Taiwanese falsetto singer wows audiences on South Korean talent show

Taiwanese falsetto singer wows audiences on South Korean talent show

2023-03-27

A Taiwanese countertenor has made it big in South Korea, thanks to an impressive ability to hit high pitches with a clean falsetto. We’re talking about Chu Yu-sen, a classically-trained singer capable of seamlessly switching between low and high registers. Chu recently won the top spot in a South Korean talent show, where he had to pretend to be Korean AND tone-deaf. Let’s hear about his experience.

The crystal tones emanating from the performer make everyone’s jaws drop. The singer is Chu Yu-sen from Taiwan, who emerged victorious at a South Korean talent show against performers from several countries.

He switches between a feminine and masculine register with ease, showing off the vocal range that held audiences rapt. Chu says that at the beginning, he thought the invitation to be on the TV show was a scam.

Chu Yu-sen
Singer
I thought they were trying to swindle me, because it was the screenwriter of the show that had contacted me. In the last stage, it was just me and another contestant. They said that if you didn’t get picked, you wouldn’t be singing on the show. Had it gone that way, I would’ve been standing for nine hours in vain.

But it wasn’t Chu’s first time in the spotlight.

This is Chu in high school, hitting the high notes of the “Queen of the Night Aria” from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” in an impeccable falsetto. With a dream of pursuing a musical career, he went to further his studies in the U.K., at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. The singer reveals that he had to pretend to be tone-deaf for the TV show.

Chu Yu-sen
Singer
I had to pretend that I was Korean. They said my movements when singing were too natural, that I had to pretend I was faking it.

The producers of the TV show later released a single of his performance. Chu hopes more opportunities like this will come up for him in the future, to show off Taiwan’s musical talent.

台灣之光! 朱育陞登韓綜秀美聲韓星讚天籟

2023-03-27

新的台灣之光誕生！台灣假聲男高音朱育陞，日前參加韓國知名歌唱比賽節目，天籟般嗓音，讓他脫穎而出，成為這個比賽中首位拿下優勝的台灣人，回台首度亮相，難掩獲勝喜悅，更笑說一開始接到節目邀請，還以為是詐騙。

天籟美聲一開口，讓台下金鐘國、利特等一眾韓星，全都張大嘴巴驚呼，台灣聲樂家朱育陞登韓綜，在各國參賽者中脫穎而出，成為最終優勝者！

男女聲自由切換，勝出後回台首度亮相，再度飆高音，談的比賽經過他笑說，當初收到邀請還以為是詐騙。

[[聲樂家朱育陞]]
“我以為對方是詐騙集團，因為他是透過編劇和我聯絡，到了最後一關的時候剩下我和另一位選手，而他說好像沒被選上，就沒辦法唱歌，若是這樣的話我就白來站了九個小時。”

不過朱育陞，早在高中時期就爆紅。

穿著制服開口不得了，以假聲演唱，莫札特歌劇魔笛夜后，一唱成名，被譽為男版夜后，一路在聲樂路上追夢，大學畢業遠赴英國，伯明罕音樂學院，專攻聲樂，為了節目還得假扮音痴，撐到最後。

[[聲樂家朱育陞]]
“要假裝真的是韓國人，然後說唱歌我的動作都太自然，要有一點好像假的感覺。”

現在韓國節目製作單位，將替他錄製單曲發行，讓朱育陞期待未來有更多跨界合作機會，這次更堪稱台灣之光。

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Johnny Chiang
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The U.S. should take the lead and consider resuming diplomatic relations with the R.O.C. Otherwise, it’s very hard for them to persuade other countries to establish diplomatic ties with us, or to not break off relations with us. That’s also the case for Japan, which stands with Taiwan. If they stand with Taiwan, they might as well resume official ties with us.

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Pictures of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s past exchanges with Taiwan adorn the walls of a memorial exhibition in Taipei. President Tsai Ing-wen attended the exhibition’s opening day Monday to make a speech.

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