niKai cafe

一个人的天荒地老 (Eternity of a Single Person) I heart this performance. 一个人的天荒地老 was originally sung by Phil Chang. I wasn't attracted to the song when I heard it the first time while looking for reference in anticipation for Hwang Chi Yeul's performance. I don't know if it's my bias, or because Hwang Chi Yeul really did an excellent job, but the song just sounds 100 times better now. Hahaha. He inserted element of Korean folk song in the middle (Arirang). Out of all his stint with Chinese songs so far, this is my favorite yet. He's back to performing 2nd this time, and ranked 4th place. (Side note: I wish he was ranked higher because it was a very good performance. But I am not exactly hang up on that because the top three were performances that I enjoyed as well. I pretty much agree with the overall ranking this week.) Previous Performance(s):  Week 1 ;  Week 2 ;  Week 3 ;  Week 4 ;  Week 5 ; Week 6

Go Hae (Confession) His fans probably know how much this song means to him. This is one of the songs he sang when he first debuted, which was used as the OST for the popular series  Lovers  back in 2007. The original singer was Im Jaebum, who acknowledged Hwang Chi Yeul's powerful vocal. After nine years of being an unknown singer, he again sang "Confession" in the show  I Can See Your Voice , the very show that catapulted him to overnight sensation. He was practically in every other variety show ever since, and even became a regular guest in Immortal Songs 2 . He challenged himself again with the song through  I Am a Singer , this time with new arrangement. And just as I was beginning to miss his soft tones, this arrangement came along and showcased the softer side of his vocal while still mostly maintained the beloved husky and rough tone. And his high notes was just wow~ He performed it with a certain attitude that sucked you in in  I Can See Your Voice...

默 ( Silence) After a dance number the previous week, Hwang Chi Yeul is back to ballad. This week he chose to sing Na Ying's 默 - this song is used for the movie  You Are My Sunshine . One of the things I admire about Hwang Chi Yeul is how he manages to rearrange a song and makes it his own, and most of the time, I personally feel that his version is always better than the original. This week's performance however was no such case. He was good as usual, and it was kudos to him for again, singing in a language he's not familiar with. But whenever I feel like listening to 默, I will normally listen to the original as well, after listening to him. He performed fifth, and ranked 6th place. Previous Performance(s):  Week 1 ;  Week 2 ;  Week 3 ;  Week 4

Bang Bang Bang   After three consecutive weeks of performing ballads, it's finally time for a dance song, which I believe what many of his fans who knew of his dancer background were waiting for. He chose Big Bang's Bang Bang Bang. I am not familiar with the song, so I had to search it on youtube when I read that he was performing the song. I was worried to be honest, but then Bang! He made the song his own. He sang in Chinese and used Korean for the rap part. I have no idea what Big Bang's fans have to say, but I really like Hwang Chi Yeul's take on this one. There was element of James Bond in the performance, which should be cheesy but surprisingly worked. He sang, he rapped, he danced, he acted. It was Hwang Chi Yeul at his best yet.  Having said that, I wouldn't have known that he was performing this when his condition was quite terrible, if not for the behind the scenes that was shown in his Korean show  I Live Alone . The program followed his daily live...

一路上有你 (To Have You On This Road) He performed one of Jacky Cheung songs, 一路上有你 He sang the whole song in Mandarin. His Chinese fans in the audience must be very happy coz now they could sing along with him. He did his signature move - bended on one knee - for this one. Haha. He performed 6th and ranked 3rd for his performance, again behind Coco Lee who placed 2nd. Previous Performance(s):  Week 1 ;  Week 2

From the Beginning Until Now This song brings back memories of  Winter Sonata . It is one of the OST in the series. I used to put Winter Sonata OST on repeat mode for months. I just love the soft and melancholic melodies of its songs. When I read that Hwang Chi Yeul was going to sing this song, I was curious how different it's going to sound like with his husky voice, because I love the original as it is. He started singing in Mandarin, which gave him 'A' for effort. I don't know if he did well because I don't speak the language, but based on the audiences' responses, I would assume he did just fine. Or maybe the audiences were too kind? I must confess that I wasn't captivated at first watch, maybe because I still had my bias for the original. Nevertheless,  once I dropped my bias, it was, in typical Hwang Chi Yeul manner, a performance full of emotions and amazing vocals. The song arrangement seemed to be divided into so many parts within the shor...

From I Can See You Voice to Immortal Songs 2 , this talented guy is creating waves wherever he goes. His voice is like drugs. I'm addicted. And he's so witty. Currently, he's one of the contestants in I Am a Singer (China) Season 4 , with first episode aired on 15th Jan 2016.  I miss him in Immortal Songs 2 , but glad to see him performing internationally. I look forward to more amazing performances. That Person This song is part of Baker King Kim Tak Gu OST , originally sang by Lee Seung Chul. Hwang Chi Yeul sang this song in Immortal Songs 2 during Lee Seung Chul week and received praises from the legend for his powerful vocals. I personally prefer his performance of this song in I Am a Singer more. He gave more variations in his vocal range and for his first outing, I thought it was a solid performance deserving his second ranking at the end of the show.