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From K-pop classics to Adele, 8 cover songs BTS made their own
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Boy band BTS arrive for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AFP/Valerie Macon)
Some of the best covers done by the septet.
1. “Come Back Home” by BTS
In 2017, BTS released a remake of the famous tune by hip-hop trio Seo Taiji and Boys as part of “Time Traveler”, a project celebrating 25 years since Seo Taiji’s debut.
Being the first official remake in 22 years since its original release, the new song was given a trendy electronic trap makeover while maintaining the original version’s heavy bassline and strong beats.
Seo Taiji, one of the most influential figures in the Korean music industry, said at the time of release that the new version had turned out to be a great remake while respecting the BTS style. He added that the song highlighting youth problems could resonate with today’s youth.
2. “Autumn Outside the Post Office” by Jin
Originally sung by YB, also known as Yoon Do Hyun Band, the harmonica-filled folk ballad was given a breath of fresh air as Jin recorded his own version more than two decades after the original release in 1994.
Mastered by engineers at Big Hit Entertainment, Jin’s version has been streamed over 7 million times since it was uploaded around June last year.
When the two appeared on music program “Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook” in November, Yoon thanked the group for covering his song. He added that he had earned so much respect from his daughter after she found out her dad’s song had been covered by BTS.
3. “Breathe” by Jungkook
Jungkook, who has easily done the most covers among the group, also sang Lee Hi’s popular 2016 single “Breathe”. The popular ballad was given the Jungkook makeover with a more acoustic sound to highlight his voice.
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) January 16, 2018
In a fan video from 2016, Jungkook was caught singing along to the song by the original singer at the SBS Gayo Daejeon music festival.
4. “We Don’t Talk Anymore” by Jimin, Jungkook
Jimin and Jungkook sang Charlie Puth’s hit single “We Don’t Talk Anymore” together.
Differing from other covers, the duo decided to respect the original sound in terms of arrangement. The pair’s English apparently has impressed fans, as the YouTube video has been bombarded with comments encouraging them and complimenting them for their pronunciation.
In November, Jungkook and Charlie Puth put on a rare joint performance of “We Don’t Talk Anymore” at the 2018 MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards, becoming one of the biggest talking points within the fandom.
Read also: Ultimate beginner’s guide to BTS
5. “Someone Like You” by V
V not only sang, but produced his own version of Adele’s hit power ballad “Someone Like You”. The cover was released with an accompanying video on the group’s YouTube channel as a gift to fans on his birthday.
The 2 1/2-minute black-and-white video features V walking alone down a narrow, empty road alongside a brick wall. The short clip ends with a close-up in slow motion. He opted for a more soothing and toned down sound than its original counterpart with a quieter piano, complimenting his husky voice.
6. “Fools” by RM and Jungkook
RM and Jungkook teamed up to record their own rendition of Troye Sivan’s “Fools” and uploaded it to the group’s official website in December 2015. The group’s agency said the two arranged the vocals in their dorm.
7. “Born Singer” by BTS
“Born Singer” is BTS’ take on a track of a similar title by American rapper J. Cole: “Born Sinner.”RM, Suga and J-Hope wrote the new lyrics for their cover while the rest of the group helped make it their own.
While the original lyrics paint a more graphic picture concerning crime, sin and women, the BTS version is written from their own perspective as trainees. Candid lyrics such as “I was fearful at first” give a glimpse of the highly competitive nature of the music industry.
8. “Only Then” by Jungkook
It is fair to say Roy Kim’s recent hit “Only Then” is one of the most popular covers done by Jungkook, racking up over 7.5 million views on YouTube so far.
The rock ballad cover has even drawn calls for the release of a solo album. Roy Kim won the award for best ballad at the 2018 Melon Music Awards with the song.
This article appeared on The Korea Herald newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
