[Bonus] Best Of Taeyeon

As we celebrate Taeyeon's 27th (international) birthday, and before I get swamped with exams, let's have a Taeyeon appreciation post! Or at least in some way. We're just gonna highlight some of my favorite Taeyeon performances and appearances across the years. They'll mainly pertain to some of her best vocal work because who doesn't love some good Taeyeon vocal runs right?

5. How Great Is Your Love

This is the only ballad on the list, and it's a good exception to the rule. "How Great Is Your Love" is not only one of Taeyeon's best solo attempts, but also one of the group's best as a whole, too. The tracklist for "The Boys" was pretty wild, and was held together by this excellent ballad and of course, the masterpiece "Trick." Taeyeon is crystal clear here, and the rest of the supporting cast as well. As far as the most serene Taeyeon has ever been, it doesn't get much better than here.

4. Twinkle

Taeyeon is known for her incredible OST work and excellent ballad voice, but "Twinkle" accentuates her versatility like no other. She sounds very comfortable, and shows flashes of brilliance, too. Keep in mind, this was the debut track of the TTS subunit, the prized vocal line of Girls' Generation. "Twinkle" couldn't afford to disappoint, and thankfully did the opposite. And yeah, she sounds more strained here than in almost any other song since debut, but that doesn't take away from everything else.

3. Stress

Now "Stress" is a real earworm. Combining pop rock elements with Taeyeon's voice, illustrates yet another side to her utility as a singer. If she had never sang a single ballad in her life, or debuted in 2007 with something like this, I doubt anyone would bat an eyelash (though there is slight strain). English is pretty much perfect as per Taeyeon's usual standard, too. The key success of this piece is that "Stress" follows in the footsteps of yet another Taeyeon classic.

2. Devil's Cry

"Devil's Cry" is without a doubt Taeyeon's best individual effort in anything anywhere. The world never expected to see the power of rock course through her veins, yet she delivered a smashmouth performance no one ever imagined. The reason "Stress" wasn't ranked higher than "Devil's Cry" even though the former is a complete song is that there's not enough power, not enough aggression. Taeyeon ramps those dials to 11 here and it's a damn shame the length of this could not have been extended. Also noteworthy is that Gayo Daejun performance with Changmin of TVXQ. A killer combination for a killer song.

1. Genie

The song that started the Girls' Generation train for me has no reason not to be here. Outside of the choreography which made waves and the general catchy nature of the song, the final moments of "Genie" were what captivated me to Taeyeon in the beginning. It's honestly not quite the most impressive vocal run ever, but my goodness does she sound good or does she sound good. After all these years, Taeyeon's part in "Genie" should still rank among the best girl group vocalist sections of all time.

Other excellent pieces that didn't make the cut include the Mr. Go OST "Bye" (and the Chinese version!), the really good runs in "The Boys," and the recent smooth-as-silk "Rain."

Happy Birthday Taeyeon~