“Good job, everyone!”
“Do-hee, you did a great job as a guide too!”
As soon as my song was chosen as one of the double title tracks, the lyricists were called for a lyric contest, and I got stuck having to record a guide with new lyrics all over again.
But it’s fine.
I could endure the temporary annoyance for today.
Right now, in the recording studio, we have the vocal line.
“Hey, 165, Kim Seo-yoon, you’re up!”
“Kim Seo-yoon? Are you crazy?”
Seo-yoon Unni and Na-eun Unni, who could solidify the backbone of the song.
They were going to record first.
I dodged Seo-yoon Unni’s sulky gaze and pointed towards the booth on the opposite side of the glass.
Please go in.
“Hey! Hurry up.”
“Ugh, are you really the producer or what?”
“Of course, today I’m the producer. Our Do-hee’s got experience too. She’s directed before, remember?”
Seo-yoon smirked at me.
“During Seven’s time? Don’t even get me started. I was so clueless back then…”
“Hurry up and go in! The more we delay, the longer this recording will take! Ugh, seriously! Oh my gosh!”
Even in the recording room, I watched Seo-yoon grumbling while wearing her headset.
—Seriously, Chae-rin and the A&R staff directed instead. Meanwhile, she was just wasting time fussing around. Hah, at least the behind-the-scenes editing worked out well back then—
I turned off the recording microphone.
“Na-eun Unni, you know how Seo-yoon Unni is, right? She gets a bit? Well, very? Hysterical before she sings.”
“Really…? Is that so…?”
“Absolutely.”
“Hmmm…”
I looked over the lyrics I assigned to Seo-yoon Unni.
Let’s see…
I pressed the talkback button and spoke to Seo-yoon Unni inside the recording studio.
“I thought about it a lot, and I won’t give you any special guidelines. Everyone has their unique feeling for vocals, and since you’re the main vocal, you can sing more like yourself. Got it?”
Really, I’m trusting her this much.
But Seo-yoon Unni just pouted without even a sound.
“Stop pouting. Speak up, I can’t hear you.”
She just kept mumbling with her lips.
“Speak up. I can’t hear you.”
Again, again.
“Ugh, pouting again…”
“But Do-hee, didn’t Seo-yoon turn off her mic?”
Oh no!
“Haha, this is my first time directing.”
Na-eun Unni watched with sleepy eyes.
“Do you think we can record well today…?”
“Of course. We’re going to take it easy. You know, right Unni?”
I lightly turned on the microphone.
I turned on the mic dryly.
“Alright… Seo-yoon Unni, can you hear me now?”
“Hey, if I step out—”
I lowered the mic.
“My voice is rough, so I’ll warm up for three minutes.”
Gotta shower her with compliments before coming out.
*
“So good. But woah, should I make this a bit sexier?”
“Yeah, I’m going to throw in a few ad-lib lines.”
“I love how you chew on the pronunciation, it’s so good. The groove is awesome, Unni. The composer is very satisfied.”
I could see her expression gradually softening beautifully.
“Wow, this is crazy. That voice is already swallowing CDs? Now, you’re really munching on CDs? Your appetite is quite…”
—Your appetite is quite what?
“Your singing is just jackpot amazing.”
—Oh, is that so?
“Yeah, yeah, the best, the best.”
—Hehe, I know!
Aish… this is tough.
“Unni, I’m going to try that part now.”
—Arazoyo~
Anyway, Seo-yoon Unni was just waiting for the most crucial lines left.
This song had a total of three high notes.
Two parts suited with powerful falsetto throughout the build-up.
The pre-chorus right before the choruses of the first and second verses.
And with a stronger resonance in full voice, embellishing the climax, right before the bridge of the third verse’s chorus.
Though they all share the same melody, Seo-yoon Unni’s part in the bridge of the third verse was undeniably the most difficult.
The highest note is F6, commonly referred to as a high G note.
The lowest notes are B flat in the second octave and C in the third octave.
Considering that the highest notes of songs usually categorized as women’s high songs fall within the third octave.
While many women can reach a C in the third octave somehow, the number of those who can hold or hit a C reliably is surprisingly low.
Both subjectively and objectively, it’s a challenging part.
“Can you handle it?”
—Who do you think I am? Kim Seo-yoon. Debonaire’s main vocal. The girl who can reach a G note in full voice.
Seeing a confidently excited Seo-yoon Unni, I turned off the talkback mic.
“Do you think some can’t reach that high? Right?”
“From last time, watching your vocal lessons, I thought Seo-yoon could reach up to a high G.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, I can hit a G note too, but… by the way, how high can Do-hee go?”
“Me? I…”
If you look closely, Na-eun Unni seems more like a T than an F.
“Unni, I gotta go to the bathroom for a sec. Seo-yoon Unni, can you warm up your voice? I’ll be right back…”
At times like this, you just gotta agree mindlessly.
Just a friendly little T, she is.
What’s the big deal about how far I can go in real singing anyway?
There’s head voice and technique, but ugh.
Still, I’m way better than Chiyo Unni.
3 octaves, E6.
“Ah, ah, ah↗♫, sounds good, this is going well.”
I can reach as high as F6…
“Ah- ah↗! Ah↗, hmm. It’s not perfect, but…”
Anyway, I can hit that high note…
*
—Is that it for me?
“Yup. You can fix it later, but for now.”
I wanted Seo-yoon Unni to hit those high notes repeatedly, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that fearing she’d ruin her voice.
I’m just too nice for my own good.
Seriously.
“Now it’s your turn, Unni.”
“Yeah. Ready to go?”
“I want to see Na-eun Unni from over here~”
Na-eun Unni.
Na-eun Unni, being the lead vocalist, was in charge of another high note part, the second verse pre-chorus.
Of course, it’s head voice.
Still, it’s not something you can just handle easily.
—So, how was it? Should we move on?
“Can you try to clean it up just a bit more? Take out the vibrato completely, and I’m going to add a line here. I’ll compare the two.”
—Got it, Do-hee PD-nim~
That’s how much I can rely on my members when I’m distributing parts vocally.
If we had to categorize Seo-yoon Unni’s voice, it’s like a classic female singer.
A prima donna, a diva… she had a powerful tone suited for those roles.
Even Sara Unni, the main vocalist of Seven, had the looks of a cat but her vocal style didn’t match it at all.
The difference between the two is simply in timbre and volume.
But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t sing beautifully with powerful voices.
As main vocalists, they knew various vocal techniques.
Both had learned countless times how to sing like idols, with a pretty and youthful style since their trainee days.
But they were fundamentally different in tone from Na-eun Unni.
Na-eun Unni’s voice was as clear and beautiful as her model-figure looks, with a pure type of quality.
Her natural voice was already good for singing pretty, and the lines I gave her were definitely intended to feel bright and sharp like ice shards.
“Ah, that’s amazing, Unni. Exactly what I wanted.”
—Really? Nothing to fix?
“Well, can you bite the pronunciation here just a bit? This part needs to feel a little devilish rather than crystal clear, you know?”
—Sure thing~
She nods her head several times, saying it’s okay to turn off the talkback.
“Seriously, I see why having multiple voices is great. The song gets better.”
“Right? But Do-hee.”
“Huh?”
“Did you do the same when you were recording? You were chatting away with Na-eun Unni like crazy.”
“Is this real? I was just chatting with Na-eun Unni.”
Seo-yoon Unni misunderstands and feels grateful.
“Of course! I genuinely love it so much; I’ve said it a million times… we only praised Na-eun Unni, seriously.”
“Oh~ really?”
“Seo-yoon, of course~ How could I not be happy to meet such amazing singers as members and have it be so easy to record! My ears are being cleansed. I’m so happy that you’re the main vocal, Seo-yoon.”
“Oh~ that’s so embarrassing~”
“Come on, it’s just me and you, Seo-yoon! Haha!”
Of course, Na-eun Unni, who knows the truth, spoke with the recording studio talkback turned off so she wouldn’t hear.
*
“We’re here~”
“Chiyo’s here, here.”
The two vocal members left, and two newcomers arrived.
“From now on, I’m the producer, so please speak formally.”
I scribbled on my fashionable glasses while guiding them to their seats.
“Um… for some reason, Do-hee’s concept today doesn’t seem to want to play.”
What do you mean by that, Woo-ah Unni?
“This isn’t playing; today, I really am the producer…”
Meanwhile, Chiyo Unni was lowering her top, exposing her shoulders, and striking a flirtatious pose.
“…what are you doing?”
Shoulders getting even lower.
“Producer… should I take it off?”
“What to take off?”
“In Japan, it’s a sad tradition to undress in front of the producer… today, I too… am going to be… suffered by Do-hee…”
“Crazy, this isn’t kimchi, seriously.”
There are behind-the-camera shots circulating; what’s going on here?
I should send that person out first and delete part of the data to focus.
“Woo-ah Unni, I won’t do anything to you, so let’s send that person out and start.”
“Are you admitting to playing producer?”
“No, today I really am the producer.”
“Jisoo… I’m going to undress… sniff.”
“No way, it really is playing producer.”
“Right? First, take off your glasses.”
Woo-ah Unni grabbed Chiyo Unni by the nape of her neck.
Even while being dragged away by Woo-ah Unni without resistance, she wouldn’t stop talking.
“Producer!!! If you say take it off, I’ll take it off!!!”
“Ah, just get out!”
What would others think if they saw this, seriously.
I can already hear the staff outside giggling.
“Jisoo! I might not be as tall as Do-hee… but I’m confident in my body…! Just once, please give me a chance…! Please!”
What kind of ruckus is happening in my sacred producing room?
I need to calm my mind by listening to the recorded guide in my lovely voice again.
“Hmm, hmm… indeed, I really made a great song.”
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