IVE’s Jang Won-young is said to be more of a celebrity than a singer because of her poor vocal skills
Despite drawing attention with her stunning beauty, Jang Won-young has been criticized many times for her vocal ability.
Jang Won-young, who has gained the nickname of “born-to-be center” and “godbaby,” is already in the fourth year since her debut. Despite attracting attention with her outstanding appearance, she is criticized for her lack of ability as a singer.
Jang Won-young’s appearance in the entertainment industry was spectacular. The idol made her name known through the 2018 Mnet survival audition program “Produce 48.” With her perfect beauty which doesn’t look like a 15-year-old girl, she overwhelmed the program’s audience and was nicknamed “ten-thousand-year idol” (an idol that appears once in ten thousand years). She finished at first place and proudly became the center of the 12-member girl group IZ*ONE when the show ended.
IZ*ONE walked on the flowery path as they took over the music industry by making hits such as “Violeta,” “La Vie en Rose,” and “Panorama.” IZ*ONE brought Jang Won-young to fame. All she had to do was to get the attention while the members showed off their outstanding skills.
After IZ*ONE’s activities, Jang Won-young fell into a dilemma. This is because the singer needed to prove her singing skills to satisfy fans’ expectations in her next group.
Jang Won-young does not seem to have finished this assignment yet. She re-debuted last December with Starship Entertainment’s new girl group IVE. Fans had high expectations for her skills as IVE’s debut song “ELEVEN” was released.
However, expectations turn into disappointment. Her singing skills remained unchanged, and public criticism began to emerge one by one. On various streaming platforms, MR removed videos of IVE’s performances on music programs were uploaded one after another. In addition, in cases where the group had to perform live on stage or radio, doubts about Jang Won-young’s skills grew as other members were often found singing her part.
In fact, some fans who watched the videos responded, “I’m personally disappointed with the IVE’s MR removed videos” and “Weren’t they supposed to do their best on every stage as a rookie?”
The controversy over Jang Won-young seems to spread from singing skills to stage attitudes. In a performance in December last year, the female idol was so conscious of what she looked like on camera that she did not perform the head banging dance properly. It was pointed out that she was being unprofessional and it’s this behavior, which reduced the quality of the stage.
In this regard, singer Lee Hong-ki‘s mention of Jang Won-young on Produce 48 is drawing attention again. Lee Hong-ki pointed out, “It’s really good to know how attractive Won-young is, but if you don’t perform the vocal skills perfectly, your appearance is the only that will remain.”
This year, Jang Won-young is in her fourth year in the entertainment industry. Despite the advice of senior Lee Hong-ki, she is still showing off only her “skills” with facial expressions and gestures rather than singing skills.
Of course, Jang Won-young has a high potential as, not a singer, but a celebrity. Jang Won-young, as the MC of KBS Music Bank and 2021 Asia Artist Awards, showed off her stable hosting skills. In addition, the female idol also appears in various entertainment programs and shows off her variety talents. However, the fact that Jang Won-young is still active on stage as a singer remains unchanged. She became a professional singer after her idol trainee period, so it is time she proved herself with the skills worthy of the title “nation’s center.”
