at times, her run descending from the F#5 in “Show Me How You Burlesque” can come out clean and land correctly and at other times, will sound sloppy and without direction. Even so, she still has the ability to bounce through her notes and quickly fall back into them, showing good breath control overall.

Overall Analysis

One of the most famous female K-pop vocalists who’s not only famous for her group activities but also individually as a powerful vocals and vocal performances. Hyorin’s instrument is one of the lightest and purest amongst her peers. Her voice is very light, girly and bright, with a very pretty tone quality that at times can be soft and y, or at others powerful and present. Her voice sits high where a Soprano voice would sit and still retains a youthful quality, most likely close to the Light Lyric fach. Not only does she possess one of largest vocal ranges amongst K-pop vocalists, she also has shown improvement and consistent care to become a better musician, performer and vocalist.

One of her strongest assets is her developed lower range, which is one of the rarest things amongst pop vocalists in general. She retains a very womanly and present full sound in her lower register when she starts on F#3 and above, showing a stable larynx, forward mask and chest placements, projection and support. She is also able to still maintain a certain amount of tone and color even when she descends to F3’s and E3’s, although the placement and projection are generally lost. Her E3’s are also inconsistent in tone production and lose cord connection at times, example including the recent performance of “슬픈인연” where at times her E3’s would be present and at others they’d vanish into an airy tone. Notes below E3 then become fairly airy and unclear. Even then, Hyorin also is able to extend her lower range down to C3, which for a Soprano of any kind is a feat on its own and is quite difficult to do. Nevertheless without the proper support, range alone isn’t enough