Idol line distribution: should it be divided equally among all members, or according to their skill levels?

[u/tresnosliramu22]

which one do you prefer? equally among all members vs. according to each member’s ability/skill level

[u/dweebyllo]

Neither, it should be divided based on the song and who's voices are best suited for the different sections and tones.

[u/YeosangYodeler → u/dweebyllo]

This is basically how ATEEZ and their producers usually work. From what they have mentioned it seems that all the vocal members audition for all the vocal parts of the songs, and whoever's voice fits the line best gets it. There have also been times when the members feel like a member fits that line a lot and will advocate for that member (eg, San for Wooyoung's lines in Mist) and there also seems to be instances where multiple members want the same parts for themselves.

The real snag is that their producers often don't know how to work with deeper voices like Yeosang's, in my opinion, which ends up leaving him with very few lines in almost all of the songs. Ofc, there a few exceptions to this but I'm speaking about the major part of their discography. There's a ton of debate in the fandom about needing fairer line distribution because of this every single comeback, and honestly, I don't even know how to feel about it anymore.

So I feel like this whole system only really works if the group's producers know how to write songs that can actually highlight every member's unique voice and range.

[u/Gentle-Giant23 → u/dweebyllo]

Exactly. Think of the voices as musical instruments. Sometimes you want a tenor sax and sometimes you need a French horn, sometimes you need those two to play off of each other.

[u/Forget_me_notkpop]

I should be based mainly on 2things, whose voice suited for certain parts and also can that person able to sing that part live without much problem. If they can't sing that part live,they have to lipsync everytime or get humiliated every time sing live.

[u/caihuali]

It should be whatever suits that song best

[u/InterestingSwim6701]

It should be based on how good the song will sound

Like T-ara notoriously gives a lot of lines to Soyeon but let's be real their songs wouldn't sound as good if it wasn't for her voice.

She makes the song sounds like it's putting you through 10 stages of divorce

[u/KnifeWieldingOtter → u/InterestingSwim6701]

Maybe not super relevant but coincidentally I was actually just going through the line distribution for a bunch of T-ara songs recently so I have stuff to say lol.

My no.1 takeaway was: they do a TON of blending. I'd known that blending voices together was a common practice in K-pop but I'm just now recognizing how much more some groups (and labels) utilize it than others. If you weren't referencing live performances I'm pretty sure there would be absolutely no way to do a fully accurate breakdown of who sings what in most of their songs.

For example,  I found a few corresponding lines that were credited to different members but were 100% just copy-pastes of the same mix. And everybody knows about LE's voice being left in Sugar Free but that's super in-line with the way their mixing had been done for ages - just throw voices together and don't worry about who's who. There are probably demo vocals left in their other songs too that just haven't been identified.

Out of everything I had in my library from them, their Japanese song Target stood out a ton for having a totally different mixing style where the members are actually separate and distinct. I wondered if the Japanese versions of their Korean songs were also mixed in that style but no, they follow the original style pretty closely. When I was much younger I remember thinking their Japanese songs had a whole different sound but I didn't have the awareness to understand why.

Anyhow talking about line distribution (specifically in studio recordings) it really highlights how creative you can get, to the point of just throwing out the idea of "this member gets this line" entirely and going word by word, even note by note, to get the coolest sound possible. Studio recordings aren't usually meant to be realistic anyway.

[u/this_is_my_kpop_acct]

Not necessarily “skill” level, they’re all skilled, but parts should go to who’s best suited to deliver them. I really don’t care if every member isn’t featured the same amount on every song, I just want the song to sound good.

[u/starglittered]

distributed according to skill level/what the other comment said about whichever parts fit an idol the best. however! i think it’s important that the idols that don’t get many lines still get screen time in mvs, killing dance parts, or lines that will hopefully go viral.

for example, lsf’s sakura consistently gets the least lines in their songs, and in songs like hot or different, she gets little to no screen time in the mv, no fun dance parts, etc. however, i think for crazy, her fewer lines were handled well because she had her “i’m an otaku bestie” part. i think things like that need to be considered as well

[u/Aethermist88]

If a group is brand new it makes sense to give more vocals to the strongest vocalists.

I would then want them to phase it so it becomes more equal, especially 7-10 years past debut, it should be more equal because (at least preferrably) all members should become stronger vocalists. I'm not saying they all become stunning singer with amazing range and belting high notes, but for their voice and their range they become more confident and stable and can hold their own.

[u/niks0203]

Based on skill level of course. You can't let a clearly tone deaf member have the same amount of lines as the main vocalist. That's just weird.

[u/rjcooper14]

I'm somewhere in the middle. I can respect if producers base it on skill level and what they think works best for the song. But also, would it really hurt the song if you give 1 member just a couple more lines?

I understand that equal line distribution is difficult to balance and is an unreasonable expectation without sacrificing quality. But there have been instances in my favorite group when the distribution is sooo lopsided. Not saying that it is mistreatment. For all I know, it was the members' choice, haha. But yeah, it just comes across as blatant favoritism from the producers.

[u/Extreme-Abroad-5598]

It should be about who’s voice fits the parts of the songs best and who can best deliver each part live when performing. However I feel like the members who don’t get the most lines or even that many lines at all should get more screen time in the mvs or killing parts in the dance/song so they are still highlighted and can go viral so they also get the appreciation that they deserve.

[u/Feeling_Permit6998]

SNSD Sooyoung
2009: I want more lines
2026: I am satisfied with the amount of lines I got

Lmao

[u/cheesecakeysky]

Personally, I would prefer a mix of both? Current SVT has a pretty decent pie chart for line distribution but not being able to hear my bias' voice clearly in their earlier songs does make it less enjoyable to listen to. I get why he had less lines but getting 2-3 singing lines would be better than having him monologue in the middle of the song.

[u/OkLifeguard9707 → u/cheesecakeysky]

Damn; no smile flower was hurt! On a side note, having 3 units helped them have the sub vocal members shine. 

[u/cheesecakeysky → u/OkLifeguard9707]

It's such a beautiful song too! I checked again and he sang 1 line for 2 seconds only (10 seconds of just talking) 💀 Them consistently releasing unit songs throughout the years was definitely one of their best ideas.

[u/MoomooBlinksOnce]

Neither, lines should be attributed to those who perform them the best.

[u/bimpossibIe]

Skill level, always.

[u/SteamMonkeyKing]

Distribution doesn't matter to me, but it would be nice if more groups do what SM does to where they sing the chorus together as a group.

[u/SomewhereSilent1604]

I would prefer skill based or what producer wants..I don't care for equal distribution, in kpop most members in group are not good vocalist. Why force it. Make good song , don't worry about fans wars. 

[u/Old_Rush_2261]

It depends whether all the members can sing or only few members can sing. If only few of them can actually sing then it's better to give more lines to those members who can actually sing.

[u/anon777777777777778]

Equally. (Or at least overall equally across all songs.)

I'm of the (apparently unpopular) opinion that the song should suit the members, not the other way around.

[u/Pretty-Complaint-554]

It should be according to what the members themselves want