K-Pop’s Top 10 Male Vocalists/Singers (SUPER UPDATED)

The Peach’s picks for top 5 Male Vocalists/Singers. 

A note to all who may read this:

Ladies (and gentlemen), please do not get all up in my face about this; if your bias is not here, there is a reason for that so get over it.  We all have opinions (and some are just wrong), but nevertheless, by searching whatever you did to come to this page, you must already be prepared for the possibility that someone does not agree with you.

10. Shinee’s Onew

I only am considering their  first performance in this video for Onew’s example. (For those who do not know who he is, he opens the song with a vocalization)

I really want to like Shinee songs for Onew’s sweet voice, but alas they are ruined by certain other people, which I will not discuss here.  Onew’s voice for great for the same reasons that Sanduel’s is. The clarity is good and it is ultra smooth.  While his voice has a distinct sound to it that is very Western.  I know that Shinee’s music may actually be somewhat likable if Onew had a more leading role in the vocals of the group.  But as SM every time does, the real talent is second to those who are popular. Onew’s voice is really pleasant and has an almost cheerful and lighthearted vibe.  It is quite lovely.

9. Super Junior’s Ryeowook

Ryeowook’s voice is incredible, but the reality is that his high pitched voice is all he has. His range is fairly limited due to the fact that his voice is already so incredibly high for a man; he doesn’t have a low range, and it’s unfortunate that his voice can’t drop to reach those deep, masculine, gentle notes.

While his voice is one to praise, it really isn’t something that could/should stand alone. His talents are much more appreciated in small portions; you could say it’s too “sexy” to take in large doses.

8. Super Junior’s Kyuhyun 

I almost feel bad that I kinda crapped out on finding a real video of Kyuhyun singing live, but his solo performances are so unbearably lifeless, the songs he chooses or that are chosen for him make me lethargic.

While Kyuhyun is technically a good singer, there is distinctly a lack of passion in his voice. I was really afflicted with the decision of whether he should be on this list or just briefly mentioned as a noteworthy singer. The one thing that finally convinced me to put him on this list was the fact that he seems to be getting better, and has more than enough room for improvement.

Recently Kyuhyun has been singing with what can be possibly categorized as feelings. You would think that since bad things have happened to him in his life, he would have a source of real pain to inspire his vocals. What Kyuhyun really needs to be one of the best singers is vulnerability and humility. If he just gave in to all the robust and potent feelings that are all trapped up inside his uppity snobbish brain, then he would be more than a phenomenal singer.

For the most part Kyuhyun is ranked low in accordance to his level of talent just because others prove to be more passionate. He lacks pathos and that makes his singing unrelatable. I and undoubtedly want a singer to grab my soul and demolish it, reducing me to a snively puddle.  Kyuhyun just does not care enough, he is too safe, and that makes him especially boring despite his masterful control and aesthetically pleasing voice

7. Beast’s Yoseob

Yoseob is in the same boat as Kyuhyun, in the sense that I really had a dilemma as to whether it was right for him to be on my actual list. Just as Yoseob is like no other human being, his voice is at an equilibrium of ridiculousness to his looks. It is not exactly a good or bad thing, but just like his physical being, his voice is a kind of ugly-cute.  His control is good but his voice is just strange, and it perfectly matches that whole anime character vibe he throws off.

The reason Yoseob is respectable is the fact that he is so unique and strange.

6.  Big Bang’s Daesung

Daesung to me is like an advanced version of Onew. Though he is not his groups designated lead singer, he most definitely should be. His voice has so much depth and character that we wish would be displayed more amongst Big Bang’s songs. His singing is loud and powerful what makes singers such as Daesung and Onew shine(e){could not help it} is the resonant qualities of their voices. This quality makes them so distinctly individual.

5. DBSK’s Changmin

I cannot even begin to explain the euphoria that Changmin’s voice brings to not only me but my partner as well. We adore his high pitched runs, so much so we majorly get the shivers. The both of us have been infatuated with his smooth voice since TVXQ came back as a duo with “Keep Your Head Down” and “Before U Go”. Our opinion was only cemented by our little excursion to the Anaheim SM Town in 2012. Changmin’s sheer volume alone is unfathomable.

            His striking voice is enough to make any girl swoon. Though not nearly as smooth as many of the other people on this list, yet his astounding vocalization definitely earns his spot on any top 10 list.

As a side note, try and ignore the sexy time dancing at least once to appreciate how hard it is to sing a song like this while dancing to such strenuous choreography. But alas if it is impossible for anyone to ignore all that is happening in that performance watch this “Before U Go” MV. (Changmin is in the white suit in the performance)

4. B1A4’s Sandeul

Due to B1A4’s most recent release of their first album, Ignition, Sandeul proved that he deserves to be in the top 5.  We previously stated that there simply was not enough evidence for us to look at, to judge his singing.  But now with the addition of eight new songs from the group, one solo from him, and 2 more live performances; we can safely say that Sandeul proves to be at the very minimum an impressive singer.  His sheer power and volume is immense and only to be bested by that of the Number one person on this list.

Though their are many so called vocalists in K-Pop, a vast majority of them are rubbish, and should really not even be singers. But Sandeul has such a big voice that he can power through multitudes of notes while he is belting.  While his ability with vocal gymnastics are what set him apart from the average K-Pop singer, his control and overall stability in his normal singing is what should earn him respect. The main reason that he jumped up to forth, is for his incredible ability.  His level of sheer talent is a rare thing and most likely in as soon as year he could prove to be possibly the second best male singer in the industry.

But despite his ability, one of our favorite things about Sandeul, is the overwhelming clarity in his voice.  A quality both #2 and #3 lack.  It sounds crystal clear, making every note sound true and much more melodic than what we can only think to describe as a fuzziness in the singing style of singers like #2.

We chose this specific song to showcases that big voice of his, though it is a group song Sandeul is the main singer/vocalist and at right around 1:00 until the end of the song his real talent is showcased.

This is not the best quality performance, but we think it is amazing for such a newcomer, he also has an amazing but rather practical solo “Crush”.

3. 2am’s Changmin

Personally, I don’t care at all for the overall sound of Changmin’s voice, but I respect his skills as a singer. He has great control and obviously as a member of 2AM, the vocal group, he is an amazing singer. But, his voice does seem quite strained often, and it just doesn’t have a particular flow or smoothness. It is not completely natural, and the more stressed it sounds, the more it gives the impression of being whiny and nasal. Frankly I really do hate the fact that most of the people that are said to be the “best singers” in K-Pop all have nasally voices; I for one do not find nasal attractive.  A nasal voice is reminiscent of a toddler having a tantrum, and it’s not cute.

2. JYJ’s Junsu

While I do have an appreciation for Junsu’s voice and vocal expertise, I have a semi-large problem with his singing style. For every JYJ album I’ve bought and every TVXQ song I have heard, everything about his singing is way too complicated. He changes pitches and keys and everything possible, every second possible. It’s too busy, and after some time, it gets kind of irritating.

He does have soul and it really shows that he loves being a singer. Junsu is fantastic, even live, but the constant craziness of his singing is either showing off or trying to cover up a possible problem Junsu might have with singing or technique. A little bit of the Mariah Carey vocalization is fine and even pretty, but virtually every word I have ever heard him sing almost sounds tortured and over extended.

1. Super Junior’s Yesung

One of the true shames of K-Pop is how little recognition this unbelievably talented man gets. Sometimes, Yesung is even ignored by Super Junior’s own fans. Not only do ELFs neglect his talents but the entire industry virtually overlooks Yesung. Unlike most idols, Yesung did not have to undergo a vast amount of training to be the amazing singer he is today. Without any formal training at age 16, his audition to enter SM Entertainment was breathtaking. With that husky baritone and distinctively R&B flavor, Yesung was already awe inspiring in his audition. As many know, his voice eventually lead to him getting his stage name “Yesung”, or Art Like Voice.

Yesung is an incredibly sexy husky baritone. The lower notes in his register are smokey and sensual, and his rare falsettos are silky and sweet. His control is astounding; not only was he blessed with such a unique voice, but he was also given the ability to use it perfectly. Yesung’s genre is definitely soul. He’s great with smooth, yet powerful, R&B ballads. A lot of times, his ad-libbing in Super Junior songs is what really makes them good and deep.

During Yesung’s solos, he perpetually adds a signature blues essence to his songs. Even putting his technical sublimity aside, his songs are filled incredibly passion (you should lend some to Kyuhyun) and so much verve that he can induce tears of wonder and astonishment. I honestly wish that the sheer amount of depth and raw emotion he puts into ever note he sings will one day be at least acknowledged by people.

The reason I picked “Sorry, Sorry Answer” is because I really do think this song fits Yesung’s voice best and really accentuates his aptitude for R&B ballads. Not only is this song absolutely astounding, it is probably the only song that Yesung gets this (for lack of a better word) black.  He brings perpetually unachievable (from K-Pop) maturity and depth to the table, and I love it.

Other Notable Mentions

F.T.Island’s Hongki

Hongki has a really lovely voice, but since F.T.Island can’t really be classified as actual “K-Pop”, he is ineligible from being classified as one of the best K-Pop male voices.

U-Kiss’s Kevin

Most of the people on this list are here because we recognize their vocal ability, but are not exactly pleased with their voices. However, Kevin has the voice of an angel. His singing is so pure and sweet. His voice really aesthetically appealing- it’s delicate and warm; soft like cotton candy for your ears. His vocal ability is good, and while certainly not the best in the industry, his ethereal voice is something to marvel.

EXO-M’s Chen

Chen is Ryeowook 2.0. His high high high voice is gorgeous and easily vaults EXO-M’s vocals far above that of their counterpart EXO-K. The notes that this boy can hit are beyond anything that we can even imagine. Being in only a handful of songs Chen has already proven himself to be a vocal powerhouse.

*As aside note, we really do not want to hear any kind of BS about being Super Junior biased, having 3 members. But let us all consider their are a total of 15 of them, enough to make at least 3 different groups of average size. Yet the most important factor is that these three men are crazily talented, and so completely different. While quite often enough we see KRY just globbed into a group and considered only one unit. But that is a grave injustice to the three of them, all three are on different levels and have completely different aesthetics and skill sets.  Bundling them is unjust.

♥The Peach