Lea Salonga. She doesn't fall into the "PRETENDING" trap that so many do. Perfectly restrained and full of emotion without having to scream to seem angsty.
Ok, let's put it like this. Lea Salonga was so confident in herself, that she used On My Own, to audition, in front of the writers of the song (forget their names at the moment), for Miss Saigon and not only did they say she was the voice of Miss Saigon, they said that she should have been Eponine from the beginning. When your voice is exactly what the writers of the song envisioned, I'd say you have the perfect voice for the role (but Lea has such a perfect voice anyway)
Vivien Doculan my aunt actually met them! She was in the first amateur production of the pirate king (another show by them that didn’t do as well) and she actually played Grainne,so her and the cast met them!
I’m so confused. She’s confident in her skills, she goes to audition with the song that shows her range and she gets the part. (To sum up your whole “she’s good, so she’s confident, so she auditiones”). So what’s wrong? She IS that good.
3 things that I've learned from this video 1. All my life, I've only been pretending 2. Without me, his world will go on turning 3. A world that's full of happiness that I have never known
I’m a trained opera singer who can act and tries to dance. The best advice I ever got from a musical theatre coach was “stop singing!” Meaning I was too focused on my voice and neglected the acting. For musical theatre it’s more about the theatrics than song (however, one could argue Les Mis is more of an opera then it is theatre.
I had the distinct honor to be a conductor for Lea Salonga in both LES MIZ and MISS SAIGON on Broadway, so I might be a bit biased. Many of these women, though, pulled on the heartstrings of this now-retired has-been. Thanks for the compilation!
Wow! up close & access to TheReal Deal! thank you for sharing! I saw her in both, maybe I saw you as well. I was the guy in the audience who never blinked when Lea was on stage.
I know it's been a literal year, but while you can take the kid out of the theater, you can never take the theater out of the kid. You may not come back to work, but theater has changed you for good.
Thank you for the memories. I first saw Lea in London in 89. Never knew what I was walking into. Since then I saw her more times in London, and NYC. I felt so lucky, and loved all her performances. I just saw Nathania Ong, a new generation of performers now following Lea, and the future is bright. I’m so glad the new generation will have their “Lea”, because we had ours.
I thought the same. The other singers were all preparing to hit the high notes that they forget that Eponine’s heart was breaking into pieces during the climax. Lea and Samantha were the only two to not break out of the role.
That Park Ji-yeon proves that it's not always about the language we speak but if you put a real emotions to the song you can transfer the message to anyone even if you don't understand the words. Lea Salonga & Park Ji-yeon
Lea Salonga of course... Crystal clear with balance, control and emotions... No long pauses, and no shouting nor screaming... In my opinion, peace out!
Lea Salonga, Park Ji-Yeon and Samantha Barks(Stage version), for me they nailed not only the vocals, but also the emotion of the scene! Lea's voice is so clear, i don't even need to elaborate PARK JI-YEON IS AMAZING! i never heard her version before, she sounds so natural(like ifshe doesn't try to hit the high notes) Samantha's vocals are better on stage, but people have to remember that teather and movies are different, the scene had to be filmed multiple times in the rain(they sang live in the set, not on a studio), she obviously was tired, and they basically made her hold her voice, so she(as well as Aaron Tveit) would'nt "outshine" the others members of the cast, and with that said, she's such a great actress, for me, her performance both i the movie and stage are the most memorable in terms of acting/emotioal range, what is difficult because the acting on teathre and movies is totally different! P.S.: I wish i was as talented as any of those women!
Eponine is Lea Salonga and Lea Salonga is Eponine. It's definitely The Lea Salonga hands down. C'mon... The clarity of the lyrics, the phrasing, the crystal clear voice, the beautiful use of her vocals and the emotions. It's just mastered with mind to understand and the heart to deliver.
Lea Salonga. She raised the bar, and has been setting the standards for music and musicals: control, techniques, emotions, sustained notes, pronunciations. She's LEGEND!
True Heart She has a great mature voice which many might prefer for this role but I prefer more vulnerability. Haven’t seen her live though so I can’t judge fairly.
First time listener to Park Ji-Yeon but she gave me CHILLS. Still, this is Lea's song. The fragility, loneliness, bitterness, and desperation in her performance is so affecting. Eponine is such an important character because her miserableness is not due to poverty or disenfranchisement, it's personal--unrequited love. The audience can understand the pain and frustration that characters have about their situation, but they can relate to Eponine. We've all been Eponine at some point. Lea has a way of transmitting those negative emotions into a song that is in contrast compositionally gorgeous (sweeping and grand and so unlike Eponine) and uplifting. My favorite song in any show... and Lea does it justice.
Yes, definitely Lea Salonga is the best of them all, but Park Ji-Yeon's ability to convey emotion is almost as good as Lea's. All the others belting the "pretending" bit, and their intonation at the end with the "i can never know" is borderline cringe-y to me, even though they are mostly great singers.
@@leehughes5016 She's not a k-pop idol 😂 She's just a musical actress. I think Jiyeon you know is a different person. Tiara also has a member whose name is Jiyeon.
cuta bunny There’s a Kpop singer whose name is also Park ji-yeon but she’s a different person. This Park is a Korean musical actress and she’s now acting in Musical Cyrano ! th-cam.com/video/CwCnknPAC7Q/w-d-xo.html instagram.com/onmyown.j/
Lea Salonga. It's almost like this song was written for her to sing it. The beauty, the vulnerability, the feeling, the colour in her voice... omg! it's like a dream come true.
I like the growl in Lea's "his" world will go on turning, bec that's when you truly realize how her love was hopeless, that she truly finally realize with hurt and anger- that her world that does not affect his.
I really love Lea Salonga, she makes it sound like singing that note is as effortless as breathing to her, while many of the others made my own throat hurt with the amount of screaming they did. Also, her voice is crystal clear! Samantha Barks also captures the spirit of the song really well, in my opinion.
Okay I just gotta say that Park Ji-Yeon BLEW ME AWAY. I don’t even speak the same language, but I can just hear all the emotion in her voice, and her stage presence is so compelling.
You really don't have to make dramatic gestures to convey emotion. That's called indication-acting, and it's pretty much frowned upon by most directors.
For me Carrie's has the most anger and strength behind it which I quite liked to see in Eponine for a change but I also liked Lea Michelle and Sam Barks
I always loved Carrie's portrayal because you can just feel the frustration Eponine is feeling and its tangible with the way Carrie plays her and I love it
Salonga doesn't shout. I like that! I feel like everyone else shout sings. Is there a reason why broadway singers shout? I hate that. Salonga keeps her tone and even vibrato all the way through and you never feel like she's gasping for air in preparation for her next phrase. I think she's my fav.
Well Broadway singers are usually loud with both their voices and acting because they want even the people in the back seats to know what's going on. The version of Lea Salonga's singing the clip used is from the 10th anniversary concert I think, hence it's a bit different from the usual Broadway singing
The lady, Lea Salonga had the clearest diction. The words never drowned from trying to sing the higher parts of the song. Each words were properly enunciated while keeping the melody and emotion flawlessly delivered.
not done properly tho because this song is a musical theatre song not a song and eponine is supposed to be unstable emotional a psycho creepy a stalker and abused and hurt frances rufelle portrays this the best and thats why hers is the best
@@jamiebutterworth3576 I would politely disagree. Lea's facial expressions was on point. While Ruffelle's facial expression was monotonous and frankly quite dead. Her voice was piercing also monotonous and did not really convey anything.
That is straight up Broadway/theatre training. The people at the back can't hear enunciation as well so all stage performers train to "overpronouce" deliberately.
No offense but I though the best singer was the korean girl. She was really good. Lea Salonga is good but her voice is too flat. She doesn't have enough vocal range to make the song sound desperate.
Lea Salonga>>>> but I'm biased lol. The primary reason is that I feel like Eponine's role revolutionized because of her interpretation. Before, Eponine was a whiny girl. Now she became a woman who literally underwent the five stages of grief in front of our eyes who's pissed off because she knows she deserves better.
But she doesn't know she deserves better, and she doesn't. Eponine was a "whiny girl" because that's the way the character was written. Lea's Eponine is based entirely on her skills as Lea, rather than what Eponine is.
@@ChaoticButterfly she deserved better and yet she knew that not everyone gets what they want...That's why there's the resignation to her fate at the end.
Lea. She actually connected and acted the song and role. The others sounded like they just wanted to show off vocally. I love me some babe but hers sounded unpolished. Park was my second favorite.
Yep yep yep yep yep or do you are smart very smart all the way smart because you are intelligent as Albert Einstein more intelligent then Stephen Hawkings because of that choice I mean it's the best choice man who would not pick that everybody else cuz they're dumb
The control of her voice was great, she's not screaming like the others. Streisand version is also good, Samantha Barks wasn't screaming either and did well. There's a reason why Lea is in the 10th anniversary dream cast and 25th...
The producers of Les Mesirables already made a comment that that song is made for her after all. That was commented when she auditioned in Miss Saigon.
lmao y'all gotta be kidding me to those who dont see how lea was the perfect eponine. after she did eponine for the 10th anniv, her version became the standard for portraying the character. eponine's character then was just someone lovelorn and wanting to prove something. BUT then lea performed her and actually given her some other things. her eponine wasnt just miserable, her eponine showed denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Lea was my favorite Eponine but this was who sang this specific excerpt of the song the best on this one instance. I do not think Lea did. I believe it was Samantha Barks from the stage version.
Lea Salogna no comparison above and beyond the rest but Samantha Barks is second. Surprised they didn't include Katie Holmes from when she did it on Dawson's Creek she actually did a decent job.
Walter Manayon But Samantha marks as a actor in the movie, it should be with more emotion and she sang it perfectly while acting like she's been in love all her life. Lea just kinda had no emotion
Liv Any The clip shown for Lea Salonga was the concert version (thus, explains why there was shallow acting). I would not really type that she acted terribly (I get that you did not post/mean that). I get what you mean about her not showing emotions, but, well, at least she gets across the message and emotions during a concert throughout the whole song (expressions, likewise).
Walter Manayon - Hands down Lea Salonga was the best. Samantha was over forced and screams her ending. Miley Cyrus was a joke and a riot. Lea Michelle belongs in the garbage.
Unpopular opinion but I liked Samantha Barks as much as Lea Salonga.... Notable mentions also go to: Carrie Hope Fletcher, Park Ji-yeon and Brittanie Shipway
They probably nerfed her voice because they had them record for solid 8-10 hours a day, and Samantha knew how she could flat out kill her voice permanently if she didn't hold back.
I think... I think they had to sing their songs while acting out the action (of walking in the rain, for example, following the camera, etc.). I think that might have taken away focus on the vocals
There is only Lea Salonga. Every word, every note, every emotional connection, every nuance is perfect. I love the areas of restraint, and I also love the areas of angst. There's only Lea for Eponine.
Lea Salonga was, without a doubt, the best performer for this song, showing infinitely more control than any of the other singers. Runner-up honors to Park Ji-yeon - wonderful vocals! DQ to Ms. Streisand for changing the key to suit her range (didn't help), and for the love of God, please enact legislation in some international court to bar Nikki James and Lea Michele from ever performing (yelling) that song again. I have to say I was surprisingly disappointed by Sutton Foster. And Miley, dear, just... stop. Please.
When that version is on I shut it off because of her. She is my least favorite. She over pronounces every word. She's a great singer, not my favorite Eponine.
In the 25th anniversary she played Fantine, and I as much as I love her, she didn't suit the role at all. She does a much better Eponine than Fantine. I think Ruthie Henshall was the best Fantine, she portrayed the characters depression and how broken she was without over emphasisng it.
@@marylobello8439 ofcourse, she is trained to do that, its broadway... The audience must understand what you are singing or saying... No mumbling like those other actors... Lol
Mary Lobello that's actually one of her great points not all can do that so easily and so clear that the message of the song can be transmitted to the listeners
@@marylobello8439 are you dumb? That's should be the best qualification for musical opera. .. Lol.. Les miserables is musical.. I don't know whats your point
Yes, I agree with you. She brings a young girl vibe to a young girl. I also enjoyed Linzi. Lea and Sam sort of have the monopoly, but if people listened several times to Francis they'd add her to the podium
I particularly like the Frances Ruffle version. It might not be the best when looking at the song in a vacuum, but she has that sort of frailty in her voice that suits Eponine greatly.
I absolutely ADORE Frances Ruffelle’s Eponine. She has a certain quality in her voice that other Eponines don’t. However, I do love a lot of newer ones. (Lea Salonga IS great, I must admit.)
YES! Lea Salonga IS great. Her diction, her phrasing, her pitch, smooth as crystal. But that's NOT Eponine the character! Frances is the best portrayal of actual Eponine, hands down.
@@cielarie eponine isnt supposed to be charming, pretty, etc. in the book, she was hardly surviving; she had several infections, was kinda a stalker, was never clean etc
I like LEA SALONGA's because it wasn't yelling, it had control which is important. I almost like Samantha's versiom except her voice was too forced and its not live, and sometimes recorded vocals can be rigged.
i disagree she was actually the one who did not do a decent belt and there fore misses the complete emotion of the song. it lacked control. She was covering
Actually, Sam's was live. In the Les Mis movie they had the actors where ear pieces that they could hear the music through, so that they sing it live during the scene. That's what made the movie so different from other movie musicals at the time.
Lea Salonga and Samantha Banks. Unfortunately the movie had big Hollywood names for the first half where they needed great singers. Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe acted well rather that sang well, but the parts for Eponine, Cossete and Marius seem to be filled by names I'd guess are better known on Broadway than in Hollywood.
Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway have insane voices, just not necessarily well fit for the roles of Valjean and Fantine. Russell Crowe for me did well considering he’s much more of an actor than a singer, and I definitely feel his Javert is very overhated, but I won’t deny that if there was a weak link in the bunch, it would be him.
I have to disagree. Aside from Russel Crowe I thought that Hugh and Anne did really well. Both can sing and did not really ruin anything. That I dreamed A dream scene is haunting and beautifully sang as well.
Lea Salonga hands down. Not just her technique, tone, expression and her incredible diction (her enunciation is unmatched) but her acting is exquisite and so moving. Like @Amanda Neville and @Christopher Varquez have already said; _"This song was written for Lea Salonga"_ simple put; _"She is hands down the best Eponine ever!"_
@@marktloy4740 no she did'nt...close but did'nt beat her...lea salonga's voice is unique...her voice can sing any genre...lovely?sweet?powerful?fast songs?she can sing all of it...she has a perfect pitch bruh!
Sutton has some LUNGS. I love her belting. Samantha is a strong favorite for me too and so is the other Lea. I find myself listening to Samantha and Lea Salonga the most though for this particular song
Sutton and the one in a different language whose name I currently forget clearly hit the note with no difficulty, but Carrie and lea salonga gave me the most chills
Angie Weddig Park Ji Yeon (or Ji Yeon Park if we are doing the name Western style - first name, last name) was the one who sang in another language which is in the South Korean language
Lea's versatility, ajility, emotion and vocal technique sets it apart or set the standard for anyone who would dare sing this song. With clarity, power and conviction!
![Lea Salonga - On My Own (Les Misérables) [720p]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VjfmP7h3gBw/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks everyone for 20.000 views! You guys are amazing xoxo 💜
I definitely agree with your list
BTW: Not a Lea Michele fan but I gotta admit she SLAYED on this one!
Mister Golightly I totally agree with your list filly
Now it has 200 + views!
I know right? I'm completely shock! Haha
This song was written for Lea Salonga's range. That last note is a moment of haunting desperation, not a victory moment to belt out loud and proud.
THANK you. Yeah some of the performances are vocally good, but you need to convey the proper intention of the lyrics or else it's just showing off
the song was actually written for Frances Ruffelle as Lea Salonga was 10 when the show opened
Jack L It was not a literal statement. She’s saying that it fits her so well it may as well be written for her.
Exacty
Agree.. we must put our emotions in every lyrics based on the songs story
Lea Salonga. She doesn't fall into the "PRETENDING" trap that so many do. Perfectly restrained and full of emotion without having to scream to seem angsty.
Rachel Exactly! 💜
She also avoids the massive volume spike that most of the other performers seem to do between the words never and known
I think, the pretending it’s on of the most strong word in the music, so I think they kinda have to do it more, like louder.
I agree in the not having to scream
@MEanME uh this is not pubg. Lol.
Ok, let's put it like this. Lea Salonga was so confident in herself, that she used On My Own, to audition, in front of the writers of the song (forget their names at the moment), for Miss Saigon and not only did they say she was the voice of Miss Saigon, they said that she should have been Eponine from the beginning. When your voice is exactly what the writers of the song envisioned, I'd say you have the perfect voice for the role (but Lea has such a perfect voice anyway)
Alain Boublil, Claude Michael Schonberg are the writers
True
Vivien Doculan my aunt actually met them! She was in the first amateur production of the pirate king (another show by them that didn’t do as well) and she actually played Grainne,so her and the cast met them!
I’m so confused. She’s confident in her skills, she goes to audition with the song that shows her range and she gets the part. (To sum up your whole “she’s good, so she’s confident, so she auditiones”). So what’s wrong? She IS that good.
They headhunted her
It’s just Lea Salonga and Samantha Barks for me, they have great voices and they portrayed the emotion very well...
Yup.
This comment
👍
They’re wonderful but I also think Kaho Shimada was brilliant.
Absolutely!
It's not who has the highest voice. It's who can deliver the message of the song.
Jeralyn Cabaluna which in my opinion was Samantha
Agree... Lea Salonga, Sam Barks, and Barbara Streisand...
Which is subjective .
Or there's the technical way where you decide based on who sang it WELL with good technique lol .
Lea
Therefore I pick Lea Salonga
i'm so used to Lea's version that it's weird hearing several singers belting "pretending"
Same
HAHAHA Yep, me too.. And the way they pronounced too hahah no hate. 😁
Same
fr
I wish that Lea had done the “pretending” higher note. But I can’t complain, her performance is still perfect.
3 things that I've learned from this video
1. All my life, I've only been pretending
2. Without me, his world will go on turning
3. A world that's full of happiness that I have never known
Lmaooo same
Write that down write that down
Me too this song is so powerful, the meaning.
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHQQHQHQHAHA
Exactly
Can we just notice the huge difference between Samantha singing in the movie and in theater? It is ASTRONOMICAL
It brings me to a conclusion that maybe the director of the movie directed her to do it more emotional than theatrical. Just my hunch 'bout it
With rain in her face and mouth
They didn't want her to make the rest of the cast look bad.
I’m a trained opera singer who can act and tries to dance. The best advice I ever got from a musical theatre coach was “stop singing!” Meaning I was too focused on my voice and neglected the acting. For musical theatre it’s more about the theatrics than song (however, one could argue Les Mis is more of an opera then it is theatre.
@@EvanGB03 Totally agree!
Lea Salonga's version sets the standard for anyone who would dare to sing this song. She is hands down the best Eponine ever!
Christopher Varquez Absolutely!!
Samantha barks is way better
@@Neuronwhisperer I agree
I get you're a filipino, so am I. But listen carefully. Samantha performs it better.
@@iheartyouandme4ever Oh the movie one that was recorded in a studio?
For me:
1. Lea Solanga
2. Samantha Barks
3. Lea Michelle
4. Carrie Hope Fletcher
For me:
1.Lea Michelle
I agree 100%
I agree that is my list too Eponine is one of my dream roles but compared to these girls I have no chance they’re amazing
Agree 100%!!
Agreed
I can't help it.. Lea Solanga. But Miss Samantha Bark did the damn thing & Lea Michele was up there.
LeAvE it to WeAvEr exactly
Yep - came to the same conclusion
Yessss
LeAvE it to WeAvEr exactly my thoughts!!
I didn't need to type my comment
I had the distinct honor to be a conductor for Lea Salonga in both LES MIZ and MISS SAIGON on Broadway, so I might be a bit biased. Many of these women, though, pulled on the heartstrings of this now-retired has-been. Thanks for the compilation!
Wow! up close & access to TheReal Deal! thank you for sharing! I saw her in both, maybe I saw you as well. I was the guy in the audience who never blinked when Lea was on stage.
I know it's been a literal year, but while you can take the kid out of the theater, you can never take the theater out of the kid. You may not come back to work, but theater has changed you for good.
Thank you for the memories. I first saw Lea in London in 89. Never knew what I was walking into. Since then I saw her more times in London, and NYC. I felt so lucky, and loved all her performances. I just saw Nathania Ong, a new generation of performers now following Lea, and the future is bright. I’m so glad the new generation will have their “Lea”, because we had ours.
Lea Salonga and Samantha Barks are both amazing!
Ya that's my opinon
You speak the truth
I think so
I thought the same. The other singers were all preparing to hit the high notes that they forget that Eponine’s heart was breaking into pieces during the climax. Lea and Samantha were the only two to not break out of the role.
If you notice, both of them didn't scream the song. They had control.
That Park Ji-yeon proves that it's not always about the language we speak but if you put a real emotions to the song you can transfer the message to anyone even if you don't understand the words.
Lea Salonga & Park Ji-yeon
PREACHHHH
Lol
Park Ji- Yeon. I saw her in I can see your voice as one of the contestants :) a harvard grad major in music and theater arts
Park Ji-yeon was my #2 after Lea Salonga
We stan Asian queens!
Lea Salonga of course... Crystal clear with balance, control and emotions... No long pauses, and no shouting nor screaming... In my opinion, peace out!
kapatid mo ba si rei germar haha
Regie Germar Yah I wish I had that great voice... 😍💖😭
Lea Salonga, Park Ji-Yeon and Samantha Barks(Stage version), for me they nailed not only the vocals, but also the emotion of the scene!
Lea's voice is so clear, i don't even need to elaborate
PARK JI-YEON IS AMAZING! i never heard her version before, she sounds so natural(like ifshe doesn't try to hit the high notes)
Samantha's vocals are better on stage, but people have to remember that teather and movies are different, the scene had to be filmed multiple times in the rain(they sang live in the set, not on a studio), she obviously was tired, and they basically made her hold her voice, so she(as well as Aaron Tveit) would'nt "outshine" the others members of the cast, and with that said, she's such a great actress, for me, her performance both i the movie and stage are the most memorable in terms of acting/emotioal range, what is difficult because the acting on teathre and movies is totally different!
P.S.: I wish i was as talented as any of those women!
omg ji yeon is so good
My Opinion:
1. Lea Salonga
2. Park Ji-Yeon
3. Samantha Barks
4. Lea Michelle
5. Carrie Hope Fletcher
Ah that good old carrie hope fletcher😌😌
Park should be first though.
100% agree aha
rys SAME
@@p90pdack68 I think Lea did it better
I like Ms. Lea Salonga's performance more. she controlled it very well. Its so wonderful to listen every now and then.
I agree. It's quite difficult to listen to the others who were mostly screaming-. The Korean girl also sounds v good!
I agree👍
Eponine is Lea Salonga and Lea Salonga is Eponine. It's definitely The Lea Salonga hands down. C'mon... The clarity of the lyrics, the phrasing, the crystal clear voice, the beautiful use of her vocals and the emotions. It's just mastered with mind to understand and the heart to deliver.
hah YES YES YES.... BUT. Eponine as a character is not a crystal clear voice........ Lea Salonga as a princess 100%. But.... Frances as Eponine.
Lea Salonga. She raised the bar, and has been setting the standards for music and musicals: control, techniques, emotions, sustained notes, pronunciations. She's LEGEND!
Quality goes to Lea Salonga. She's on different level here. Possibly on her own level that nobody can reach.
'On her own' lol sorry agreed had to make it a dad joke.
True Heart She has a great mature voice which many might prefer for this role but I prefer more vulnerability. Haven’t seen her live though so I can’t judge fairly.
True Heart agree ❤️❤️❤️
I love Samantha’s version (NOT the movie one, the other one 😊) but Lea Salonga’s version is definitely the best. ❤️❤️❤️
Lizzy Emm ya they’re both great
Her movie performance is also great what
Technically the movie performance was recorded live....
STRONGLY AGREE WITH YOU👍👍👍
First time listener to Park Ji-Yeon but she gave me CHILLS. Still, this is Lea's song. The fragility, loneliness, bitterness, and desperation in her performance is so affecting. Eponine is such an important character because her miserableness is not due to poverty or disenfranchisement, it's personal--unrequited love. The audience can understand the pain and frustration that characters have about their situation, but they can relate to Eponine. We've all been Eponine at some point. Lea has a way of transmitting those negative emotions into a song that is in contrast compositionally gorgeous (sweeping and grand and so unlike Eponine) and uplifting. My favorite song in any show... and Lea does it justice.
Never heard of Park Jiyoon but ... wow!
Same she gave me chills
She was screaming the words
Best comment, especially the latter half
Yes, definitely Lea Salonga is the best of them all, but Park Ji-Yeon's ability to convey emotion is almost as good as Lea's. All the others belting the "pretending" bit, and their intonation at the end with the "i can never know" is borderline cringe-y to me, even though they are mostly great singers.
Lea "pretending" part sounds smooth compared to others.
Samantha barks feels like copied lea salonga version, she even sound like her.
Evidence anyone named “lea” can sing like an angel
BlueBetaFish11 i have lea in my name but I sing like a dying goat 🥺🥺🥺
Yumi Sasuri CNSGKDKGDKYDKYDBR
she be talking about gleeee.....
@@adriennesmith3734 They are also talking ab Lea Salonga
@@waterbottle1067 yea ik but lea michele is my fav and glee so..
Lea will always be the best but who ever that Park girl was, i felt that.
Park ji-yeon she's wonderful she actually a Korean pop singer (if I'm correct)
@@cutabunny504 yes if I'm right I think she's from t-ara
@@leehughes5016 She's not a k-pop idol 😂 She's just a musical actress. I think Jiyeon you know is a different person. Tiara also has a member whose name is Jiyeon.
cuta bunny There’s a Kpop singer whose name is also Park ji-yeon but she’s a different person. This Park is a Korean musical actress and she’s now acting in Musical Cyrano !
th-cam.com/video/CwCnknPAC7Q/w-d-xo.html
instagram.com/onmyown.j/
I really had chills from that performance. She hella good
Lea Salonga. It's almost like this song was written for her to sing it. The beauty, the vulnerability, the feeling, the colour in her voice... omg! it's like a dream come true.
I like the growl in Lea's "his" world will go on turning, bec that's when you truly realize how her love was hopeless, that she truly finally realize with hurt and anger- that her world that does not affect his.
1. Lea Solanga
2. Samantha Barks
3. Lea Michelle
I agree with you
agreed
I agree with you
Agreed
YES
I really love Lea Salonga, she makes it sound like singing that note is as effortless as breathing to her, while many of the others made my own throat hurt with the amount of screaming they did. Also, her voice is crystal clear! Samantha Barks also captures the spirit of the song really well, in my opinion.
Well, that's kind of because she didn't try to belt the note. She mixed it. That's another approach altogether
Hence why I said what I said about Lea Michelle. She can't hit the high notes so she screams them. Transpose it if you can't hit the high notes lol
Lea does it correctly. She builds to the climax whereas the others mostly scream.
Lea salonga is the best and no one can change my mind
Stream EXO's TEMPO Yah... I agree 😍💖
Agree
This is so true
Totally agree.
I came into the video thinking that, and still might, but the first girl (Linzi something) was surprising and might be up there, too.
I think Lea wins, but I love the way Park sings “without me”. She’s a close runner up. And I give third to Sutton Foster actually....
Holy cow Samantha Barks and Park Ji-Yeon were definitely both amazingly wonderful in their own ways. Those two blew me away!
Okay I just gotta say that Park Ji-Yeon BLEW ME AWAY. I don’t even speak the same language, but I can just hear all the emotion in her voice, and her stage presence is so compelling.
Exactly!
Please don't call me biased... but the Asians take it! 🇵🇭🇰🇷
Lea Salonga and Park Ji-Yeon
Same！
Yesss 🙆♀️
Yes true
YAZZZZ
Agreed! You don't have to even look at the video to see who's singing. When the start, the music opens up and it is so pleasing.
Lea Salonga: The Vocals
Samantha Barks: The Emotion
Facts
Actually both vocals and emotion goes to lea....
@@lunared6754 agree
The non Lea asian girl (Ji?) actually seems to be the only one other than frances that shows real emotion and in her voice as well.
You really don't have to make dramatic gestures to convey emotion. That's called indication-acting, and it's pretty much frowned upon by most directors.
park ji-yeon imo,, i cant understand the words but her voice is incredible and its vvv emotional
she was soooo good
True dat
I love how the emotion conveyed completely transcends language
If someone played that clip without context I would still know it was the climax. I listen to this show to much.
1. LEA SALONGA
2. Lea Salonga
3. Lea Salonga
4. Lea Salonga
5. Lea Salonga
MARC Gesmundo 100% agree :)
I can't believe you snubbed Lea Salonga at #6. She belongs right up there with the other Salongas.
@@deRoyLight 😂😂😂😂😂
With miley Cyrus and Barbara Streisand equal last
cazy fans
For me:
1 - Lea Salonga
2 - Park Ji Yeon
3 - Lea Michele
4 - Samantha Barks (live)
5 - edited: Carrie Hope Fletcher
MILEY
5 - ? No
fangirl. com agreed.
Same
100%
Lea sings without panic. She can go loud and high but will never go overboard. Silky, super clear, angelic and always in tune. Near perfection.
For me Carrie's has the most anger and strength behind it which I quite liked to see in Eponine for a change but I also liked Lea Michelle and Sam Barks
I always loved Carrie's portrayal because you can just feel the frustration Eponine is feeling and its tangible with the way Carrie plays her and I love it
Salonga doesn't shout. I like that! I feel like everyone else shout sings. Is there a reason why broadway singers shout? I hate that. Salonga keeps her tone and even vibrato all the way through and you never feel like she's gasping for air in preparation for her next phrase. I think she's my fav.
Ikr when I heard her voice she made me shiver on 2:27
Well Broadway singers are usually loud with both their voices and acting because they want even the people in the back seats to know what's going on. The version of Lea Salonga's singing the clip used is from the 10th anniversary concert I think, hence it's a bit different from the usual Broadway singing
She's the queen of broadway here un the Philippines. Queen doesnt scream through the high notes.
I'm not an expert but I think it's called "belting" it just gives off that powerful voice for broadway correct me if I'm wrong tho
that's true it's just simple for lea when she sings no more
he needs to shout lea your'e so really good.
Two singers stood out. Frances for projecting the perfect Eponine persona - naive, desperate helpless. Lea Salonga for her impeccable vocal skills.
The lady, Lea Salonga had the clearest diction. The words never drowned from trying to sing the higher parts of the song. Each words were properly enunciated while keeping the melody and emotion flawlessly delivered.
not done properly tho because this song is a musical theatre song not a song and eponine is supposed to be unstable emotional a psycho creepy a stalker and abused and hurt frances rufelle portrays this the best and thats why hers is the best
Well you are wrong ☺️
@@jamiebutterworth3576 I would politely disagree. Lea's facial expressions was on point. While Ruffelle's facial expression was monotonous and frankly quite dead. Her voice was piercing also monotonous and did not really convey anything.
@@jamiebutterworth3576 i beg to differ :)
@@quiltedquickerpicker I agree with YOU that Lea's performance on every level personifies the character.
Samantha Barks. has one of the strongest voices for that song. Lea Salonga has that same sharp crisp note perfect ability
vocally, theatrically, emotionally, ms. LEA SALONGA. Only she gave justice to the song and to the life of Eponine.
Mary Grace Denampo I thought that too
Mary Grace Denampo I mean shes great but she over pronounces words and it makes it a bit a odd sounding
victoria rose lea salonga is the best. She enunciate the words perfectly so everybody will be able to understand it.
That is straight up Broadway/theatre training. The people at the back can't hear enunciation as well so all stage performers train to "overpronouce" deliberately.
No offense but I though the best singer was the korean girl. She was really good. Lea Salonga is good but her voice is too flat. She doesn't have enough vocal range to make the song sound desperate.
Some of them did good,, some are just shouting to reach high notes,,, but lea salonga sang it with heart perfectly
Lea hands down
The softness, the vulnerabilty, the sweetness and frustration, the innocence.
And the clarity my golly, enunciation.
Just perfect
Lea Salonga>>>>
but I'm biased lol. The primary reason is that I feel like Eponine's role revolutionized because of her interpretation. Before, Eponine was a whiny girl. Now she became a woman who literally underwent the five stages of grief in front of our eyes who's pissed off because she knows she deserves better.
But she doesn't know she deserves better, and she doesn't. Eponine was a "whiny girl" because that's the way the character was written. Lea's Eponine is based entirely on her skills as Lea, rather than what Eponine is.
It's called artistic interpretation. It happens in musicals too.
If she genuinely believed she deserved better, she wouldn't end up singing "A Little Fall of Rain," later.
@@ChaoticButterfly she deserved better and yet she knew that not everyone gets what they want...That's why there's the resignation to her fate at the end.
@@andreadelacruz3307 well said man
Lea. She actually connected and acted the song and role. The others sounded like they just wanted to show off vocally. I love me some babe but hers sounded unpolished. Park was my second favorite.
Emma v.y.S
Thats how I feel.
Lea Salonga.
soo jung the pinoy pride!!
She’s also te main character of miss siagon
Lea the only crystal clear voice!
Yep yep yep yep yep or do you are smart very smart all the way smart because you are intelligent as Albert Einstein more intelligent then Stephen Hawkings because of that choice I mean it's the best choice man who would not pick that everybody else cuz they're dumb
The control of her voice was great, she's not screaming like the others. Streisand version is also good, Samantha Barks wasn't screaming either and did well. There's a reason why Lea is in the 10th anniversary dream cast and 25th...
soo jung Obviously. There's no competition. ♡-♡
The producers of Les Mesirables already made a comment that that song is made for her after all. That was commented when she auditioned in Miss Saigon.
lmao y'all gotta be kidding me to those who dont see how lea was the perfect eponine. after she did eponine for the 10th anniv, her version became the standard for portraying the character. eponine's character then was just someone lovelorn and wanting to prove something. BUT then lea performed her and actually given her some other things. her eponine wasnt just miserable, her eponine showed denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Spaghetti I K R
Lea was my favorite Eponine but this was who sang this specific excerpt of the song the best on this one instance. I do not think Lea did. I believe it was Samantha Barks from the stage version.
She is a much better Eponine than she was a Fantine for sure, I was surprised.
Spaghetti yes
PREACH 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The incomparable MS. LEA SALONGA!!!!!
m4giceyetr1x thank you!
THANK YOU!
I don't even need to finish this video to agree with that. She's always been my favorite!
same here. It's literally the only vocal where I FEEL her. She was only 14 when she did Aladdin.
von Wabbit 14????!!!!!! She was doing Miss Saigon already when she was asked to audition..
Lea Salonga, always Lea
Lea owns this... She's born to sing this song... Very clean, crystal clear, and sounds perfect...
Lea Salogna no comparison above and beyond the rest but Samantha Barks is second. Surprised they didn't include Katie Holmes from when she did it on Dawson's Creek she actually did a decent job.
Yes I agree with you about Katie Holmes!!!
I'm starting to think that you're better off with an actress that can sing than a singer that can act.
Lea Salonga is the standard of this song tho. She's the best I've heard. Her version is more famous than the original tho.
Lea Salonga no doubt. She did not overdo or overact in her voice..Perfect blend of emotions, character and vocals.😊😊😊
Walter Manayon But Samantha marks as a actor in the movie, it should be with more emotion and she sang it perfectly while acting like she's been in love all her life. Lea just kinda had no emotion
Liv Any bruh
Liv Any The clip shown for Lea Salonga was the concert version (thus, explains why there was shallow acting). I would not really type that she acted terribly (I get that you did not post/mean that). I get what you mean about her not showing emotions, but, well, at least she gets across the message and emotions during a concert throughout the whole song (expressions, likewise).
She got the best clarity.
Walter Manayon - Hands down Lea Salonga was the best. Samantha was over forced and screams her ending. Miley Cyrus was a joke and a riot. Lea Michelle belongs in the garbage.
Lea Salonga - so perfect to listen, high notes pleasant to my ears, no screaming.....+ emotions
1-Lea Salonga
2-Samantha Barks
3-Lea michelle
Lea Salonga sets the bar high that everyone follows.
naokiboy The Legend Lea Salonga 😍
lol - I didn't expect to hear Miley Cyrus singing in the bathroom.
surprisingly it was quite good...I mean, it's not like the others but i just didn't know she could sing that well.
@@kellywilliams1332 well I mean, disney most often hires actors and actresses who can really sing (zendaya for example)
Best vocals: lea
Best emotion: samantha
Best non English: park
Most underrated: carrie
Best overall: eponine
i love that all the comments pretty much unanimously agree on lea salonga 💖💖💖 she will ALWAYS be the quintessential eponine
I agree.
Unpopular opinion but I liked Samantha Barks as much as Lea Salonga....
Notable mentions also go to: Carrie Hope Fletcher, Park Ji-yeon and Brittanie Shipway
Eliza Cole RIGHT!?!?!?
Eliza Cole honestly same
Eliza C Same... I thinks she's better even
Yes! Just the live version not the movie
I agree a 100%
park ji-yeon is incredible 😍 i had goosebumps i swear...
Oh my gosh me too. So good!
agree. I cried😢
SAAAAME
She was awesome!!
Lea Biron- I know she made you know what the song was about and the emotion behind it. She also sang it beautifully.
Sam Barks is one of the best singers to do this song; I do not understand why they nerfed her voice so much for the movie
They probably nerfed her voice because they had them record for solid 8-10 hours a day, and Samantha knew how she could flat out kill her voice permanently if she didn't hold back.
They sadly nerfed her because they didn’t want her to overshadow the rest of the cast ☹️
I think... I think they had to sing their songs while acting out the action (of walking in the rain, for example, following the camera, etc.). I think that might have taken away focus on the vocals
There is only Lea Salonga. Every word, every note, every emotional connection, every nuance is perfect. I love the areas of restraint, and I also love the areas of angst. There's only Lea for Eponine.
Tama po kayo dyan Father.
Amen Father
Amen🙏
Amen
@@XGoing.mentallyinsaneX. sya nawa. hahaha
Lea, Park Ji-yeon, and Samantha
Exactly
Same!
Other way round
absolutely yes....
Same with me
Lea Salonga's "PRETENDING" was far way different from the others. 🤷🏻♂️
This is because the others belted it. Lea has mixed it. Also, it is quite noticeable that that the others took breaths while lea didn't.
@@decimator2497 and boy is it unbearable to hear them belting.I feel physical pain just from hearing that voice destroying strain.
@@bodyheat69 yeah
@@bodyheat69 I thought I was the only one. Lol
That Bullet Journalist uhm she took a breathe right after..
Lea Salonga was, without a doubt, the best performer for this song, showing infinitely more control than any of the other singers. Runner-up honors to Park Ji-yeon - wonderful vocals! DQ to Ms. Streisand for changing the key to suit her range (didn't help), and for the love of God, please enact legislation in some international court to bar Nikki James and Lea Michele from ever performing (yelling) that song again. I have to say I was surprisingly disappointed by Sutton Foster. And Miley, dear, just... stop. Please.
I.....think I came away with the exact same opinions. I like when people "sing" the climax, and don't just scream it.
You should watch lea salonga on the 25th anniversary of les misarables
SHE IS THE BEST OF THEM ALL 💕
When that version is on I shut it off because of her. She is my least favorite. She over pronounces every word. She's a great singer, not my favorite Eponine.
In the 25th anniversary she played Fantine, and I as much as I love her, she didn't suit the role at all. She does a much better Eponine than Fantine. I think Ruthie Henshall was the best Fantine, she portrayed the characters depression and how broken she was without over emphasisng it.
@@marylobello8439 ofcourse, she is trained to do that, its broadway... The audience must understand what you are singing or saying... No mumbling like those other actors... Lol
Mary Lobello that's actually one of her great points not all can do that so easily and so clear that the message of the song can be transmitted to the listeners
@@marylobello8439 are you dumb? That's should be the best qualification for musical opera. .. Lol.. Les miserables is musical.. I don't know whats your point
Lea Salonga is Eponine. Effortless, connected, crystal clarity , Emotion and depth...
Lea Salonga.... That song could have been written for her incredible voice.
Richard Browne I agree 😍
Francis Ruffle, the most underrated Eponnie ever. No vocal gymnastics, just pure emotion and a stunning tone.
Yes, I agree with you. She brings a young girl vibe to a young girl. I also enjoyed Linzi. Lea and Sam sort of have the monopoly, but if people listened several times to Francis they'd add her to the podium
I don’t know about underrated since she’s the original London Eponine
Underrated? Like she won Tony and Olivier for this role? 🤔
@@aristotelpichay but not many have heard of her performance
I think the recording didn't catch her tone well enough. She is always my favorite Eponine.
Most of them are screaming and hurt my eardrums except Ms Lea Salonga...she knows how to sing with emotions
I particularly like the Frances Ruffle version. It might not be the best when looking at the song in a vacuum, but she has that sort of frailty in her voice that suits Eponine greatly.
She IS the real Eponine, indeed!
but is Eponine a frail character?
Yes! I fell in love with her voice recently. She’s absolutely wonderful in an understated sort of way, and her take on the character is perfect to me.
Diction, clarity (voice) and mix of emotions in accordance with the message of the lines, I'd say Lea Salonga really nailed it.
I absolutely ADORE Frances Ruffelle’s Eponine. She has a certain quality in her voice that other Eponines don’t. However, I do love a lot of newer ones. (Lea Salonga IS great, I must admit.)
Bee K. Yeah Frances will always be her to me, and I love her face
YES! Lea Salonga IS great. Her diction, her phrasing, her pitch, smooth as crystal. But that's NOT Eponine the character! Frances is the best portrayal of actual Eponine, hands down.
Hahahhaaha sorry to say but hers was the most annoying one for me.
@@cielarie yeah lol, but eponine's character in the original book is sort of a stalker, so it fits
@@cielarie eponine isnt supposed to be charming, pretty, etc. in the book, she was hardly surviving; she had several infections, was kinda a stalker, was never clean etc
Lea Salonga - perfect Vibrato
I like LEA SALONGA's because it wasn't yelling, it had control which is important. I almost like Samantha's versiom except her voice was too forced and its not live, and sometimes recorded vocals can be rigged.
Soul Breaker Sam's live version is in there too ... It's the 2nd last clip
All of the songs in the movie version of Les Miserable are live, actually.
Soul Breaker Lea Salonga he knows how to control her voice and her voice is like a crystal clear 😍 Her diction is so perfect.
i disagree she was actually the one who did not do a decent belt and there fore misses the complete emotion of the song. it lacked control. She was covering
Actually, Sam's was live. In the Les Mis movie they had the actors where ear pieces that they could hear the music through, so that they sing it live during the scene. That's what made the movie so different from other movie musicals at the time.
Lea Salonga and Samantha Banks. Unfortunately the movie had big Hollywood names for the first half where they needed great singers. Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe acted well rather that sang well, but the parts for Eponine, Cossete and Marius seem to be filled by names I'd guess are better known on Broadway than in Hollywood.
Hugh Jackman started out as a Broadway actor...
Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway have insane voices, just not necessarily well fit for the roles of Valjean and Fantine. Russell Crowe for me did well considering he’s much more of an actor than a singer, and I definitely feel his Javert is very overhated, but I won’t deny that if there was a weak link in the bunch, it would be him.
@@belmarshall9103 Russel was definitely better at acting the character than singing it 😂
I have to disagree. Aside from Russel Crowe I thought that Hugh and Anne did really well. Both can sing and did not really ruin anything. That I dreamed A dream scene is haunting and beautifully sang as well.
Lea's performance delivers everything in perfect balance to make the song come to life. World class.
I’ve always hated the way other singers sang pre-tending and not pretend-ing. Hahaha
LEA SALONGA without any doubt.
Lea Salonga. Always Lea.
Followed by Samantha Barks and Carrie Hope Fletcher.
Lea Salonga hands down. Not just her technique, tone, expression and her incredible diction (her enunciation is unmatched) but her acting is exquisite and so moving. Like @Amanda Neville and @Christopher Varquez have already said; _"This song was written for Lea Salonga"_ simple put; _"She is hands down the best Eponine ever!"_
Lea Salonga, history maker. Amaźing in all the sense of the word
No one:
literally no one:
No one can beat Lea Salonga...
Cutie Pie as Always.💛 Filipinos Pride.😊
That is the majority of people in the comments
Oh yeah park li yeon just did!!!!!
@@marktloy4740 no she did'nt...close but did'nt beat her...lea salonga's voice is unique...her voice can sing any genre...lovely?sweet?powerful?fast songs?she can sing all of it...she has a perfect pitch bruh!
Strongly agree bitchhhhh pinoyspride❤❤❤❤
Im gonna have to go against everyone else and say Samantha barks just because of the emotion she puts into it and how powerful her voice is ngl
Agreed. When she its the ...known.... gives me chills.
0:08 Linzi Hateley
0:31 Sutton Foster
0:58 Carrie Hope Fletcher
1:19 Park Ji-Yeon
1:43 Nikki James
2:06 Frances Ruffelle
2:26 Lea Salonga
2:48 Brittanie Shipway
3:12 Samantha Barks (movie version)
3:37 Barbra Streisand
3:59 Celia Keenan-Bolger
4:23 Miley Cyrus
4:43 Samantha Barks (on stage version )
5:06 Lea Michelle
my personal opinion is
Lea Salonga
Carrie Hope Fletcher
Park Ji-Yeon
Samantha Barks
Lea Michelle
and Miley actually did really well too
Lea Salonga was the most vocally healthy rendition and my sentimental favorite. But Sutton blew me away with her power.
Sutton has some LUNGS. I love her belting. Samantha is a strong favorite for me too and so is the other Lea. I find myself listening to Samantha and Lea Salonga the most though for this particular song
i agree!
Park ji yeon was beautiful but lea salonga is my favorite
Lea Salonga is the standard.
Whoever made this video, thanks a lot, this portion of that song will be stuck in my head for the next two weeks! And Lea sang it the best!
Sutton and the one in a different language whose name I currently forget clearly hit the note with no difficulty, but Carrie and lea salonga gave me the most chills
Angie Weddig Park Ji Yeon (or Ji Yeon Park if we are doing the name Western style - first name, last name) was the one who sang in another language which is in the South Korean language
I love Lea Salonga, Samantha Barks (movie version) and Park Ji Yeon in their versions in the same order...
sheena valencia Same!
Same here!!
sheena valencia agreed
Hands down, Lea Salonga!!!
sheena valencia exactly what I was thinking!
Lea's versatility, ajility, emotion and vocal technique sets it apart or set the standard for anyone who would dare sing this song. With clarity, power and conviction!