Jun 11 2008
The Voices of KAT-TUN
My latest little project, which turned out to take far more time and effort than I expected, is a series of short videos I’ve created to showcase each KAT-TUN members’ singing voice. I’ve put together between 3 and 5 clips of what I consider to be some of their best singing out of my video collection. Jin and Kame have 5 because they have many more longer solo sections to work with. Ueda has 3 because his was already as long as Kame’s with only 3 clips. The rest have 4. I am not a professional singer nor am I a vocal expert. However, neither are the majority of KAT-TUN’s listeners, and I know what sounds good and what doesn’t, so I think my opinions are valid. Let’s look at them in KAT-TUN order, shall we?
Kame is very good at tricking you into believing that he sings better than he does. It’s all in that excellent showmanship of his. That’s not to say that he has a bad voice. He’s a much better singer than your average guy, but for being one of the lead singers in a very popular group, he doesn’t have that great of a voice either. He’s learned to work well with what he’s got, and I commend him for that. Also, his singing has improved a lot since his early junior days, so I’ll commend him for that too. His vocal range is a bit narrow and he sounds strained sometimes, but the overall tone and sound of his voice is quite pleasant, which counts for a lot in my book. I think I like him best singing ballads. He has a very sweet voice for them.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
A couple notes on Jin’s: there’s none of that crazy high singing in this, and if you aren’t familiar with the song, he’s the one doing all of the harmonizations in the Harukana Yakusoku clip (the one where they’re in the cage things suspended from the ceiling). I think I’ve raved enough about Akanishi’s voice and how I want to make love to it, so I’ll just let the video speak for itself. If I have to pick a weakness, I’d say lack of consistency.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
Next up is Taguchi. Junno’s voice is a bit… problematic sometimes. He’s got plenty of power behind it, and he can hold notes well, but a lot of the time there’s just something off about his singing. He’s really good when he’s good, and almost unlistenable when he’s bad. Of course, there’s only good singing examples in here, so don’t be afraid to listen.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
Koki was the most challenging part of this project because most of his solos are rapping. Thankfully, I managed to scrounge up a few examples of him singing. I think Koki is actually a good singer, but unfortunately, his singing voice is kind of annoying. He just tends to overdo it. I think the clip of him singing Arashi acapella might be the best I’ve heard him sing because he’s not trying to “perform” so much, resulting in a much sweeter sound.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
Ueda, Uepi, Tat-chan, Princess, Uebo, Ueda-hime. He is not only distinguished by having the most cutesy nicknames in the group, but also by having the most distinct voice. I think with Ueda either you love his singing or you hate it. His voice is so very very breathy when he sings quietly, and borderline shouty on the rare occasions when he sings loudly. It’s really more suited to rock than pop. That said, he definitely has his moments of brilliance, he can hold notes well, and his voice blends very well with any of the other members. Also, he sang a lot of Jin’s lines when he was on hiatus in America, and that says something.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
Last as usual, but certainly not least, Nakamaru. Maru has a lot going for him. He has great range, a pleasing and non-offensive tone, and good control. Unfortunately, Kame’s biggest strength (showmanship), is Maru’s biggest weakness. Somehow, when I’m watching, he manages to convince me that he sings worse than he does. It’s because he usually looks so unsure of himself and awkward. Also, I get the sense that he’s hesitating sometimes, like I know he could sing better if he’d just let loose, but he’s holding back. Watch this video of some of his good singing, and I bet you’ll be impressed and maybe, if you are new to Kat-tun, surprised.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
I’m considering doing this for Arashi but the prospect of intentionally listening to lots of Jun solos in search of material is daunting, so I’ll get back to you on that one.
Do Re Mi,
~Celestia~
i didn’t know sayu had a brother.
Very well-written and interesting post.
I really like Ueda’s voice, but Jin’s is probably best. <3
I’ve been wanting to learn about the different voices in KAT-TUN; I couldn’t really tell them apart before now. So thank you!
<3
That was an interesting read.
I’m kind of new to KAT-TUN, so it’s interesting to see someone who can easily point out their voices.
XD
This is really resourceful~! The only voice I could ever pick out before was Tatsuya… But that’s because I lurve him xD
^lol. I’d say his was the first voice I could recognize, but that’s because it’s so unique. It’s really easy for me to tell who’s singing which part now, with KAT-TUN and also Arashi actually. Duet lines are a lot harder, so I’m still working on that.
This post was great. You did a very good job putting these videos together and making objective analyses. I can imagine it must have taken quite a while. I know I get surprised a lot by how good T-TUN can be sometimes; it’s easy to forget, considering how little they sing alone. Thank you for putting in this effort. I loved reading your insights, and it would be fantastic to see an Arashi post as well, if you’re up for it!
Hello, I hope you don’t mind me lurking in your blog? I’ll jut drop a comment now and then. ^^
This is an interesting post. At first I’m not a fan of KAT-TUN to be honest since most of their music isn’t really my taste but one day I heard a song as BGM on some random site and I loved it sooo much. It turned out to be Love in Snow written by Ueda. <3 Till now, I still love Ueda’s voice the most even though Jin’s voice is definitely made for love.
lol. of course i don’t mind you lurking. lurk all you want, though comments are nice too
Ehh sorry.. I couldn’t listen to all of them.. (I don’t know… Kat-Tun songs just don’t have it for me… >.<) But! I totally burst out laughing reading Nakamaru’s part. LOL He really does “LOOK” like he’s a lot worse than he is…. Hmm.. He’s gotta work on his facial expression… X(
Your comments are very well delivered.
I agree that Kame is really the show master. He is not the best singer, infact pitchy sometimes, but performance wise, he can pull it off. Facial expression wise, he is very flexible. You can feel that he feels what he is singing.
Jin has a very good range but he needs consistency. When he is trying to raise a note higher, he has the tendency to be out of tune. But, Jin’s face when singing is very expressive. Most expressive among them. Girly, yet manly too.
Taguchi’s voice. not sure how t describe it. But his voice, I think fits more of those happy non serious songs (sorry, I forgot the term for that). Facial expression wise, I think he has the most serious expression when singing. However, it is the only expression he can make. He needs to loosen up his facial muscles most of the time.
Koki, I also don’t expect him t sing that great since he is in charge of rapping. Sometimes, I feel that he is hesitating if he can pull off his whole lines.
Ueda, his singing voice is above average among them. His range is also good. Hwever, facial expression wise, he only has a few. I think, he is only using his eyes to show his expression. He should try using his other senses as well, like what Jin and Kame are doing.
Nakamaru kun, very good in beat boxing. No questions asked for that. Singing voice wise, he has the most manly voice among them. (Koki’s voice is manly but is sometimes it is not so pleasing, often pitchy too ). Facial expression why, he only has a few too. Most of the time his eyes are very serious. It is not showing the expression he likes to show.
I have a long comment ne?
:):):)