Esther Yu became the center of widespread online mockery after an embarrassing vocal moment during her birthday fan meeting and mini concert titled Blossom, held on the evening of December 6 at the Huaxi Bio-Runbaiyan Center in Beijing. The event was highly anticipated, with all 10,000 tickets sold out within seconds. At its peak, 162,000 people reportedly competed for seats, creating a ferocious ticket ratio of 1:16, with many fans still unable to secure tickets afterwards.
During the event, Esther Yu treated fans to a lively musical feast, performing songs from her THE9 days as well as songs from her 2024 album Spicy Honey. Visually, the actress-idol shone as expected, praised for her sweet image, clear, glowing skin and radiant appearance that made her stand out in the huge venue.
Her dancing skills showed a slight improvement from the THE9 era, but were still below typical idol standards. However, the biggest controversy of the night centered on her voice. Esther Yu once again sang in her typical forced “baby voice”, which many described as overly nasal, strained and unstable. Although this style became part of her eccentric public persona, it did little to convince the public of her technical singing abilities.
During the show, viewers noticed that Esther Yu often lip-synched. In segments where he sang live, his voice reportedly cracked severely and went out of tune, sparking waves of laughter and ridicule on social media. A clip capturing the exact moment his voice broke went viral almost immediately.
The audience’s reaction after the show was deeply divided. Many viewers have admitted that, although Esther Yu is undeniably beautiful, her live singing remains weak, heavily reliant on pre-recorded backing tracks, and prone to intonation problems. Some fans defended her, arguing that it was just a birthday fan meeting, not a professional concert, and that the audience should not be overly harsh. However, a large number of attendees expressed disappointment, feeling that the live experience did not match the high ticket prices, even though his stage presence and visuals were widely praised.
Controversy over ticket prices had already erupted before the event. Tickets ranged from 388 to 1,588 yuan (about $55 to $220), which many considered excessively expensive for a birthday fan meeting. Shortly after official sales opened, the black market swung into action, with the cheapest 388 yuan tickets resold for up to 9,000 yuan (over $1,200).
Many netizens argue that birthdays should be an opportunity for artists to give back to fans, but this price was on par with tickets to major-league concerts. On top of that, hotel packages tied to fan perks were reportedly much more expensive than regular rates, adding additional costs for gifts and support items, further increasing the financial burden on fans.
The reaction became even stronger when fans began to compare Esther Yu’s event with Zhao Lusi’s birthday celebration. At Zhao Lusi’s event, fans were able to receive free tickets simply by answering a few questions online, and also enjoyed discounted hotel, breakfast and transportation packages for just over 300 yuan. In contrast, Esther Yu’s expensive fan meeting was seen as taking the opposite approach, leading many to question whether she was using her birthday as a way to generate extra profits.
Sources: K14
