Auditory Perception of Neutral Voices in K-Pop Singers

To analyze the auditory perception of Korean pop (K-pop) singers' voices to identify vocal characteristics associated with gender neutrality.

This is a cross-sectional observational study.

The inclusion criteria differentiated groups by professional experience and gender identity, including speech-language pathologists with voice experience group, cisgender group, and a gender-diverse group with subgroups of transgender women and cross-dressers group, transgender men group, and nonbinary individuals. The participants classified four voice samples as feminine, masculine, or neutral. Data analysis focused on the perception of vocal classification, agreement between vocal perception and the singers' gender identity, and the identification of neutral voices. Descriptive and inferential analyses employed the chi-square test and the 5% significance level (P < 0.05).

The groups of listeners were statistically significantly associated with the perceived gender in both female (P = 0.001) and male (P = 0.017) voices. Among the subgroups, a statistically significant association was found only for the perceived gender in male voices (P = 0.044), with no significant association for female voices. Additionally, there was a significant association between the listener groups and the perception of neutrality in both female (P = 0.001) and male (P = 0.010) voices. However, no significant association was observed between the subgroups and the perception of neutrality in female (P = 0.251) or male (P = 0.065) voice.

The perception of neutrality in K-pop singers' voices varies widely across listener profiles, underscoring the complexity of classifying voices as neutral.