Vocal Range

D2 ~ D6 (4 Octaves)

Supported Range

Bb2/B2 ~ B4/C5

Bb2/B2 ~ F5 (with head voice)

Voice Type

Light Lyric Tenor

Strengths/Achievements Currently, arguably, the strongest male idol vocalist Strongest vocalist in Super Junior Very consistent vocalist in terms of placement, support and control Resonance is always consistent in his singing Control of dynamics is well used and explored in his singing Able to keep a very well control of his pitch/intonation Able to produce a relaxed, well connected head voice Good vocal placement is kept even outside his supported range Able to consistently keep resonance and support up to Bb4/B4 Has been able to support D5/Eb5 in studio Able to keep a well placed and forward sounding lower range even as low as C3/B2 Good note separation is present in his runs Mixed voice is very well balanced and mixing is well controlled Natural vibrato is produced One of the best lower ranges amongst tenor idols Arguably the best mixed voice amongst tenor idols Smart vocalist, does not try to oversing or do things he can’t do well Weaknesses Support below B2 is lost generally and the voice becomes less present Support above Bb4/B4 isn’t always consistent Head voice can sometimes become shrill and strained above F5 Head voice and falsetto are not very used registers, which may indicate less confidence in that area of his voice Vocal agility lacks control, vocal runs can often be sloppy with control of pitch Vibrato can become unsteady when sustaining notes above Bb4 Head voice lacks resonance Registers Lower register: Very well developed and improved, tone has gotten much fuller in the lower extremes of the voice and even below his supported range, tone in the lower range is still present even though it might sit outside his tessitura, his support isn’t completely gone. Mixed register: His mixed voice is generally more on the balanced or head-dominant side at times, it’s very well controlled and very well supported, with consistent resonance and is able to extend with support even above his supported range. Upper register: Weakest of his register, but far from being a weak register. Able to produce a connected head voice with support and clarity up to Eb5 ~ F5 consistently but shows issues in keeping an opened throat and a completely closed and connected position in his vocal cords above F5. Agility

Possessing not only a light lyric voice, but also a mixed voice technique that relies on a slightly lighter vocal cord function, by employing more cricothyroid muscles in his mixed voice, Kyuhyun is able to retain a better approach on his vocal runs by executing them without carrying too much weight with his chest voice and using a more balanced and head dominant sound that make his voice less pushed, more relaxed and more flexible. In terms of vocal agility, Kyuhyun possesses agility but lacks the actual control in his voice, in other words, his vocal runs are often well separated and have the correct rhythmic “bounce” that allows them to flow better, but he lacks the precision and the control to execute more complex vocal runs, such as the attempts in “Hot Times” and “My Everything“. Even then, when it comes to more mid-tempo or slow tempo vocal runs, he has more or less mastered the correct muscle memory and coordination to properly execute less complex vocal runs and trills.

Overall analysis

A later addition to Super Junior, a member who was not trained by Yoo Youngjin in the classical trademark sound of most SM vocalists, Kyuhyun is a member of groups such as Super Junior, Super Junior-M,Super Junior K.R.Y. and SM The Ballad. He often gets praise in his singing and is usually marketed not only as a main vocalist but also as a skilled ballad singer who can take on the more challenging parts of a large variety of repertoire. Even though it’s been promoted by SM that the KRY members are compromised of a bass, Kyuhyun, a tenor, Ryeowook, and a baritone, Yesung, they’re all tenors. Kyuhyun’s voice sits more comfortably in a higher tessitura and lacks the weight and darkness of many other voices. He may be classically trained into a different fach, but with his current style and technique his voice would most likely be classified as a light lyric tenor.

From the bottom of his range, he has come a long way with improving the tone, support and development of his lower range. While most vocalist rely heavily on high notes and straining as high as they can, Kyuhyun hasn’t only focused on developing his voice as to not strain it, he also keeps his voice from losing tone below Eb3/D3, as the average K-pop tenor would. Instead Kyuhyun has worked to improve his lower range, when comapred toback in the day with “Smile“. His lower range now retains a full