For those who haven't read it - Metro News Canada's feature on Wendy (Red Velvet) from February 2015

[Carlo]

Here's the link: GTA (Greater Toronto Area) stages a 'breeding ground' for K-Pop talent

 

Here's the text of the article, dated February 25th, 2015:

 

 

One of the most-hyped and newest K-Pop girl bands features talent from Richmond Hill.

 

Wendy Son — who once performed with Richmond Hill High School's Vocal Fusion show choir — is now a K-Pop star with the girl group Red Velvet.

 

“She’s in a really huge group called Red Velvet, they just debuted last year,†said Gerald Belanger, who runs a major K-Pop — Korean pop music — event company in Toronto.

 

“The agencies have talent searches here in Toronto every year. Toronto is definitely what you’d call a breeding ground†for talent, he added.

 

“When I first heard Wendy sing, I was completely blown away and I told myself that I need to get in touch with this girl,†said Jorge Toledo-Ramirez, a K-Pop songwriter and producer who first saw Wendy during a K-Pop competition in Vancouver in 2011, and later worked with her on songwriting projects, before she was snapped up in 2012 by S. M. Entertainment — one of the biggest Korean music labels. Son moved to Seoul to be an “SM Rookie,†a star in training.

 

In high school, Son was known as kind, funny girl with a soulful voice, said fellow choir member Alyssa Bouranova.

“She she had this amazing range and almost this gospel-like quality to her voice. She was always doing Beyonce covers,†Bouranova said.

 

Son’s rise to K-Pop fame is well known among her old choir friends, Bouranova said. “It’s crazy,†she said, and added that the pop-infused songs Red Velvet has put out — which have debuted in the top 10 on an number of Asian pop charts — mask Son’s true voice.

 

“From what I can hear, it’s an underuse of her talent,†she said.

 

Son isn’t the only artist to be plucked from the streets of Toronto and thrust into the K-Pop limelight.

 

Henry Lau, who hails from Willowdale, is a member of one of of Asia’s biggest K-Pop sensations Super Junior-M. Lau plays violin in the boy band, which debuted in 2007 and is also under the S.M. Entertainment label.

 

[Gloupipoo]

Wendyoncé is too good for kpop

[Midna]

She went to a good high school

[Dianun]

       

[Kyrie]

An under-use of her talent is accurate. I love RV's music but it's easy to tell Wendy is capable of so much more. I hope she gets more special stages and OST work in the future to show off her brilliance!

[vocabulary]

she's a nice person. that's why her friends only had good things to say bout her

[ToriTore]

Yeah, her vocals aren't as utilized as showcased as they could be. Even though I love Red Velvet, I hope that Wendy does more OSTs in the future so I can her her voice more.

[Ｔ�ｅ�Ｓｅｕｌ]

Yeah, her vocals aren't as utilized as showcased as they could be. Even though I love Red Velvet, I hope that Wendy does more OSTs in the future so I can her her voice more.

Yep I agree, I like seeing that SM is given her and Seulgi more OSTs and actvities that let them showcase their vocals

[violetvelvet]

So much truth in one post. Uri Wendy Q.Q

 

Saved. Thanks for sharing this! 

[Carlo]

Yep I agree, I like seeing that SM is given her and Seulgi more OSTs and actvities that let them showcase their vocals

 

 

Yeah, her vocals aren't as utilized as showcased as they could be. Even though I love Red Velvet, I hope that Wendy does more OSTs in the future so I can her her voice more.

 

 

she's a nice person. that's why her friends only had good things to say bout her

 

 

So much truth in one post. Uri Wendy Q.Q

 

Saved. Thanks for sharing this! 

 

Glad you guys liked it! When I posted the article on /r/KPop on Reddit, we and other Redditors also found some YouTube material from Wendy's Richmond Hill days. I find myself in a very similar situation - I'm rooting for Red Velvet all the way but am hoping Wendy gets to showcase her full range more too.

 

Wendy covering Halo in the drama room at Richmond Hill

 

 

 

Vocal Fusion performs the theme from Rent at the 2011 Canadian National Show Choir Championships - includes a solo from Wendy

 

 

 

I suggest reading the comments in both - a lot of fans, including folks who had the honor of knowing or meeting her at those times.

[whasa]

Wendy is so amazing. I think Dumb Dumb was a good title track in terms of showing off her vocal ability (those runs... insane) but I hope she gets to shine even more!

[WonderJoyous]

“From what I can hear, it’s an underuse of her talent,†she said.

 

This is so painfully true 

I hope we get to see even more of Wendy's vocals in the future, so far SM is doing well at giving her some OSTs and vocal stages, but all I can do is wish for more, because she still don't get to showcase her voice as much as other vocalists from other new gen groups and she probably has the widest vocal range of this generation.

[Carlo]

This is so painfully true 

I hope we get to see even more of Wendy's vocals in the future, so far SM is doing well at giving her some OSTs and vocal stages, but all I can do is wish for more, because she still don't get to showcase her voice as much as other vocalists from other new gen groups and she probably has the widest vocal range of this generation.

 

Certainly. I remember when she basically did lead on their performance of Goodbye in Immortal Songs and it was so good that it haunted me.

 

Wendy is so amazing. I think Dumb Dumb was a good title track in terms of showing off her vocal ability (those runs... insane) but I hope she gets to shine even more!

 

That was downright cool (she also got to show further proof that she can dance), but you want proof of just her ability to move people with her voice, I think there are plenty of better options.

 

Anyone remember the video she did for the Mimi theme Because I Love You back when she was in SM Rookies with Irene and Seulgi? In case you don't or haven't seen it, here's a refresher:

 

 

[DC3]

“From what I can hear, it’s an underuse of her talent,†she said.

 

So true. I feel like it's the same for both her and Luna in that their respective group's songs don't showcase their vocal power 

 

Hopefully she can get more osts to show her amazing voice