Popular SM Entertainment Main Vocalist’s High Notes Hit With Scathing Criticism

A viral post criticizing the vocals of Hearts2Hearts main vocalist Carmen is gaining traction on a popular Korean forum, drawing attention to the rookie idol’s high notes and vocal tone.

Hearts2Hearts debuted in 2025 under SM Entertainment. Carmen — whose full name is Nyoman Ayu Carmenita — is notably the company’s first Indonesian idol and serves as one of the group’s main vocalists.

However, the trending post harshly criticizes her singing, particularly targeting her high notes in a recent performance of the group’s latest hit song “RUDE!”

Carmen’s high notes are seriously on the level of ear torture.

Her voice already has that nasal tone mixed in, which makes it unpleasant to listen to, but this time she completely butchered the high notes in “Rude.” Honestly, they should’ve just made her lip-sync that part. It’s seriously so hard to listen to—she’s basically just shouting.

— Viral post on Pann

The backlash has sparked discussion partly because of the company she represents. SM Entertainment has long been known in K-Pop for producing strong vocalists with powerful technique.

The comments section quickly filled with heated debate. Some questioned whether she should hold a main vocal position, while others argued that her live singing is weaker compared to expectations.

• “When fans hype her up saying she’s good based on those recorded clips, it’s honestly embarrassing.”
• “Was it the Gayo Daejeon performance? She couldn’t sing live well there either. Is she the main vocalist?”
• “No, she’s the worst at live singing, what do you mean main vocal? It’s even really unpleasant to listen to, seriously.”
• “Isn’t Carmen the main vocalist?”
• “It’s not because she’s a foreigner. Ningning, Minnie, Asahi, and Zhang Hao are all foreigners too, and they sing well and have nice voices. But Carmen’s voice is honestly that really nasal tone Koreans hate. Even the nasal sound some Japanese singers have is unpleasant, but hers is even worse in my opinion.”

What are your thoughts? Is Hearts2Hearts’ Carmen up to par with other SM main vocalists, or is she weaker than expected? Let us know in the comment section of our social media posts.