@Alice's YK Land That's where a vocal coach, who is always checking your performances and correcting is needed. Even international singers as good as Dimash still have vocal coaches that update them on how well or not they did, and offer corrective solutions.
Sadly I have to agree... I payed to watch both lives and it was disappointing. Be Yourself is no doubt the worst performance, even worse than in K001, and for sure a bad choice to open the concert, Nanairo no Finale is the same. Some clear problems in hitting the right notes and tone. But the fact they put some studio magic in the realease made me like it more, I'm still a fan but really hope she will improve. Always thought she would be the one from Kalafina with the most solid solo work since her voice is the most healthy of the three , not sure anymore. Having a beautiful voice is not enough for a professional singer, the way the voice is used is very important.
Keiko has an amazing voice and quite versatile too. From the hard-hitting rock songs to gentle ballads, to the jazzy and other styles, her dark timbre gives her a lot of options. I really hope she and her team can discover the most compelling mix of musical elements that will put her firmly on the map and gain viral support from new fans in Japan and globally. I also hope she keeps enjoying herself with her music,
Waratteyaru is amazing! Can't wait to listen to the studio version, hope it will also have a music video to promote it! The other new song is good too. But as for the overall live, studio magic saved it and actually made me want to buy the product lol
@Alice's YK Land I totally agree with everything you said. Everything. I watched Hikaru's last livestream and she was really missing pitches and it felt like she was just forcing her voice to go places it was not willing or able to go healthily. You're right about Keiko. The "stability" she had in Kalafina was mostly about her singing in her comfortable low range, and singing the *classical* "Kajiurago" which requires more control. Hikaru also sounds better when she sings controlled, legato phrases (they all do). It's the emotional belting, sudden dynamic changes and staccato phrases of the pop/rock parts that make their voices fail to shine. Wakana does have a brighter and more nasal voice now, but she's still the best at hitting her song pitches! I also believe that Yuki Kajiura knew their strengths and weaknesses as individuals (she's worked with great vocalists) and wrote specifically for them to shine. Other writers and composers may write for themselves (looking for maximum musical impact) and not to the singer's voice, expecting them to be able to deliver anything thrown at them. So the singers felt comfortable around Yuki Kajiura because they know how to work with her. By the way, I think Hikaru has a great composer/arranger (the best of the three in my opinion) that creates good music for her. She just needs to live up to that with her vocals. They each need to work with a vocal coach (even if self-hired) to iron out the kinks and develop a strategy for the songs they have to sing in lives, and for their vocal health. They wouldn't want to lose their voices or become unrecognizable before 40 years.
@Olatunde Fajimi I watched it live through streaming. Yes, I agree about it. Although Hikaru has a nice voice it's not a healthy one, in recent lives I noticed how much she's struggling, even more than when those problems started back in Kalafina days, however her lower notes seems fine and a bit stronger. Wakana had problems too but she's working with her new voice and seems to be adaptating to it, her last live with the strings quartet she sounded a bit flat and nasal but was able to go through it without being too unstable. As for Keiko, when she is in her low comfortable range she's doesn't mess up, but once she goes higher she either shouts it or is off key, since she's being a professional singer for more than 10 years I didn't expected it from the most stable singer from Kalafina. She really needs a vocal coach to find a healthy way to achieve the new singing style she's aiming for.
@Alice's YK Land Oh. Where did you get to see the original pre-edit recording? I'm been concerned about that with Hikaru mostly then Keiko, and to a lesser extent Wakana (since she has a classical background so being vocally consistent is a big part of her focus in singing). The raw vocal talent is there in all of them, but I feel like there is something about the foundation of their singing or the strain of singing so long, or maybe they just haven't kept engaging vocal coaches over the years to keep then in line and correct live mistakes in their techniques.
@Olatunde Fajimi actually compared to this very live itself before the edits, her voice was unstable most of the time and the band is not the best, Korenaga outshined them and Konno was a great addition to the songs. I'm glad they were able to fix it and put the best moments in the promo video.
Yeah compared to the first live released this sounded better and more consistent, vocally, and bringing in the big guns in the instrumentalists from Fiction Junction really showed.
