Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
I have a bunch of Covered things planned for release as I catch up because this is thankfully one of the easier features to fill since covers are plentiful and they’re usually quite good, honestly. They serve as an ideal vehicle for idols to showcase their talent in a way that’s familiar to the listener, and perhaps to even lure in people from another fandom that wouldn’t otherwise check out their work.
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Let’s start by recapping the covers I’ve already … well, covered with individual posts.
- Dreamcatcher’s Yoohyeon shows incredible timing with sultry special clip cover of ENHYPEN’s “Bite Me”
- RESCENE Woni’s YouTube channel goes viral thanks to Minami sharing gyaru secrets & delivering an amazing 6-song gyaru sampler
- RESCENE’s ascent continues as they perform gyaru “LOVE ATTACK” again and are now set to remake KARA’s “Pretty Girl”
- RESCENE drop their remake of KARA’s “Pretty Girl”, combining past and present greats
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H1-KEY’s Riina – tuki’s “Bansanka”
At first, I was surprised that she had the time to learn a Japanese-language cover to make it this good, but then I remembered she was in Produce 48 and is proficient in Japanese.
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May J. – Mika Nakashima’s “Yuki No Hana” – Change Street
A classic J-pop song that I’m mostly glad I got to hear May J.‘s take on.
As you’ll see in coming posts, the cultural exchange aspect between Japanese and Korean singers is ticking way up, and it’s resulting in a lot of content gold (and exposure).
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Crystal Kay – Hibari Misora’s “Kawa No Nagare No You Ni” – Change Street
Probably not the highlight cover in here for most due to unfamiliarity, but it’s the standout for me because Crystal Kay doing an enka classic has to be up there in rarity, and she did it beautifully.
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KYURI – Taylor Swift’s “22”
Didn’t know who she was before this, but she apparently finished sixth on both the Girls On Fire and Sing Again 4 singing competitions. Understandable.
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DKB’s Junseo & Xiwoo – imase’s “NIGHT DANCER (BIG Naughty Remix)”
I like the original song, and I like the cover.
Was thinking I hadn’t heard from them in a while, and indeed they’ve had one comeback in the past two years. Yeesh.
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KANOMIYU – Yoko Takahashi’s “The Cruel Angel’s Thesis (Director’s Edit Version)” – Change Street
Wasn’t familiar with her before this, but hey, doing the Neon Genesis Evangelion theme is a great way to get me to find out.
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SWAN (Ex-PURPLE KISS) – Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall In Love)”
The amount of former PURPLE KISS members that have dropped impressive covers and/or music since their disbandment really showed me how much their company fumbled at least the compilation of talent they amassed, which especially stands out as generations pass.
Anyway, another former PURPLE KISS member and probably the one best known for her vocals, for good reason. Nothing she really does in terms of singing can be a surprise at this point, but it was nice to see her do a song that required more finesse than power and still kill it.
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Bunch more already scheduled whenever there’s a lull.
