[Sportschosun Kim Jun-seok] Singer and musical actress Ok Joo-hyun delivered a scathing criticism of some singers who rely too heavily on post-production tools such as auto-tune.
Through the fan communication platform Bubble, Ok Joo-hyun recently shared her views on live singing and said, "These days, when I see people singing live even though they can barely sing, but have their vocals polished with auto-tune, it makes me feel bad."
She added, "There needs to be more study and improvement in live performance. But when auto-tune is used to smooth out things that make you think, 'There's no way this should be on air,' it honestly makes me angry."
She was especially blunt, saying, "I don't even want to sit at the same table with them on a program." She continued, "You may think this sounds extremely rude, but it's true. When I see post-production these days, I think, 'Anyone can come and sing.'"
When some fans suggested that her remarks were a bit too harsh, Ok Joo-hyun did not back down.
She stressed, "We should not let people who can't sing grow into this strange dream that they can still make a career out of singing. We need to cut it off at the root."
She went on to say, "People who need to know will know even if I don't say it. Once post-production goes too far, it's fraud. At the very least, I have never performed with lip-sync in any production."
After her remarks became known, reactions online were mixed. Some praised her as a singer who values live performance, calling it a principled statement. Others said her wording was too harsh and could be seen as excessive criticism of younger singers.
Meanwhile, Ok Joo-hyun debuted in 1998 as the main vocalist of Fin.K.L and was recognized for her outstanding singing ability. She later expanded her career into musical theater, taking leading roles in productions such as "Aida," "Chicago," "Rebecca (musical)," "Wicked," and "Anna Karenina," and established herself as one of Korea's leading musical actresses.
narusi@sportschosun.com
