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THREAD— An Analysis of the My Time live performances
I’ve previously covered the recorded version of this song, and much of what I said about the rhythm and his approach stands, since Jungkook is extremely consistent and generally matches or beats his recorded versions. https://twitter.com/vocaljking/status/1231699254596509696
In this thread I’ll be talking about how he approaches the live version a bit differently, his breath control, added adlibs, and the way he manages to do a complicated choreography while singing a vocally challenging song.
As I mentioned in my thread on the recorded version, the rhythm of My Time is extremely fast paced. It takes a lot of breath control to be able to handle these lines. His mastery of the diction and tempo also show his rapping experience. https://twitter.com/comma_vid/status/1315505296484122624
Right from the beginning, and pretty much for this entire clip, he uses a very strong chest voice. He stays in that placement to add strength and passion to his performance. Compared to the recording, I think the live version is even more passionate.
He strategically lets the backtrack take certain adlibs or the endings of lines to give him time to breathe. You can definitely hear the difference between his voice and the backtrack. This is really smart given the quickness of the verses and the intricate choreo he added.
In the live version there’s almost a bit more darkness to his voice, a bit more deep, than the recorded version. I contribute this difference to the passion in the performance and also the improvements we’ve seen in his voice during quarantine.
Here’s that first part, which shows his breath control and handling of that quick rhythm in the verses. https://twitter.com/comma_vid/status/1315504428099620867
Just like in the studio version, he adds little bits of vibrato to the ends of lines, which shows that he has enough breath control not only to finish the line but also to add those small flourishes.
I’ve spoken before about his breath control and how important that is in singing. (I have threads on it in my pinned!) In live performing, that control is even more important because you’re expending energy dancing and moving around.
To accomplish a stage like that, one has to have all the fundamentals of singing (pitch, breathing) down so well that they’re basically inherent and you no longer have to /think/ about them. You just do it automatically.
Looking at this stage, especially compared to Begin (another impressive stage), you can really see that these techniques have become inherent to Jungkook - he manages his breath extremely well even after the dance break.
Here’s that clip of the dance break and the bridge right after it. You can hear him pull a sort of sharper breath after the first line to get his bearings, but his chest voice comes out completely strong.
Not only that, but he adds an extra run on “go” which is so clean. Then, because he’s Jungkook, he adds a high note in head voice when the chorus starts again. The fact that he has breath for that after a whole dance break is truly amazing.
The high note is head voice but has no breath - it’s very clear and pure. In fact, he doesn’t make use of breathiness in his singing much in My Time at all - it’s a really strong, chest-heavy song and performance.
We get a bit of falsetto in those ending “ah”s, but even then most of these are in chest. His runs here are so clean. https://twitter.com/comma_vid/status/1315505510313979904
What I love about this performance is how much it really embodies the meaning of the song and shows off his artistry. He manages to take an already complex and challenging song and add to it.
I also think he makes really smart choices as a performer to take time to breath, letting the backtrack take a few words or lines here and there. That shows a lot of planning and practice on his part.
On the second day, I think you can tell he monitored his performance and decided to go even harder. The vocals are again really strong and passionate. He holds “air” out longer here, giving him even less time to breath between the quick lines. https://twitter.com/comma_vid/status/1315533647370358785
The second day dance break is so incredibly passionate. And do you see the way he literally runs on stage right before singing the bridge? After watching this performance, I was struck by how amazing his stamina is. https://twitter.com/comma_vid/status/1315534554266923008
Stamina is so important for live performing and reflects A LOT of hard work. Being able to sing clearly and strongly while dancing this hard is basically like singing while running on a treadmill.
The second day, to me, his chest voice sounds even better and his vibrato really shines. His notes all sound extremely comfortable and supported, even when he ascends a bit higher at the end of the bridge.
I said in my other My Time thread that I believe Jungkook just has a higher chest voice and that’s why this range is so easy for him.
The high note, while in the backtrack on the original studio version, comes front and center. His head voice is strong and clear, and the run is well-executed.
I also love that he adds a few “heys” in the performance. It really brings up the energy and again shows his endless stamina.
His ending “ah”s are also really strong in his chest voice. He again makes strong choices about stopping to breathe where he needs to. His voice sounds very smooth and velvety here, definitely more of a mature vibe. https://twitter.com/comma_vid/status/1315534869041049600
So not even touching on the choreo, this song shows off: his strong chest voice, his breath control and stamina, his passion and energy, and his mastery of complicated and quick rhythms.
To end this thread, I’d like to take a moment to talk about the choreography itself and what it does for the performance. Because Jungkook is a triple threat, you have to consider his singing, dancing, expressions together.
While I am not currently a dancer, I did take 4 years of dance (hip hop), 8 years of gymnastics, and then completed 4 years of musical theatre. So I believe I can add something to the discussion here!
The first thing I’ll say is that, again, his stamina is amazing. I know how it feels to have to sing and dance at the same time and it really is difficult.
Secondly, in order to have stage presence and expressions, you basically have to making both the singing and the dancing inherent to the point where you don’t have to think about them and can just go all out performing.
I know the choreography stirred up some feelings and some people felt it didn’t fit with the meaning of the song. I’ve previously written a small thread about that, but I’d like to expand that here.
First, the song is about him growing up in the spotlight and not having a typical childhood. He understands what it means to grow up in the public eye and the pressure that comes with.
Because he joined so young, he had to grow up fast. He couldn’t really be a normal kid or teenager. He had responsibilities and practice and had to work really hard.
The choreography tells that story by having the dance break include visible cameras watching and following him. He’s literally growing up in front of the media. The dance break also gets more mature.
The dance also includes various references to other moves in BTS choreography - notably the famous part from Fake Love.
There are many clocks and green spotlight outlines that follow him, again emphasizing the attention that’s always on him and the way that affected his growth.
Is the choreo sexy? Yes absolutely. The song itself is a sexy r&b vibe. But the choreo is also very passionate, especially if you pay close attention to his facial expressions.
So in all, the live performance of My Time tells the story of the song and shows what Jungkook wanted to show. It also displays the kind of performances and vibes he’s interested in as an artist and a performer.
With the difficulty of the song and the way it sits in his chest voice for most of it, I think the song really showed off the maturity of his voice and how it’s changed over time.
The performance also showed just how good Jungkook is - singing, dancing, acting out the song on stage. A true performer and a true triple threat. I absolutely can’t wait to see what he does next. 
