[Bonus] Boy Group Vocalist Power Rankings

After almost deciding to review a few music video teasers (why), I'm jumpstarting my drive for Vocalist Power Rankings with a brief boy group edition. And by that I mean I'll make this post and then be out of town for four days later this week haha. Only seven selections because I'm lazy, and no linked examples either because I'm fucking lazy. Hmm, what else? The amount of research is loose but based on their history, talent, and versatility. Hard to balance the longevity of some singers since many of the entrants are old school but let's see what happens.

#7. Junsu (JYJ)
Xia Junsu is a storied singer. Between TVXQ, JYJ, and as a solo he has no shortage of material. When he was in a group (what's up with JYJ anyway have they been doing anything? Oh yeah Yoochun does drugs) he tackled many different styles and when he released solo music he tackled many different styles. SME has long had outstanding vocalists in their reserves and Junsu was part of the pioneering class.

#6. Sandeul (B1A4)
To be honest, Sandeul gets by on name alone. He has an extremely versatile and powerful voice, but outside of individual performances on singing shows I've not dived into his discography much. B1A4 was never really on my radar though it's not his fault. Sandeul appears at his best when he sings slower ballads but as I mentioned above, he's not afraid to do different styles and that's been the case with his group.

#5. Hongki (FT Island)
Consistency is hard to describe since I'm not a vocal coach or anything, but isn't Hongki one of the most damn consistent vocalists you've ever heard? I mean damn this dude debuted in 2007 and has almost always sounded this good. Sure it helps he's part of a band in which he's the primary attraction but still. You need to own the talent in order to make it work. Whether he's roaring out in "Wind" or singing special stage duets with Moonbyul, Hongki kills it.

#4. Jonghyun (SHINee)
Spoiler alert: everyone else on this list belongs under the SM flag. Really wasn't kidding when I talked about this label's powerhouse singers. Jonghyun will posthumously take 4th place right in the middle of these rankings. He was always the standout in SHINee because of his voice, but because his group's music took a while for me to truly pick up, his artisty was not fully appreciated until much later in his career. Between the belts in group tracks like "Dream Girl" or beautiful solo magic in "Lonely," Jonghyun delivered in aspects the upcoming vocalists didn't.

#3. Yesung (Super Junior)
For a long time, I've debated with myself and others over Kyuhyun vs. Yesung. Back in my early days of Kpop I liked Yesung way more (or was it Kyuhyun, to be honest it's been so long and I've flipped opinions so many times I don't remember who was originally on top) but with the passage of time comes change. And I think that despite Yesung still being amazing - his work in "It's You" sends chills down my spine a decade later - he got outgrown by his groupmate. He'll always stand tall above the rest of Super Junior so that plus a bronze medal isn't too shabby.

#2. Kyuhyun (Super Junior)
Like in my Yesung blurb, Kyuhyun has grown a lot throughout the years as a singer and it's because of that insane growth that he surpassed Yesung (for now...) in this ranking. Lord knows it'll be a couple months before I go back and like Yesung more, only to revert again months later. Anyway if Yesung exemplifies power in Super Junior's vocals, then Kyuhyun exemplifies versatility. His vocal color is amazing and the fact that he's able to do so many different genres is even more amazing.

#1. Chen (EXO)
Balancing the young blood vs. storied veteran is tough. But at the end of the day, EXO's Chen is at worst on par with everyone else in his label / industry, and will only get better with time. Yeah, it has been seven years since he debuted (do you feel old yet?) but there are many more years in his future and that blatant potential - the same realized potential that Kyuhyun vaulted over Yesung with - is plenty enough reason to give him the top spot on this short, lazy, Boy Group Vocalist Power Ranking. You didn't need examples for any of these guys to begin with: their name speaks (sings) for themselves.