Embodying Heize as a Cover Singer

By Sarah Mick

I sang Heize’s part in the song “And July”. My prior singing experience consisted of singing high soprano in my middle school choir, so I was unsure how to authentically capture Heize’s unique singing style. I sympathized with K-pop idols who spend countless hours improving their vocal technique. I now see how idol training can take years, after all, singing is only part of an idol’s career.

To add to the challenge, I have no experience with learning the Korean language. I quickly became frustrated with my inaptitude with Korean, having to slow down the video to 50% speed and even 25% speed so I could catch the pronunciation. While the singing parts felt manageable, I knew the fast-paced raps would be difficult. I’m grateful for Avery for sitting down with me and helping me with the pronunciation. Learning the lyrics helped me respect K-pop idols, especially foreign idols, who must balance busy schedules, music practice, and learning a new language.

After listening to this song, and only this song on repeat for what seemed like weeks, (to the annoyance of my roommate) it was finally recording day. Avery and I sat in a music practice room, trying to make a perfect audio in one take, to make the editing process shorter. Of course, a perfect take is impossible on the first try, and after every run-through, Avery and I listened to the recording and critiqued ourselves. We modified parts in the song and pointed out ways we could improve in the next take. This was a valuable experience in understanding musical production. It was interesting to be in an environment in which my singing voice, a very personal part of me, contributed to the project. This process helped me realize how complicated songs are to sing, despite how effortless K-pop idols make it seem.