itsakyo

[itsakyo]

Do you misgender taeyeon too in your yoontae fics?

Misgender? I don’t misgender characters in my stories. 

[itsakyo]

Do you prefer to write stories all at once before posting or to write a chapter and then post?

I write chapter by chapter and post them as I go along because my stories are loooooooooooooong XD

It’s also exciting to see responses to the latest chapter. Sometimes the reader responses have an impact on the way the story proceeds too.

[itsakyo]

Do you listen to any boy group song, by any chance? Any fav? Secondly, What’s your thoughts of BTS and their achievements in the Western countries? Do you think other Kpop groups can follow their footprint in the future?

Yeah, I listen to boy group songs casually.

Interestingly, I really enjoyed J-Hope’s mixtape even though rap isn’t the kind of music I usually enjoy as much as other genres. I also appreciate V’s vocal timbre so I like his song ‘Singularity’ a lot.

In terms of boy group music, I enjoy certain SHINee and EXO songs, and earlier BTS songs. My ultimate favourite will probably be EXO’s MAMA for a long time, because I really enjoy epic music in general - like Pirates of the Caribbean OST, for example.

Personally, I feel that BTS was there at the right place, right time, with the right people. Their level of global success is unprecedented when it comes to Asian acts, but at the same time, I feel that the world has been slowing getting there, in terms of Asian acceptance.

We have seen breakthroughs in movies, films, a general awakening to the diversity. There has been a build up of this energy. It’s not quite tangible, but it’s there.

So when I say BTS is there at the right time, this is what I mean. If BTS existed in the 1970s or 1980s where globalization hadn’t yet grown this big and Asia hadn’t gained as much of a foothold in the global entertainment scene, this level of success would not have been possible.

As good and talented as any group or act can be, if the audience mind is not ready to consume and digest it, there can be no engagement or traction. Hence, the era, the timing is a factor.

As for place and people, well, Korean entertainment industry had been gaining momentum for the past couple of decades. So to be born Korean and to become a Korean boy group is somewhat a factor too, for BTS’s success today. Because if they were born Singaporean, for example, there’s simply too little industry in Singapore to enable them to build up the way they did.

Having said all that, BTS has proven to possess the x-factor that other korean groups of the same era do not have - the magic key that unlocked the hearts of fans across the globe, which then grew into a viral wave of global popularity.

Many fans list reasons why they love BTS. There will be many different reasons to explain how BTS pulled ahead of every other group in the world to reign at the top currently. Each reason will be valid.

So can other K-pop groups follow in their footsteps in future?

No.

BTS is unique. They are that 1 in 100,000 K-pop groups that not only succeeded but succeeded on a phenomenal level.

What they have done, cannot be copied or mimicked.

Is it possible that another K-pop group might find equal or more global success in the future via a unique way of their own?

Yes.

When The Beatles existed, nobody would have thought BTS would one day come along and rock the scene like this. When Shania Twain was at her prime, nobody could have seen a Taylor Swift coming up in the future to take country music to different heights and even transit into pop in the way she has.

So BTS reigns like all these legends right now, and people find it hard to visualize this much success being achieved by another Korean group in the future, but based on history, past and on-going, it is possible and can happen in the future that nobody can foresee.

Because ANYTHING can happen next. Life’s full of surprises.

[itsakyo]

AK, any thoughts of male singer who will make an awesome collaboration with Taeyeon? Personally I would love to see another KyuhyunxTaeyeon collab.

Paul Kim is one of the best collabs with Taeyeon, imo. I’d love to see more Paul-Tae-Kims singing together.

Otherwise, I actually really like Kim Feel’s singing voice and style too. I feel like Taeyeon’s voice would go really well with his.

[itsakyo]

You've made me realize that Tiffany is good at separating her on and off stage personas. We didn't even know about her family situation/s until she shared them. And when those pictures of her sister's wedding leaked, she took immediate action. With that being said, do you think all of what we're seeing right now of Tiffany is her actual self or it's all part of her on stage persona?

Yes, Tiffany is very good at separating her artiste self from her private self. And in being so clear in separating the two, Tiffany also demonstrates how well she understands what being an artiste is all about.

She is very skilled in creating that artiste mask and clearly has a strong desire to be in control and make decisions for herself as an artiste, therefore, her decision to venture beyond SM was no surprise and she is one of the most suited members of SNSD to shake SM off. (Seohyun is another example, we all can see that.)

I just replied a similar Ask a moment ago, so maybe you can refer to the reply just before this one for the main gist of my reply.

Additional note:

Tiffany’s stage persona IS who she is. This is what we get to see as an audience, and the extent of what we should expect to see. When Tiffany’s art involves her private self, she shares the necessary, like how she shared her personal struggles, as well as her family situation because her song was inspired by it all.

She shared all that because her art came from that place. She doesn’t share anything more to avoid distracting from the art she created, a sign of an artiste who knows what she’s doing. That’s as genuine and professional as an artiste can get, isn’t it?

[itsakyo]

Now that I think about it, Tiffany IS very private. She's managed to keep under wraps very personal things about her life (like her family situation/s). I guess I never really saw it as such because her xolovestephi phase and snapchat had tons of daily content for us to feast on, but wow I realize now that you're right - she only shares things about her artist persona. With that being said, do you think that all that we're seeing from her is genuine or all just part of that persona?

Being an artiste is a job. Just like how we do not reveal all our personal details at work, artistes have all rights to keep their personal stuff private. They are not obliged to share anything unrelated to their work and if they do, it’s because they don’t mind it or whatever reason there is.

That being said, an artiste’s persona IS genuine. It is genuine simply because it has to come from the artiste themselves. It is as genuine as a painter’s painting, an author’s novel.

Take Lady Gaga for example. Lady Gaga is clearly an artiste’s persona. The entire concept of Lady Gaga was created and marketed in a certain way; it was all part of a very successful plan. Then Lady Gaga reinvented herself by presenting herself without all the frills that Lady Gaga usually comes with and surprised us all.

But would you say the Lady Gaga who did Bad Romance is any less genuine than the Lady Gaga who did Shallow?

[itsakyo]

Do you think Taeyeon will write songs in the future? She expressed her reluctance to do so because she's not the type to really share her thoughts (part of it must be because of how people would misinterpret them or relate them to her personal life, for one) so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm hoping she could eventually be open, even if slowly, to songwriting just like how Tiffany is now but it's not a problem if she doesn't cause her emotional singing is plenty enough as well.

Song writing is a form of expression. Some people like it, some prefer other ways of expressing themselves. Publishing it for public consumption is another matter. And like you said, singing by itself is also a sufficient form of expression.

I don’t think Taeyeon is reluctant to write songs. I think she is reluctant to PUBLISH her self-written songs for the reasons you stated.

Taeyeon, when she shares, bares her soul to the point where she is very open and vulnerable to others. This is precisely what frightened her off from opening up, because when she does, she doesn’t filter and her artiste mask/persona overlaps into her private self. So for Taeyeon, she shut herself off for a pretty long time, and made several attempts to protect her sharing space from misinterpretation (like asking fans to only view her snapchats from her account etc).

For Tiffany, she is actually even more private than Taeyeon, even though she appears to be more open. Tiffany controls what she shares and only shares exactly what she intends to, no more than that. So even though she appears to be much more open than Taeyeon, she actually isn’t, because she has a very powerful filter and she defines her artiste mask clearly, which protects her private self well. (I hope the gist of what I’m trying to say gets through cos I find it a bit hard to explain my perspective properly.)

[itsakyo]

hey AK, do u have a complete copy of soshi's variety appearances (group variety, group and solo guestings, etc)? I know youve been a sone for how many years now so I was just asking where is it possible to get them all, in ssf? Thank you in advance.

Hi, I keep a copy of the variety shows that I like. I don’t keep everything single thing.

Afaik, SSF download section has a well organized list of SNSD shows and stuff. You do need a certain number of posts to access the section. A donation will also give you access.

[itsakyo]

saw your tweet on twitter about the sone civil war. The chart data was never the issue. It was how the fandom keep on slandering and shaming taeyeon when this kind of stuff happens. The sales thing became an issue because of the penguin and other fans start to attack taeyeon and shade her. That chart account was one the contributors. TY stans just basically had enough.

I will just say one unpopular opinion of mine. I see a range of fans because I follow a variety of accounts and it is the same problem across the board. Each fandom has fans who are saying the same thing.

Whether it’s Taeyeon fans, Sunny fans, Tiffany fans, Hyoyeon fans, Yuri fans, Sooyoung fans, Yoona fans, Seohyun fans - there are fans in every group that “just basically had enough”.

Every fandom has fans who are unhappy with other fans for one reason or another. Every fandom has people who feel their fav is being slandered/shaded/unsupported by other fans in one way or another.I have seen a wide variety of such rants on Twitter.

If I am willing to spend the time, I can definitely dig out rude/aggressive/extreme accounts from every single fandom. Rude, aggressive fans exist everywhere. There are rude, aggressive, extreme TY stan accounts just as there are rude, aggressive, extreme SN/TF/HY/YR/SY/YA/SH stan accounts.

No fandom is clear of them. The difference is the sense of numbers, because some fandoms are larger, hence it seems like there are more of them when in reality, the % is probably about the same.

The common thread is that everyone who is complaining feels ‘the fandom/the other fans’ are attacking their fav. This is a sweeping statement. If I were to dig out all the offensive accounts from each different fandom, you can expect to see the usual names appearing. How are they in any way representative of any fandom at all?

Based on general statistics, considering how fans number in the thousands, the % of offensive accounts active on Twitter should be only about 1% or less. So to say ‘the fandom’ slanders and shames any member is wholly inaccurate and sweeping.

Personally, I feel that there are many accounts that choose to reply/respond aggressively which in turn triggers a more aggressive response from the other party, and it escalates into an extended ‘civil war’ because more and more people join in, triggered by increasingly rude responses. Eventually, fans on both sides end up tearing down the other in order to defend their fav because people never say nice things when fighting.

Meanwhile, the 90+% of each fandom watches on and munches on popcorn, go on a block/mute spree while the usual aggressive, extreme accounts wage war on every single little issue there is for them to fight over.

What’s my conclusion? Our time is not worth wasting on such pathetic accounts like penguin that exist only to pick fights with people online. It’s not mentally good for us to pay attention to such things. Surround ourselves with other positive, healthy, sensible accounts and enjoy our time in our fandom.

Baram, baram, baram~

[itsakyo]

AK what are your thoughts on Taeyeon's japanese releases? Some say she messes up the pronunciation so bad and that her singing lacks depth/emotion compared to her korean songs because of SM giving her the generic jpop/rock sound

“Some say she messes up the pronunciation so bad”

I only took Japanese language classes for a few months and that was many years ago so I’m no authority on this. I can only say, I can hear all the Japanese syllables sung pretty clearly, so that’s not a problem for me at all. A native Japanese speaker may or may not say otherwise.

“her singing lacks depth/emotion compared to her korean songs”

I don’t think it’s fair to compare songs sung in her native language vs second/third language. There’s no way any singer will sing in a second language the same way they do when they sing in their native language. So rather than say it’s more or less deep/emotional, it’s just different in its own way. I would come from a different angle and appreciate it.

“because of SM giving her the generic jpop/rock sound”

Yeah, sure. The songs in VOICE aren’t exactly ballads like UR or Secret. It’s J-pop, and J-pop has a strong identity and sound. They mix her voice differently too, so that affects the final product which some people may not be used to.

“AK what are your thoughts on Taeyeon's japanese releases?”

Out of the 6 songs on VOICE, I like 4: VOICE, Vanilla, TURNT AND BURNT, SIGNAL. Personally, I do not need every single song (from any singer) to have depth and/or be emotional.

For example, without needing to be deep/emotional, TURNT AND BURNT is a fun song to enjoy and perform. It’s a great song just the way it is. The music says so with the uptempo and the fun melodic lines, rhythms.

Top of my list, Vanilla is my kind of sound. From the very first few seconds, I already knew I would love the ambiance of the song and Taeyeon sings it exactly how she needs to, filling the requirements of the song and doing it justice.

I like the different sounds in her Japanese releases. It’s more variety to enjoy.

[itsakyo]

I think the anon who asked you to describe Luna and Taeyeon forgets that Taeyeon, though not always in her best form, is a versatile singer who's capable of singing any song of any genre. Also, if I am correct, she's changed her singing style from her earlier years so it's normal to say that her voice isn't the same as before if you base it on that info. There's no denying that she strains it sometimes, however. But I trust that she knows her capabilities and what's best for her voice.

Yes, a singer’s voice and style, maturity and many other elements will change, evolve and grow over time. Things like range can also increase over time, subject to training and practice.

The good thing about Taeyeon is the clarity of her voice and how clean it sounds. It allows her to take on many different genres and blend well with each genre. Some singers have specifically distinct voices that may limit the genres their voices are best suited for, but Taeyeon’s voice is a lot like her appearance - adaptable to many different styles and looks.

As for the straining part, I wouldn’t say it is due to her singing beyond her capabilities or anything like that. I mentioned in my previous reply, that the main cause of tension or stress in voice is usually attributed to nerves or stress. Once the body is nervous, muscles tense up and that includes the throat muscles.

What I’ve noticed is how Taeyeon tends to be extra nervous at the beginning of things - first show of concert tour, first performance for promo cycle, for example. Her nerves will tense her up and cause her voice to sound strained. So far, I have observed this to be true with each of her concert tours so far, including the recent Japan tour. Her best performance to date is for the Osaka shows, which are not the opening shows of the tour. But to have this kind of nerves is human and understandable.

Other factors of vocal strain are lack of rest, lack of hydration, vocal exhaustion (from singing too much), lack of vocal warm-up, which she is likely to have experienced a lot more in the past when she had to take on full-on promotion schedules (for example: TTS, early solo years like I, Why, Fine periods).

I suspect this is also another reason why she clearly loves concerts and is no longer making music show appearances. For concerts, she has a lot of time to prepare (literally weeks of prep) and warm-up her voice properly for. Typically, she wouldn’t have any other schedule on the day of her concert show so she can focus on being ready both mentally and physically.

This is compared to the music show promos which tend to be recorded at weird hours of the day, not necessarily conducive to her vocals. And promotional cycles tend to be cramped with schedules so she has to do radio shows, interviews, record variety shows and a lot more within a limited amount of time, leading to lack of rest, stress and therefore, a less desirable mental and physical state for performance.

Hence, given that she can afford to do without the typical marketing promotion methods used typically by many others, it is a good move to skip all those and promote herself and her music through different methods as we have seen her do in recent times.

[itsakyo]

Anon is failing to comprehend that what is being talked about is Taeyeon’s ability to connect with the listeners from her emotional delivery, interpretation, and performance of a musical piece. An “emotional singer” aka someone who is able to do what Taeyeon does when singing emotional ballads for example, is heaps better than a singer who can hit the highest notes and has the best technique but can’t connect with the audience due to an emotionless, robotic performance.

Yes, that’s half of my original point. Thank you for letting me know that the understanding is not lost on the rest of you.

At the same time, I will once again emphasize that an “emotional singer” is also not heaps better than a purely “technical singer” who has little emotional connection with the audience.

Due to the amount of vocal stunts done, it is natural that deep emotional connection is somewhat affected because of the shift in focus. There are also songs that set out to do very different things. Not every song is about deep emotional connection. So to say that a singer is more technical than emotional is also not a discredit.

Too often, we compare by saying who’s better or worse, when really, they are just different and each is valuable in their own way. There are audiences who love being impressed by technical vocal acrobatics and that in itself is a type of vocal performance too, when emotional connection is not the point of the show.

We like what we like. And whatever we like will naturally be the “best” to us, just as another kind of music is the “best” to the other person who likes the other kind. Hence, our purpose is not to use comparison to bring down any singer, or style of performance. It is to recognise that music is vastly diverse and there are types of music/songs for each and everyone of us.

[itsakyo]

I don't think you understand about vocal technique at all , the higher a singer vocal technique is , the less chance of them damaging their vocal cords , many people can hit D5 , even a monkey can hit C7 , but the real question is can they support it ? Supported note =/= with just hitting a note. And adele isn't the greatest singer mostly only half taeyeon skill ,her technique poor ,she strained anything above b4 which is why she is now on hiatus because of damaged her vocal cords.

“even a monkey can hit C7″

With a reply like this, I don’t think I need to continue this discussion.

By the way, just for fun, C7 is in the whistle register. Never knew the whistle register is that commonly achievable. LOL.

And for the last time, I am going to say this: Emotional singers can have very good technique. Technique and expression are NOT mutually exclusive.

[itsakyo]

Sorry if i sound harsh but reducing taeyeon to just being an emotional singer is an insult to her talent and hard work for years in developing her technique , she is literally one of the best in kpop , at least top 5 best female vocalist technical wise. The author of kpopvocal analysis blog can confirm it , she support and resonate till D5 , which is better than like 727374748 vocalist in not only kpop , but also overall.

I can tell from your phrase “reducing taeyeon to just being an emotional singer” that your understanding of the term is not the same as the way I am using it.

Firstly, if you read my replies carefully, you will notice that I had stated an example of an emotional singer as Adele. I wouldn’t feel insulted in any way if anyone puts me in the same category as Adele, in fact, I would be extremely honoured. She is one of the greatest singers in the world. 

*I did explain that it doesn’t mean an emotional singer does not possess good technique. I also explained that none of the categories are inferior to anything.*

In music and vocal training terms, the usage of emotional singer doesn’t mean the singer is an emotional wreck. Don’t apply your understanding based on the English language because it is a vastly different term. My use of ‘emotional singer’ is as a music/voice term to describe a style of singing, a style of performance, loosely stated. It is NOT a reduction in any way. 

*Additional notes*

“she support and resonate till D5″

Technical and emotional singers ARE NOT defined by their high notes. In fact, we refrain from defining singers by their high notes. This is the most common and unhealthy misconception among people who have not studied music and rookie voice students. Many people tend to be easily impressed by high notes and use things like “D5″ to rank singers. However, it does not work that way when studying/training/comparing voice.

I can tell you now that D5 is commonly achievable in the world of voice by many, many singers everywhere and is really nothing much to boast about. Even I am capable of hitting D5, to be honest. And given sufficient time with proper vocal training, you will be able to hit a D5 too (if you’re female, it works differently for males).

Rather than just high notes alone, what we do look at more, is actual range. We will analyze a singer’s lowest note and highest note and calculate the range of the singer. Having said that, the main benefit is simply: the wider the range, the wider the singer’s repertoire can be. And even then, that can be a mere statistic if the singer does not interpret/express and perform the pieces well.

My previous answers were addressing the previous questions from a music, voice approach. Feel free to read up some books about voice training and some literature on the study of voices to learn more about the subject. Your perspective of it will then change drastically.

[itsakyo]

Just want to know how do you measure emotion other than self opinion ? Because vocal technique can be measured just like we are measuring our height there is even a study for it but emotion can't ,if i said taeyeon didn't have emotional vocal for me , no one can prove me wrong.

Music is subjective, but there is also something of a general consensus. Also, when discussing such topics, it is necessary to shed the bias of a hardcore fan.

So, given a general person listening to music, there can be a general consensus that certain singers are truly amazing technically and some singers have the ability to evoke more emotions. It is not a self opinion, but an analysis of a singer’s performance style, performance type.

The 2 examples I listed, Beyonce and Adele, are such examples of general consensus, also examples that will pop up when talked about by practitioners, people who study voices, train voices, coach voices, industry people etc.

When you bring up the name Adele, people would think of her songs that evoke emotion. Most people can and do agree that Adele is an emotional singer. Not that she is poor in technique, far from it, Adele is technically incredible. But emotional singing is what she is known for, what she is most famous for, what makes her stand out from the thousands of singers in the industry.

Emotional singers perform in a certain style, do certain things to their voices that may or may not necessarily be good for the voice. They focus on bringing out emotions, singing from an emotional place and it is delivered in performance.

It is also not cast in stone. The same singer can be extremely technical in delivering one song, and extremely emotional in delivering a different song. But overall repertoire would show an indication of the general style, direction of a singer.

Taeyeon has I, UR, Rain, 11:11, Fine, and numerous B-side tracks like Blue, Circus, Time Lapse etc that are of strong emotional inclination. This is in addition to her OSTs. Thus, we can say in this manner that her strength or best side as a singer, lies in the emotional singing area.

[itsakyo]

Luna or Taeyeon? How would you describe them and their distinct voices? Because, objectively, Luna is better in technique, among other things. Taeyeon..I am a bit worried cause she strains her voice sometimes and it's not as good as before :(

There are many types of singers. 2 general types are technical singers and emotional singers.

Technical singers are masters of control, techniques, stunts and tricks in vocal performance. They do not necessarily tug at your heart strings too much, but they definitely make your jaws drop in awe of the vocal stunts they can pull in range and abilities.

One example, is Beyonce.

Emotional singers will make you cry simply by singing. They invest focus on emotion and that is the core of their vocal performance. They may not astound you with flips and runs of massive range and technical difficulty, but they put you in an emotional place where no one else can.

One example, is Adele.

It is important to remember that it doesn’t mean a technical singer does not sing with emotion, nor does it say an emotional singer does not sing with technique. It is about the focus of the singer’s vocal performance and the inclination tends to also be influenced by the singer’s personality/character traits and most importantly, vocal timbre.

Neither is superior to the other, neither is inferior. Both types serve different purposes in music performance and as listed here, both Beyonce and Adele are legends in their own right.

Now, your question.

I would classify Luna as a technical singer and Taeyeon as an emotional singer.

Luna, I have personally witnessed a couple of times and can attest to her vocal mastery. She is 100% in control, absolutely pitch perfect, comfortable in a wide range and is technically advanced to the point of doing pitch perfect sharp vocal runs and turns. I doubt there is any song too difficult for her to sing. And she sings them effortlessly, consistently.

Taeyeon, I have personally witnessed multiple times and I can honestly say that she may not be 100% technically stable in her vocals. But when she sings, people stop and listen. Even at her concerts, you will notice people forgetting to move their fanlights during her sad songs where she is emoting deeply. And I don’t need to talk about her consistently emotional vocal performances of ballads, earning her the OST awards and accolades in her early years. And the comment made long ago about her sounding like she’s been divorced 7 times even though she was not even 20 at that time. All these point to her being an emotional singer.

Being one or the other has a lot to do with the timbre of their voices. All voices are distinctive and different. They come in different shapes and sizes and have different edges. Some people have voices you wouldn’t mind listening to for hours. Some people have voices you can’t really stand even for a minute.

How sharp, how rounded, smooth, deep, edgy etc the voice is like, is determined at birth, and nurtured by habits later on. Both Luna and Taeyeon received proper vocal training from a young age so they know their voices well and understand how to use it. But they cannot change the shape and sound of their voice, much like they cannot change their fingerprint.

One way to analyse it is to listen to their talking voice. I can’t say much about Luna’s talking voice because I haven’t heard much of it. As for Taeyeon, I can say her voice is gentle, soft and warm. It is a major factor in making her a good DJ, a kind of work that depends largely on the appeal of the voice, that people find comfortable enough to listen to for hours, literally.

Also, I don’t think you need to worry about Taeyeon too much. She has access to good vocal coaches, and to be honest, Taeyeon is technically much better than she appears to be. There is a lot of depth to Taeyeon’s vocal ability that she doesn’t display often. She is fully capable of doing the most subtle turns and impressive runs and belting, but she only uses them in efficient amounts, just enough to emote the song with.

Most of the time, it is her nerves that get the better of her and nerves are the main cause of her performances that are less stable. But when she is on form, you can tell that she is fully capable of doing every single vocal stunt LIVE on stage.

The magic of Taeyeon lies in her smallest, most subtle expressions. She knows exactly how much to give and how much to keep.

[itsakyo]

Hey AK, why do you think Taeyeon is so hated on? I mean, I see a lot of people saying they get bad vibes from her or they feel off about her attitude and it honestly makes me a little sad and paranoid about who she really is. I've been a sone for so many years and she's my bias but I've only tried to really think about her personality recently (I'm reminded of how she avoided J before like a plague) :( I know idols don't really show their true selves but I'm hoping TY is a genuine human being.

Firstly, NO ONE is perfect.

To begin with, we all lie. Big lies, little lies, white lies...we all lie. Everyone, you and I included, has private thoughts, hidden sides that perhaps nobody knows about, or only a few people know about.

“I see a lot of people saying they get bad vibes from her”

Who are these people? Fans? Audiences? Or people she’s worked with? The staff around her? And what is the basis of their bad vibes?

To me, I look at the way people around her react to her. Just look at ttochi’s (the pianist) interaction with her for example. The way she greeted her band, the way ttochi reached for her hand when they said hi. Ttochi has worked with TY on many concerts and been out with her personally. I don’t know about you, but to me, ttochi wouldn’t have any reason to pretend to like TY. She’s not a celeb, she’s a musician, and an esteemed musician herself who doesn’t need to patronize anyone.

I admit it is difficult to judge and tell from tiny little fragments like that, but just like the people who claim to get ‘bad vibes’ from her, they base it on the same amount of exposure to TY as I do so who’s right about the ‘vibes’?

“paranoid about who she really is“

Given what’s happening in the K-pop scene recently, I would say this reaction is natural. People are really good at hiding their darkest secrets from others. And those men who have been exposed are examples of such cases. At the same time, it is worth noting that a few of them have had prior cases, like JJY being accused of molka in 2016, Seungri and his prior sex-related scandal in Japan, and so on. So people with dubious morals, will not be completely clean of scandals throughout their career.

Having said that, the above cases involve serious crime allegations and deeply immoral scandals. This cannot be compared with regular stuff like procrastination or being lazy or being moody or being caught dating someone in a carpark etc.

So when you say “paranoid about who she really is” I will ask you the bigger question, do you even know who you really are? Do you know who your parents  and family members really are? Do you know who your friends really are?

There’s no way we can know who an idol really is. Firstly, being an idol/singer is a job. There’s a side you show at work, then there’s a side you show at home. 

We have had famous people who are known for their talent in eloquence and wit hosting shows, tell us that they are actually quiet at home. So would you say they are fake? That they are pretending to be cheerful and talkative during shows? Or are they just doing their job?

The entertainment business is all about showing, pretense and acts. But at the same time, we can know it is incredibly difficult to keep up an act for year after year and there will be cracks eventually.

“(I'm reminded of how she avoided J before like a plague)“

This consistently comes up whenever people want to justify their dislike for TY. But at the same time, doesn’t it actually show that she’s not the best at pretending and putting on an act? Because the perfect idol who is a master at pretending would never let fans see that.

And given the events and situation of that time, we can safely conclude that nobody knows what really happened within the group. But in situations like that, we know that it takes two hands to clap. All parties are involved.

Such things are not uncommon to happen between people either. As humans, we engage in arguments and quarrels a lot of our lives. Heck, it happens everyday, so why would idols not be the same way?

“I’m hoping TY is a genuine human being.”

This is an interesting hope. I think it’s good that you say ‘genuine’ rather than ‘good’ or ‘awesome’ or whatever other pedestals fans like to place their idols on. As a genuine human being, like all of us, TY will have good days, bad days, kind thoughts, unkind thoughts, good habits, bad habits, pluses and minuses. That’s genuine.

Taeyeon has never tried to sell herself as a dreamboat or perfect ideal person. I still remember how surprised she was when Yoona selected her as an SM beauty on Idol Weekly. Whether it’s an act or not, it can be an indication of the way she perceives herself.

I remember her talking during her early solo concerts about how there are so many singers out there, but we have chosen her and how appreciative she is of it. I am aware that idols/artistes are taught to be humble and polite in public and media but at the same time, the way a thought is expressed can be telling too. Her saying that possibly shows that she doesn’t think she is the best or the most outstanding, and she’s aware that fans have a platter of other great singers to choose from and she’s still amazed that so many have chosen her.

There’s also the ‘genuine’ TY you see on Instagram and now, YouTube, which show a little bit more of her behind the scenes of her work. I have actually seen a few comments about her being a ‘diva’ in one of her behind the scenes concert vlogs because she was just sitting there while multiple stylists did her hair and makeup. There will be such people around, who overthink what they watch, and make misguided assumptions based on imperfect knowledge. They have no idea about how it is backstage of any performance. They have no idea what the job scope of a stylist is. And with that ignorance, they judge. Is that how they get ‘bad vibes’ from her?

In conclusion...

Taeyeon is not perfect. She would have as many flaws as you and I have. But we all are decent people who have ups and downs, good sometimes, mean sometimes etc.

As long as no horrible crime is committed like the ones we have been seeing lately, I don’t think there’s a need to try to “know who she really is” because that’s just not the point.

To me, knowing and liking who she is as SNSD Taeyeon and solo singer Taeyeon is enough.