Do all current idols really sound the same? In an online forum, Kpop fans expressed their opinions after this first-gen icon's remark. 

On May 23, "K-pop legends" g.o.d Joon Park and Son Hoyoung appeared on Uhmg's "Jaefriend's" Episode 41, hosted by second-gen icon, JYJ Kim Jaejoong.

On June 2, the veteran idols' remarks from the broadcast went viral in the web forum, theqoo, sparking debate among netizens.

In particular, the three were talking about the changing K-pop culture from the first-gen to the fifth-gen era, when Joon Park and Hoyoung opened up about the topic of the difference between the aforementioned eras.

"As a first-gen idol, the hardest part for me is figuring out who sings which part. When you hear a track, I can't match the member to the voice.

In the past, you'd hear a song and know which member is singing, but the voices are more similar now."

Joon Park then praised SM artists for having a distinct style.

When this certain part spread among fans, a heated debate happened among K-netz.

Some K-pop fans refuted Hoyoung's remark, commenting:

• "Exactly, it's not your era so don't generalize."
• "I guess it's just because you don't know much about idols nowadays."
• "Isn't it just because you're old?"

They then emphasized that it could really sound similar due to the direction that the music producer wants the song to sound, and it could also be possible that Hoyoung just doesn't know the members.

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However, the majority were agreeing with what the g.o.d member has said and explained:

• "In the past, the individuality of the members' respective voices was highlighted, but these days, there is more focus on harmony. I know what you mean."
• "Actually, I can't even distinguish their faces as well."
• "I feel the same. Back then, if you were in a group, you could tell apart the various voices of the members, but these days, even if there are several members, it feels like only 2 or three were singing."
• "He has the right to say this because even g.o.d back then have distinct voices."

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• "What Son Hoyoung is saying right now is not that he doesn't know the name of the member singing this part, but that he can't tell whether someone else is singing the part from the previous part, but it seems like those who misunderstood are reacting sensitively."
• "It's not that they're good or bad, but because their voices are too similar, it's not fun to sing. I think the variety of voices is one of the group's advantages."
• "This is relatively true compared to the past. But these days, the trend doesn't feel like each individual stands out, but rather a singing style with a similar tone overall. There's no need to feel bad about this. It has nothing to do with singing ability. It's okay to select members with similar tones and pursue a harmonious direction to work."

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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz