Round 6. My heart sank and my nose got watery.
In Round 6, the singers were asked to select one of legendary K-pop songs that swept through Korean music charts over the years. La Poem seemed to have a long deliberation to pick a song. One of the cheering squad Baek Ji-Young, who was present throughout many rounds of the show, once said to the singers that she wanted no one to cover her songs during the All Stars episodes. Despite this request, La Poem decided to cover her song "Don't Forget Me." This song was released as part of a Korean TV series Iris OST in 2013. Coupled with the popularity of the TV series, this song enjoyed great popularity in the country. For this reason, there could have been a great pressure for La Poem, not to be overshadowed by the original song.
Unlike the previous round, La Poem looked innocent and vulnerable. This performance was quite different from previous ones because the two younger brothers Minseong and Kihun seemed to be taking a leading role in performing the song. Also, the singers' vocal types got blurred. Minseong, a baritone singer, struck high notes, and Kihun, a tenor singer, maintained his unique husky tones without many ups and downs. At this point, we can probably call Minseong a teritone (tenor + baritone). This song clearly showed his extended vocal range.
While listening to this song, I got physical responses at two points.
First, my heart sank at Minseong's "그 사람이 바로 나예요 (I am the very person)" at 4:24.
Second, my nose got watery at Kihun's "우리 서로 사랑했는데 (we loved each other, and yet)" at 5:53.
These are very soft and subtle moments. Neither rousing crescendo nor an exceptional vocal skill was displayed at these moments. Still, they touched my heart, and my body literally responded. This is perhaps La Poem's strength. They touch people's hearts.
Ji-Young Baek was present in the recording hall, watching La Poem singing this song live. After La Poem's performance was over, she was asked about how she listened to the song.
Ji-Young said that as the music began, she felt as if she was taking Mom's perspective, only wishing their good performance. She then went on to say that "Probably it's because I am the singer of the original song. I only wished for them to be happy while they were singing the song." She concluded with a complimentary remark that "It can be the best gift I received in 2021 although it's early in the year."
I have to say that this cover version is one of my favorites among the great songs La Poem performed across different rounds of the show.
The images of Minseong and Kihun were captured and the short video was recorded from Naver TV by me.
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