B.A.P.’s Vocal Analysis: Youngjae

0. M Vocalists: Mid-range vocalists, Baritones, Companies: TS Entertainment, Groups, Vocal Analyses, Vocal Ranges: 3 Octave Ranges, , , , , , , , , , ,


Vocal Range

E2 ~ B5 (3 Octaves, 3 notes and 1 semitone)

Supported Range

B2 ~ C#4/D4

Voice Type

Baritone

Strengths/Achievements

  • Second strongest vocalist in B.A.P.
  • Doesn’t try to sing like a tenor, respects his voice type
  • Transitions into falsetto are usually pitch accurate
  • Able to harmonize and blend his voice well
  • Able to support his lower range down to B2
  • Transitions into falsetto can be done with a degree of smoothness
  • Able to control stylistic choices in his singing
  • Possesses musicianship, able to change songs to fit his voice
  • Support is present in his mix consistently up to C#4/D4
  • Shown good improvement in breath support development

Points for Improvement

  • Unable to produce resonance
  • Often relies too much on raspiness in tone, lacking support
  • Nasal placement inhibits projection and power
  • Pitch isn’t always precise
  • Unable to properly execute vocal runs in any speed
  • Shows issues with keep proper support above his second passaggio, E4
  • Unable to produce a connected head voice
  • Lower range becomes quiet below A2
  • Range above F#4/G4 is underdeveloped

Registers

  • Lower register: Questionable development of this register present in his voice. Able to extent down to E2, but tone and support generally only go down to B2 at most.
  • Mixed register: Mixed voice lacks head voice in terms of mixing balance, generally uses a shouty chest-dominant mixed voice and has issues with pitch around his second passaggio due to uneven blending of registers.
  • Upper register: Sings with a falsetto mostly, generally able to sing with a relaxed sound up to B4 and transitions generally well. Above B4, falsetto becomes whinier and more nasal with more pushing and tension.

Agility

Youngjae cites his influences to come from R&B and Neo Soul, which for the most part don’t actually seem so noticeable in his singing style. On the other hand, he seems to show a lot more of an alternative indie style in his singing than R&B, which somewhat translates into his runs. In R&B, vocal runs tend to be quite complex and fast, two things Youngjae is unable to do with his voice. Quick melodic lines that require him to sing with more flexibility and for him to sing more notes with one breath in one vowel often prove challenging to him, where he is unable to properly separate each individual note and even slow runs can come out pitchy and messy. To an extent, this can come from a lack of confidence and lack of time spent working on vocal agility, as his voice generally shies away and becomes softer and quieter when he sings runs, perhaps due to less confidence in this area. Examples of his vocal runs include”하늘을 달리다“, “거짓말 거짓말 거짓말“, “End Of The Road“, “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Coffee Shop”

Overall analysis

Debuting in 2012 as the lead vocalist of a very rap-oriented male idol group, Youngjae is yet to be truly recognized and be given enough opportunities to improve on his own as a vocalist. His tone often stands out when singing due to its natural darkness and slightly lower placement in range. In a world of pop singing where most lead and main vocalists tend to be tenors, Youngjae is one of the few baritones whose main role in a group is to be the lead vocalist. Unfortunately the repertoire written for B.A.P. songs can often be written too high for Youngjae’s range and thus he’s unable to compete with the other two tenor vocalists in the group, Jongup and Daehyun and is at a disadvantage when it comes to being able to showcase and explore the true potential of his natural voice type.

His lower range is not often used but out of all the members of B.A.P., he is the vocalist who’s generally given the lower parts in songs and is able to perform the best within that lower range. As a baritone, he’s able to adequately project and connect his vocal cords within a reasonable low range and can properly support his voice down to about B2, as shown in the B2’s in “Coffee Shop“, C3’s in “내 생에 봄날은“, C#3’s in “하늘을 달리다” and D3’s in “One Shot“. Below B2, tone can be present but style generally wins and Youngjae resorts to a more airy approach with less support and a lack of clarity in tone. This causes his voice to become quieter, airier and project less below B2, such as the A2’s in “거짓말 거짓말 거짓말” and the E2 in the B.A.P. low note battle, although tone can be kept down to G#2 and G2 as well even with a more fry-like quality.

Unlike most other baritones in K-pop, Youngjae is not only unable to compete with tenors in the same range as they’re used to singing, he doesn’t truly even attempt singing like a tenor. Most other baritones try to sing with a more developed and extensive mixed voice and try to sing as high as tenors would, Youngjae on the other hand respects the natural placement of his voice and doesn’t try to sing as high as a tenor, instead valuing the true tone of his voice. However so, he does have his limitations when it comes to range development in his mixed voice. With sufficient control of mixing and support above his first passaggio on B3, he has consistent support and even the ability to control his mixing technique up to Eb4 with the choice of airiness, chestiness, headiness and being able to control dynamics and volume. Support is generally present up to D4 and he is able to stay relaxed up in that range, such as the C#4’s in “With You” and D4’s in “Ordinary People” and “안아줘요“.

Above Eb4 on his second passaggio, Youngjae tends to pull too much chest voice up and that causes him to often go flat around his second passaggio, so E4 and F4 and above that to become somewhat shouty and push his voice out with his throat instead of relying on true diaphragmatic support. His mixed voice is not developed with enough cricothyroid muscles, causing him to rely much more on pulling chest and straining his voice in the process to project up above E4. This can be heard in the E4’s in “내 생에 봄날은” and “Candy“, F4’s in “Ordinary People“, F#4’s in “¡Corré!“, G4’s in “Voice Mail” and “내 생에 봄날은“, G#4’s in “I Believe I Can Fly” and “전부가 거짓말“, and A4’s in “하늘을 달리다” and “거짓말 거짓말 거짓말“, and the Bb4’s in “Feels So Good“. The quality of his voice becomes thicker, huskier, throatier and a lack of openness and power is present, where he overcompensates for the lack of support by squeezing his throat instead.

His falsetto is one of his less explored registers but is nonetheless decently approached overall. He actually is able to sing with better pitch and control his voice quite well when transitioning into his falsetto, often managing larger jumps in intervals without losing the key center of songs, such as in “하늘을 달리다” and “Boyfriend“. The approach in his falsetto is generally thin and airy, quite usual for a falsetto, but he is able to stay relaxed up to B4/C5, such as in “Baby Baby” and “비밀연애“. Above B4 he has the tendency to push his voice out more with his throat and place it more in his nose to aid the projection in the fifth octave, but tension and pressure in his throat become more present, such as in the C#5’s and Eb5’s in “전부가 거짓말” and E5’s in “Voice Mail“. Even with a relaxed tone, his upper register still consists of a disconnected falsetto and he’s unable to produce a connected head voice. His highest note was a B5 in a high note battle with fellow B.A.P. member Daehyun and Super Junior’s Ryeowook.

Improvement has been made throughout his range in terms of overall support if contrasting his current vocal performances with his JYP audition singing “그대라면“. Even then some issues persist in his overall technique. The main issues with Youngjae’s technique lie with his bad habits caused by stylistic choices he makes in his singing. He often approaches his voice with a much huskier and airier tone than he should. Although stylistically that can suit songs and work in his favor, the amount of air coming through his vocal cords often causes him to lose control of his voice and become pitchy in the process. He often goes flat in performances where he tries to add too much airiness in his tone, such as in “전부가 거짓말” and “거짓말 거짓말 거짓말“. However when singing with a cleaner approach, he is a lot more in control of his voice, such as in “비밀연애” and “빗소리“. Not only that, but he often projects his voice from his nose without lifting his soft palate, becoming less open and being unable to produce resonance throughout his range.

Youngjae possesses a normal range for a baritone, easily falling within the lyric baritone fach. As such, it is quite unfair for him to have to sing songs that don’t quite fit his voice and don’t highlight his vocal strengths. Due to often being less focused on vocally, he has yet to show big improvements in his singing and has not been given enough chances to work on himself as a vocalist over the years. Improvement has been noticed with confidence, support and control from his audition days up to now, but he’s yet to be fully in control of his voice overall in terms of knowing when technique can be sacrificed for style without damaging the overall delivery of his vocal performances.

Musicianship

Vocally speaking Youngjae does not possess a very high level of vocal development technically. As such, he is not unaware of his limitations vocally and generally sings within a reasonable range for his voice type. He is able to blend well and hold his pitch well within harmonies in songs, such as in “하늘을 달리다” and “I Believe I Can Fly“. Not only is he able to use his voice properly and lend it to better accentuate lines with harmonies, he’s also able to create his own melodic ideas within songs to best suit his vocal level and minimize vocal strain. Instead of trying to sing higher than everybody else, he would rather lower a melody slightly within key to better suit his range, such as in “촛불하나“,  or play around with a song rhythmically, such as in “Price Tag“.

Label (Type of Vocalist)

M Vocalists: Mid-Range Vocalists

Best Vocal Performance(s)

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Analyzed by Ahmin (Kitsunemale)

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82 thoughts on “B.A.P.’s Vocal Analysis: Youngjae”

  1. Ooh 1st analysis in 2016~
    Somehow i can relate to him like his supported range and chesty mix, if i can support that is lol

    “Sings with a falsetto mostly, generally not able to sing with a relaxed sound up to B4 and transitions generally well.” It should be he’s able to sing relaxed up to B4 right…?

    Is he better than Junho? Great analysis as always~ he’s not as bad as i thought lol…

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      2. Also is it just me or do Baritone kpop vocalists have pretty high low supported notes? I mean a baritone should be able to support his voice down to A2 and somehow he is still unable to do well below B2. Would you say he’s better, Worse or up par with Hyunseung?

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  2. Well the result is expected . How about the voice types (as far as you can tell of course) of the other members of B.A.P , It seems like a group full of baritones . LOL.

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  3. Great analysis! But for Young Wild & Free promotions especially during the song Take You there I think Youngjae’s been too nasal these days. I don’t know why. His singing sounds so unsupported. Are you going to make an analysis for Jong Up too? Since you mentioned him on this review. Lol. I think Jong Up improved so much on his singing. I didn’t even think of him as a vocalist when they debuted cause he was always labeled as the main dancer in the group.

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    1. That would be unfair, since BAP has like 2 rappers or 3 rappers in total, analyzing more than two vocalists wouldn’t make sense.

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    2. I agree! in YWF promotion Youngjae’s voice sounds so nasal, unsupported and it really concerns me because it becomes uncomfortable to listen to.
      Daehyun maybe slightly better technique-wise but I love Youngjae’s vocal color especially when he sings in his range like what he did in 1000 song challenge. I wonder if he just give up singing in Daehyun range or smth

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      1. Okay so it wasn’t just me. LOL. I think maybe because the song (Take You There) isn’t meant for his voice type? As mentioned in this analysis most of BAP’s songs aren’t matched for YJ’s voice and range so I guess that’s why but then I’m also thinking he probably didn’t vocalize properly prior to performance cause I saw that one music show performance for Take You There and he sounded better in that one compared to the rest of their other music show performances.

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  5. I always like reading your analysis because they are detailed. So I’m happy you decided to take Youngjae’s analysis. I think, with the coming of Jongup, Youngjae should be able to sing more within his range rather than take on those outside his range just because there used to be only him and Daehyun. I sure hope he can now finally show us his true potential. 🙂

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  6. Thank you for posting this article! For a guy I love B.A.P a lot. My favorite member is Youngjae and Yongguk. I’m really glad you did an analysis of him, as I always wanna know what is his vocal range, turns out his vocal range was baritone(where most lead and main vocals tend to be tenor, like you said). I find that people praised Daehyun more than Youngjae but I find that just like Daehyun, Youngjae is also an important member of the group. If Daehyun is in charge of the high-notes, then Youngjae is in charge of the low-notes. Once again, I would you to thank you for posting this!

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  7. I’m already happy enough that he’s an average vocalist. I hope people recognise his lower range more 😦 By the way, is Jongup an average, weak to average or weak vocalist?

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      1. I actually was wondering about that too. When he sings the choruses in B.A.P songs with Daehyun, does he sing down the octave or does he hit the same notes as Daehyun (probably not.. right?) Ex. Zero, Stop It, Coma

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      1. Oh Youngjae doesn’t try to sing like a tenor, he is just forced to sing in a tenor range due to the repertoire they give him.

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  10. Been a long time from the last time I’ve been here. I’m so happy you made one for him and it’s very detailed. I have something I’m really curious about though. Are there any vocalists out there with a really good vibrato? Can I request a video too? Thanks

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    1. Like a video on good vibrato? Or how to use vibrato? Yknow I don’t know, I can’t think of people whose vibrato I like a lot…besides Yeonji, hers is really nice. I can’t think of anybody else off of the top of my head.

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  14. Hi ahmin. How was the run for both of them after 1: 05 ?. I thought Youngjae had a precision, although it was a slow run. Dae botched his run. It’s on the ”slow”. Wow, youngjae really sounds so pleasant in his supported range. Also, this is where his r&b influence shows, although he is imitating Legend.

    P.S. Lowkey I find youngjae really hot among kpop male faces..

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    1. It wasn’t precise, it was pitchy and the rhythmic approach was laggy. He was slowing the run down and making it too staccato so it lacked a smooth flow, the notes were C4 ~ A3 ~ G3 ~ E3 ~ A3 ~ G3, but he kind of went C4, stop, A3 ~ G3, stop, E3 slide up to A3 then back down to G3. It was just flat because the slide up to A3 from E3 wasn’t precise or fast enough so he didn’t really hit the A spot on and just gave up and went down to the G. 1:18 Daehyun’s run was more connected, he didn’t separate it as much (he didn’t have time to either) and he was basically just sliding through every single note, he was kind of flat throughout. Youngjae has a beautiful face, I’m very jealous of him. lol

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  15. Hi,

    I was wondering what you meant by this part in the analysis:
    “Most other baritones try to sing with a more developed and extensive mixed voice” (when you referred to Youngjae respecting his voice type). Wouldn’t that be a good thing, if their mixed voice is developed? But you also said that it was a good thing that Youngjae didn’t try to sing like a tenor?
    Belated thanks for this analysis!

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    1. By developed, I meant the extension not necessarily the support or proper technique. It’s good that Youngjae doesn’t constantly try to sing on the range from G4 ~ D5, like many baritones do.

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    1. 1:12 he hit G5, 1;17 was C#6, so Ryeowook’s highest note remains the same. 1:35 Bb5 for Youngjae. 1:53 yes I hear B5. Yay for Youngjae, I’ll update it right away. ^ ^

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    1. I’m sorry but that would go against our rules. We only analyze half of the vocalists in a group and only the ones with the best technique. B.A.P. has 2 rappers, 4 vocalists. 1 of the vocalists is also a rapper. 2/3 or 2/4 vocalists analyzed, it’s enough.

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  18. Hey 🙂 I didn’t know where to comment, but since I was reading Youngjae’s analysis I decided to leave it here. I don’t know much about singing so I was wondering if you could explain what support is. Like what does support versus no support sounds like >A<. It would be suuper helpful

    Thanks ^^

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    1. I’m pretty sure I’ve answered something like this so let me know if this answer happens:
      “True support is the presence of true connection of proper stretch of the vocal cords while maintaining the right necessary amount of air pressure to keep the vibration of the vocal cords present in order to produce and control pitch. True support happens when you breathe into your diaphragm properly and allow it to hit the vocal cords without any sort of throat, jaw, nor tongue tension, without singing in your throat and without adding too much air pressure.”

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  19. On BAP’s new song, Skydive, Youngjae hit a couple of high notes. I know K pop vocalists don’t usually improve as much, but did he improve, or was that in his range, and he just sang high.

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  20. Hey! In a previous comment you mentioned thinking jongup is probably a weak vocalist. From my layman’s knowledge of vocal technique I would agree. He seems to be getting more and more lines in songs and performing his solo songs in concerts but to me it sounds fairly strained? Can you let me know if he has any technique to back up what he’s trying to do vocally or is he potentially straining his voice? https://youtu.be/sQ_M-afEScM

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    1. I watched his solo since people asked bout it recently and yeah there’s like no technique behind it. He sings with a lot of tension and thinness.

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  21. Youngjae has been hitting some high notes in BAP’s Skydive rather than Daehyun. It was quite surprising since Daehyun is a tenor. Can you analysis if Youngjae’s high notes are good?
    Here are some of their live performances (just in case you need more material to analysis):

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    1. When you post videos like these, please provide time stamps. I am going to guess without listening first while I wait for your time stamps that considering Youngjae’s known supported range and being a baritone, that singing in a tenor range does not sound like a good thing regardless of what notes he’s hitting.

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      1. First video: 2016/11/10
        Second video: 2016/11/13
        Final video: 2016/11/26

        I’m just wondering if Youngjae’s notes are good despite Youngjae being a baritone. I’m just worried if he is straining his vocal cords too much.

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      2. Well like I said considering his supported range ending at about D4, any note above that is strained. I think you misunderstood what I meant with time stamp. I didn’t mean when they performed the song but instead in what minute:second on the video are these high notes hit. Like 1:03 or something like that. ^ ^;

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      3. OMG, I feel so stupid 0.0
        First video: 2:45
        Second video: 2:36
        Final video: 2:35
        It is the same part of the song.

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      4. They all sound very very closed in his throat. It may sound pretty high because for a baritone it’s pretty high but this isn’t higher than Youngjae’s highest mixed voice note ever. This is pretty standard for a tenor as well. He was phrasing many G4’s and sustained A4. Very high for us baritones but nothing new for him.

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  22. First I’d like to apologize for the horrible quality but there are no live versions of this song. If a studio version would be better I can post that instead. 2 questions though

    1) Is Youngjae straining? At 1:02 or 3:05 I don’t know anything about notes or technique. I like how it sounds but when I see him sing live it looks like he’s really pushing to reach it & I’m concerned he’s hurting his voice.

    2) I know you said you won’t do Jongup, but since he’s in this song do you see any improvement compared to his solo? Some parts are 1:36, 1:59-2:14 he kinda goes back & forth with Daehyun

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    1. Hi don’t worry about the quality. It’s not that bad, I prefer to listen to live singing regardless. 1:02 and 3:05 there’s only tension that I hear, I like the melody but the singing in itself is tight and pushed throughout. The range is E4 ~ A4, which is outside his supported range.
      I don’t hear any improvement nor change in Jongup’s singing unfortunately.

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  23. hello! i’m not requesting for a detailed analysis, but may i know what category bap’s jongup belongs to? eg. weak vocalists, average vocalists.. and also whether his vocals have improved since debut, thank you (:

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    1. I haven’t noticed an improvement even recently and it’s been asked quite a few times. I’d rather not rate a vocalist without an analysis but he would most likely be rated as a weak vocalist.

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    1. It’s a tight head voice, but it’s not too throaty nor pushed. It’s not as damaging as him straining with a chesty mix, but overtime this can also cause some vocal damage.

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  25. Sorry for having so many questions, haha.

    At around 6:15 of this video (https://youtu.be/F7MmtJiKi_E), Youngjae
    Can you analyze Youngjae’s voice in this video? (link: https://youtu.be/F7MmtJiKi_E) Just the parts from 6:15 onwards, especially the vocal run at 6:27 and the note/s from 6:30-6:35. I can’t tell if the vocal run is messy or not and his voice sounds pretty strained. It’s a solo stage he prepared for (and maybe composed as well), so I’m not sure why he didn’t take the chance to sing in a more comfortable range. If the audio is not clear enough, I think this video might be slightly clearer (https://youtu.be/1UWT_uU-cCI). The time is around 3:15 and 3:18-3:24. Thank you!

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    1. He is is singing a lot from E4 ~ G4, peaking at a sustained A4. He is really throaty and flat. 6:27 The run was sliding. 6:30 I don’t think the sustained A4 was live but it’s really strained. It’s okay I didn’t really need the other audio.

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  26. Hello! Youngjae recently performed his new solo song, any thoughts about it? It sounds much better than his previous solo in my opinion

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    1. That is such a pretty picture. I don’t hear anything particularly different from the usual, the placement is still fairly in his chest, he lacks openness, lacks in a deeper sense of support. A bit too nasal, but carrying through just fine with the C#4’s. Lots of falsetto throughout, yeah nothing new to me. What part sounds better if I may ask?

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    1. On the duet, he started on E4. 0:24 that vibrato was done with his larynx. 0:34 He is using too much breath to sing, 0:39 E4 to F#4, more of a throaty placement and pushing. His singing is brighter than usual though, he is more of a chesty throaty vocalist but in here, he sounds slightly brighter so it makes the tension less obvious. 1:05 A4, even around here he is mixing a lot better than I remember for A4, since it’s a note he rarely would sing. He is phrasing quite a lot around C#4, he is supporting relatively okay there.

      On the solo song. 0:17 He is also phrasing C#4’s a lot here, but he sounds a lot breathier and more nasal. 0:25 His larynx is raising and his throat squeezing around this range. He is singing more like how he usually sings in this. So I wouldn’t say there’s any major improvement, he mostly just seems to be able to place his mix a bit better here and there, but it’s not consistent. 1:37 Here he is just using his throat to sing mostly.

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      1. Thank you so much for taking time to analyse his performance :)) So if Youngjae consistently sang like how he sang in the duet video, would he be able to move up in ratings or would he remain in the same rating?

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  29. Sorry if this is a dumb question but since they’re both baritones, I was wondering what makes Youngjae a little better than V? Like why Youngjae’s half a level above V? I’ve read both analyses and is it just because Youngjae supports a little lower than V does so his lower range is better, and Youngjae is less airy most of the time than V is? But isn’t Youngjae more nasal than V? I’m confused :/

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    1. Oh no honey, that’s an understandable question! See nasality is not a damaging form of singing. It’s not harmful but it is limiting. Both V and Youngjae have issues with nasality. The thing isn’t that Youngjae supports a bit lower or a bit higher, but that overall he uses a stronger established support than V. V’s support relies a lot more on being relaxed with shallow breathiness. Youngjae connects better and uses more of his vocal cords, but on the downside, he tends to use his vocal cords too much and rub them too hard, which is slightly better in certain areas of his voice compared to V, but overall it’s not much better technique overall. Which is why the gap between them isn’t large.

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  30. Hello! Youngjae recently released a solo song, it’s his first under his own agency instead of with BAP or with their agency so I was curious about whether now that he’s following his own artistic direction he’d be able to sing more like a baritone and sing songs in more comfortable ranges for him. But to me it sounds like he’s singing in the same exact range as BAP songs and singing like a tenor still? So I was just wondering what you thought, whether he’s singing in a comfortable range for him or if it’s too high like I’m thinking. I hope this link works haha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPohNpbNP4M

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    1. Hi there! I wouldn’t say it’s a tenor range, it’s more of a high baritone range. I heard G4’s, was there anything higher?

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      1. I didn’t hear anything higher, I just was curious about what you thought since you said he doesn’t try to sing like a tenor, I was kind of thinking now that he’s solo he’d be able to go with songs that show off his voice more than BAP ones did since he can put them in a range which works for him. So it was just a little higher than I expected haha! it is a cute song though

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      2. He actually peaks at A4 in that prechorus. Lol I know this is a late comment, but I remembered him going higher than G in this song and I was right. He hits it around 0:39 and any other time he sings those lines.

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