YouTube’s Killing Voice: sometimes you just need to enjoy K-pop in its purest form – no razzle dazzle and no hype
- In Killing Voice, K-pop stars show off their singing chops, in stripped-down performances similar to MTV Unplugged sessions
- Other series have the stars performing just their choreography, or singing while gradually getting drunk
One of the most popular Korean YouTube series is Dingo Music’s “Killing Voice”, which puts K-pop stars on a soundstage to just sing.
It is so enjoyable to watch singers perform without the razzle dazzle that makes K-pop so exciting (“Killing Voice” also highlights non-idol and non-K-pop artists, having started out more as a series focused on ballads).
By stripping things back, you can really see and hear how these stars found themselves, based on their skills and love of music.
Other series by Dingo, including “Tipsy Live”, which features Korean artists singing while drinking alcohol and getting progressively more inebriated, similarly put the spotlight on the music.
K-pop is exciting specifically because much of the music is created as an audiovisual art form, where the singing is paired with, and created in tandem with, dancing and creative storytelling via fashion. It’s meant to be seen as much as heard.
Another popular Korean music-oriented YouTube channel, Studio Choom, highlights dancing over singing, featuring K-pop groups performing only their choreography. (Choom is the Korean word for dance.)
Like the Dingo videos, they highlight elements of the performance that may be missed when trying to focus on all the elements of a typical K-pop performance.
There’s nothing new about breaking down a performance by a popular music act or artist, but there’s something special about these performances that I think should be applauded.
In a way, they recall the “unplugged” performances, with bands stripping back to acoustic instruments. Spotlighting some elements gives them a chance to shine.
K-pop is popular because something is always happening, whether on stage or on social media. But these videos strip things back, and break things down in a way that enhances the artistry, whether it’s listening to a song or watching a music video or performance.
It reminds us all what the heart of K-pop is, the art and the performing artists, and I think that’s something to be celebrated.
