BTS’s Jungkook and IU make Rolling Stone’s “200 Greatest Singers of All Time” list!
To ring in the new year, the US magazine published a list of what it considers to be the 200 greatest pop singers of all time, spanning several decades and a wide range of genres.
Rolling Stone explained how they compiled the list, writing, “Keep in mind that this is a list of the greatest singers, not a list of the greatest voices… In all cases, we were most concerned with originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy .”
BTS’s Jungkook was ranked 191, and Kristine Kwak wrote, “The versatile youngest member of BTS boasts a long list of talents – he’s a strong performer, has written several songs, and is known to be extremely hardworking and humble despite his success.” he has experience at such an early age. He is also an extremely gifted singer. In 2022, when his song with Charlie Puth, ‘Left and Right‘ became the fastest song by a Korean soloist to surpass 400 million streams on Spotify, Puth called him one of the few artists who ever sent me perfect vocals. He hits high notes with ease and harmonizes effortlessly with his members, always giving his audience new ad-libs and unexpected vocal riffs to keep things interesting.”
Meanwhile, IU came in at No. 135 on the list. Kwak wrote, “Since her breakthrough hit ‘Good Day’ in 2010 (which garnered well-deserved praise for its beautiful three-note peak), IU has become one of the most respected vocalists in South Korean music. Although she has a soft voice, she has a wide range, strong delivery and versatility that allows her to move easily from bossa nova to nineties chamber pop and from jazz to ballads. In 2022, she became the first Korean soloist to perform at the Seoul Olympic Stadium, selling out the venue within five minutes with peers and admirers such as BTS’s Jungkook, TWICE’s Jihyo and Jeongyeon, and TXT’s Soobin and Beomgyu. to celebrate her triumph.”
Also on the list was rock star Karen O, the lead singer of the American band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who was born in Seoul before moving to the United States as a child. Noting her legacy “as a Korean-American kid who grew up idolizing Sam Cooke,” Rob Sheffield wrote, “Karen O made history with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, New York’s goth-punk beer-swirling diva. , lipstick and fishnets… As one of the only female rock voices of her era, she sparked a rising generation of rebellious girls.”