K-Pop has been breaking barriers in almost every country over the past few years, and with good reason. Catchy songs, enjoyable dances, and all the hard work idols put into performances all help with K-Pop’s appeal.
But, K-Pop artists have tried to appeal to Western audiences, and one of the ways is by creating covers from Western artists. Many of these covers are very well-done, and listeners should give them a chance. Here’s a nice little fusion of East meets West with some covers you should definitely check out!
1. Bella “Don’t Let Go” (En Vogue)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6KsyON5Vww
En Vogue released “Don’t Let Go” as a powerful R&B tune in 1996. The original has so much soul, it’s impossible to top, but Bella definitely tries in the 2011 debut cover! Their cover has soul and strong vocals that pay tribute to the original beautifully. The stronger beat is a bit of an improvement on the original, but En Vogue is still tops. Plus, you can hear Kiss&Cry’s Bohye since this was her first group; she debuted as Miu.
2. Eric Nam and Kim Boa “Say Something” (A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U6jdIjA3Qo
While A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera had the power, Kim and Nam’s voices have a stronger amount of emotion than the original. The MV can be a bit distracting with the movie scenes, but the black and white enhances the feel of the song.
3. Lunafly “Wake Me Up” (Avicii)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PMIsfwG5Xc
Sam, Teo, and Yun always have great covers, but “Wake Me Up” helped put the oft underrated group on the map for many K-Pop and non-K-Pop fans. The boys show off a lot of personality in the MV to play up the upbeat tune. Listeners should use this song as a launching bad for getting into Lunafly as a whole.
4. Taeyang “Don’t Wanna Try” (Frankie J)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6oKnT6Xdj8
Taeyang’s voice is smooth and velvety during his cover of Frankie J’s hit, and that’s what makes the song totally worth it. It does have its Engrish moments, but they’re easy to overlook given his voice. Plus, later videos show many improvements with pronunciation.
5. LC9 “Just a Dream” (Nelly)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acpeRv_AR00
It’s cool to see a group try a soloist’s song, and LC9 does a nice job with the cover. There are times when the lyrics sound a little muddled, but the chorus sounds amazing with all the guys blending in harmony well.
6. Tiffany (SNSD) “The Way” (Ariana Grande)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s63W_bhcBU
The Girl’s Generation ladies often sound good by themselves, and Tiffany shows off how pretty her voice is with her Ariana Grande cover. She has some nice control with her vocals, making her a shining star. Her other covers from singers and groups like Aqua and Carly Rae Jepsen have also caught listeners’ attention.
7. Lee Hi “Rolling in the Deep” (Adele)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNF6puPEvuU
Sometimes Lee Hi has difficulties displaying emotion especially in songs that don’t exactly fit in her age range. But, the girl can really belt out the tunes! Her rendition of “Rolling in the Deep” is bluesy and on-point, especially toward the end of the song. Nicely done!
8. Megan Lee “Perfect” (P!nk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrSn4hFJXno
Lee is the perfect mix of mature and adorable. Her youthful take on more adult-songs have a certain innocence that music is missing at times. Her pure vocals have an ability to touch the heart. Her take on P!nk’s “Perfect” has “young person anthem” written all over it.
9. SuPearls “Fame”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLxMJQeclaU
It’s such a shame SuPearls never became a group, but each of the members have found other success thankfully. As a group, they brought the house down on K-Pop Star with their rendition of “Fame,” a fitting song for the divas who could have brought the K-Pop world to its knees if they remained together.
10. Roy Kim “All of Me” (John Legend)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvZuugqkkuo
Roy Kim’s high notes are enough to provide chills. Kim maintains the integrity of the song which will makes fans of the original happy. Legend’s version has a bit more soul, but Kim’s acoustic version feels more raw at times. In either case, both are beautiful.
-Joelle Halon