Lee Hi is an Amazing Soulful and Deep-Voiced R&B Singer

So this is going to be winded, cause this story is a long one.

Like many people I got to know about Kpop Star Audition because Park Jimin singing Rolling in the Deep went viral on Twitter. She got cheered by the judges, but even tho she was only 14 year old, which is very impressing, her voice is not the type that captivates me.

In the videos comment people talked about checking out the other contestants, the show itself, and Lee Hi/Hayi (she became Lee Hi when she debuted). Her voice captivated me immediately, as did her personality. Lee Hayi was (and is) only one year older than Jimin, but her voice sounded older, more mature and soulful ❤

Her first audition was a pretty sassy, which I love, rendition of Bust Your Windows and was the one that made me tune in to the show and watch it.

She did a lot of good work there, improving the areas where she was weaker, and showing she could grow more. Like her Mama Do with Cathy Young. The one where she made me most blown away was her For You cover. It was beautiful, sad and had such a well of emotion that crossed the language barrier (Korean) and reached me. I love singers that can convey emotion and what the songs are about just by the tone of their voices, not with just words, and she does it!

She was really sassy in her Mercy cover, and I loved all her covers in the live stages, even if she got low rates from the judges. Her Love cover was great, yes, but so was U Go Girl, her Don’t Stop the Music, and the rest I’ll let you search 😛

Even tho it climaxed with her losing and ending up as second place after singing Rolling in the Deep, I waited anxiously for her to return.

And return she did, with 1,2,3,4 which stormed through the charts, doing all-kills for weeks, and which I loved. Tho there were a lot of criticisms that she was stone-faced, perhaps because I’ve followed her since the beginning, but I’ve always found her cute. You could see in the back stages for Kpop Star that she cried and got upset over comments and low rates. I think she was just very inward and also shy, so she tried not to show her feelings out.

Even tho those criticisms kept going even when she released It’s Over, which she’s shown as playful, she didn’t let it stop her and did Rose next, a very artistic video where she also got criticized.

Her first album First Love is great, and you really need to hear her Am I Strange?, Dream and Fool for Love. Just super, super love!

I was really disgruntled when she went on hiatus….for 3 years!, and only returned this year. Tho she did collabs with other artists, and appeared on Ikon’s Mix and Match singing Let It Go with Hanbin’s team, and duos with Soohyun from Akdong Musician in their I’m Different, it was hardly what I waited for. I wanted her to come back and slay me completely.

And damn if she didn’t do it! Her second album is Seoulite with lots of rap collaborations, and it’s super influenced by 90’s R&B. I love the 80’s and 90’s, you can probably tell I’m a 90’s baby from that comment 😛

Tho the tracks she chose to use for promotion were Breathe, My Star and Hold My Hand, they are not the best tracks in the album. My Star is definitely the more catchy and sassiest of hers, plus adorable kiss!, but her R&B tracks slayed me dead.

Her World Tour with Mino from Winner is addicting, it just makes me wanna listen to it on repeat, so it’s one of my faves. Fxxk with Us with Dok2 was surprising. Official with Incredivle is my second favorite from the album. Another of my favorites is Up All Night with Epik High ❤ Another is Missing U. She also finally wrote songs and composed them, like Passing By, and these 3 years of waiting were definitely worth it. She’s matured, she’s a woman now, her singing has improved, and she showed how versatile she can be ❤

She’s also lately started entering in OST songs, you might’ve heard her in Scarlet Heart: Goryeo on the track Can You Hear My Heart? with Epik High! You can listen it here.

So in conclusion, she doesn’t have a typical voice that you can find everywhere in Korea, and if you like soulful, smooth, flawless delivery, you’ll love her. Rich, warm, soothing tones are my favorite type of voices, it also helps her voice is low toned and full of feels (｡♥‿♥｡)

To end it off, one of her lives from her current tour Seoulite Showcase, where she sang Bust Your Windows + Mercy, showing how much she’s improved since her early times: