Crezl

Crezl

Crezl (Korean: 크레즐) is a South Korean crossover male vocal quartet formed through the JTBC singing competition program, Phantom Singer 4, which aired in 2023. They officially debuted as a group after advancing to the final round of competition in May . The name, Crezl, is a portmanteau of "creative" and Korean word “즐겁다” meaning "joy" (pronounced "zhul") to reflect their aspirations to enjoy and create music that display the unique charms of the four members who come from different genres of music.

The group consists of classical vocalist Lee Seung-min (Korean: 이승민), musical actor Lim Kyu-hyung (Korean: 임규형), K-pop idol singer Jo Jinho (Korean: 조진호), and traditional Korean musician Kim Su- in (Korean: 김수인). Regarded as a group never before seen throughout the four seasons of the popular Phantom Singer show, they gained praise and recognition for the fact that they are a true crossover vocal quartet that is able to combine the different music genres and show each unique color while also displaying beautiful, seamless harmony.

History

Background

Before appearing in Phantom Singer, Jo Jinho was active as the main vocalist in the idol boy group, Pentagon. He made history by becoming the first K-pop idol to advance to the final round of Phantom Singer. Lim Kyu-hyung was also active as a musical actor, performing in productions (Hero; William, William, William) even while he participated in the program. Kim Soo-in was active in the National Changgeuk Company while he too participated in Phantom Singer. Lee Seung-min was studying at the Department of Vocal Music at Seoul National University and finished his studies just as the program ended.

2023: Phantom Singer 4

While on Phantom Singer 4, it was clear that the group differentiated themselves from the other more classical vocal groups. The first round brought together Jo Jinho and Kim Su-in with another contestant ("rocker" and financial advisor Lee Kwang Jin) to a uniqure rendition of Dangerously that elicited high praise from the judges. In the second round, it was Lee Seung-min and Kim Su-in who first joined forces in the duet round to perform a pop song, River, that raised the bar for their willingness to take on new challenges, which produced an unique performance combining classical vocals with Korean traditional vocals that blew away the judges. In the trio round, with the addition of Lim Kyu-hyung, the group took a old-school popular song from a legendary Korean singer and used once again Kim Su-in's powerful and unique vocals to give it a different color and power. Lim Kyu-hyung, having excelled in performances that range from pop, musical, to a French chanson, began to be called a "vocal genius". The trio, due to their individual schedules and obligations outside of the program, began to room with each other, in order to use any down time to devote to their music. It was not until the final round that Jo Jinho joined the three members to become Crezl, bringing together "angel" Jo as he was affectionately nicknamed because of his beautiful high notes. As reflected in the last four songs of the final round, Crezl members expressed that their greatest asset was that they all come from different genres, each with their own strength. Unlike the repertoire of the other groups, Crezl has distinguished itself covering pop music from all parts of the world and languages (Korean, English, Spanish, etc.). Their rendition of "Faith", which combined vocal range, choreography, and overall performance, resulted in the highest high-low scores (99-98) of all time. "Kill This Love", also performed in the finals, was the first idol song to be covered Phantom Singer final history, especially in its reinterpretation with Korean traditional music mixed in. The performance was lauded with a standing ovation from the crowd.

Members

• Lim Kyu-hyung (Korean: 임규형) - leader of Crezl, musical vocal / tenor
• Jo Jin-ho (Korean: 조진호) - pop vocal / tenor
• Kim Su- in (Korean: 김수인) - traditional Korean vocal (gugak) / tenor
• Lee Seung-min (Korean: 이승민) - classical vocal / baritone

The members of Crezl each walked different paths before joining the group and remain active in their respective music genres. Lim Kyu Hyung, a musical actor, is the leader of Crezl. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Musical Acting from Chung-Ang University. He made his debut with a role in the 2019 musical "Aranga" (아랑가) and has performed in many more musicals ever since. He also entered the singing competitions "Vocal Play 2" and "Double Casting". Jo Jin Ho is said to be the "producer" and balance of sorts for the group. He is regarded as multi-talented, as a vocalist, lyricist, dancer, composer, vocal coach, musical actor and member of the idol group, Pentagon. He graduated from Cheongryang High School. In 2008, he won the SM "Everysing" Contest earning a spot as a trainee. He debuted in 2010 as a member of the project group SM the Ballad alongside Super Junior's Kyuhyun. He also debuted as a musical actor in 2013 with a role in "Summer Snow". He later left SM in 2015 and joined CUBE. He initially joined a vocal project group but later debuted as part of Pentagon. He continues to release covers, act in musicals, and serves as a vocal coach to fellow labelmates. Kim Su In is regarded as the powerful vocalist that also gives Crezl its unique color. He is a Korean traditional musician. He graduated from Gwangju Jeil High School and later obtained a bachelor's degree in Traditional Arts from Chung-Ang University. As a child, he learned pansori from his mother and majored in dance for a long time. He is a member of the National Changgeuk Company. Lee Seung Min is the youngest in the group, known for his kind and easy-going nature. He is the only classically trained (baritone) member of Crezl. He graduated from Busan Arts High School and later obtained a bachelor's degree in Vocal Music from Seoul National University. He continues to perform in operas as a classical vocalist.

The group's name, Crezl (크레즐), sounds similar to pretzel in Korean (프레즐), so the members often use the pretzel 🥨 emoticon when promoting the group on social media. Crezl fans, who are also widely known as 프레즐 (friends of Crezl), have taken to that when they express their support.

Artistry

It may seem that there would be no point of contact between the members that come from such different genres, but they unknowingly have had experiences in each other's genres. Jo Jinho has experience in musicals and has played samulnori, and Lim Kyu-hyung's first musical is a Korean traditional music musical. Kim Su-in revealed that he listens to pop more than Korean traditional music. Lee Seung-min has experience of releasing self-composed songs with interest in pop music as well. Similarly, each member of the group have an open mind about exploring whatever style and genre of music and expressed that they even hope to create a brand new genre of their own called Crezl. The vocal range and flexibility of each one of the artists have also been cited as a strength, providing a wide range of possible repertoire given the smooth, warm, low register of Lee Seung-min's voice, to Kim Su-in's soulful tonal voice characteristic of Korean traditional music, with the vocal flexibility and harmonization of both Lim Kyu-hyung and Jo Jinho's voices. Lastly, audiences and judges have praised the live performances, displayed especially in the final round of the Phantom Singer Season 4 competition, noting that it was the reason that the program exists - to showcase music that crosses the spectrum of genres.

Discography & Filmography

Phantom Singer Season 4: March - June 2023

Contest	Jinho Cho	Kyuhyung Lim	Kim Soo-in	Seungmin Lee
Producer Auditions - Individual qualifying round	Waving Through A Window (original song from Dear Evan Hansen)	Always Remember Us This Way (original song from A Star Is Born)	쑥대머리 (Sook dae muh ri)	Se ho da dirla avrei molto piacere
Round 1 - Position Battle	Dangerously	Hey Child	Dangerously	E'Mezzanotte
Round 2 - Duet contest	I Can't Feel My Face	Comme Toi	River
Round 3 - Trio contest	Ali di Liberta	황진이 (Hwang Jini)
Round 4 - 1st Quartet Competition	Viva La Dolce Vita	나 하나 꽃 피어 ("If Only I Were to Bloom")
Round 5 - 2nd Quartet Competition	겨울잠 ("Winter Slumber")		Bloody Mary	Never Change
Finals - 1st round	1) iCorre! 2) Faith
Finals - 2nd round	1) Kill This Love 2) Higher

Tours

	Date	Location	Note
2023
Phantom Singer 4 Gala Concert with Top 3 Finalists	07.14~16	Seoul Olympic Park Olympic Hall	[9]
	07.22	Daejeon Convention Center 2nd Exhibition Hall
	07.29	Daegu EXCO 5th floor
	08.04~05	Incheon Songdo Convensia
	08.12	Gwangju Women's University Universiade Gymnasium
	08.19	Busan BEXCO Hall 1
	08.26	Cheongju University Seokwoo Cultural Gymnasium
	09.02	Jeonju Korea Sori Culture Center outdoor performance hall
	09.09~10	Seongnam Arts Center Opera House