Throwback Thursday: Featuring...
When two artists get together on a track, it can lead to some pretty amazing music. Over the years, many artists have reached out to musicians inside and outside of the K-Pop industry to feature on their tracks. That’s why this week for Throwback Thursday, we’ll be sharing five songs featuring features.
“COME TO ME” by Lee Hongki ft. Zuho
Teaming up with FNC Entertainment labelmate Zuho from SF9, Lee Hongki released “COME TO ME” on his second solo mini-album DO n DO. Known for his soaring vocals as the lead singer of K-Rock group FTISLAND, Hongki’s smooth singing meets Zuho’s deep voice, his rap starting off slow and then gaining speed before Hongki takes the stage once more. The contrasting vocals are the perfect pairing for this soft pop-electro song, creating a beautiful track about running away with the one you love.
“Pretty Boy” by TAEMIN ft. Kai
“Pretty Boy” by TAEMIN is a fun and energetic song that characterizes what he believes a girl’s ideal boy should be - instead of tough, pretty. Featuring SM Entertainment labelmate Kai from EXO, TAEMIN sings about how his prettiness is what keeps the girls flocking to him rather than some macho man persona he could put on. Kai’s rap only adds to this point, with him questioning, “Why is being sensitive the opposite of being a man?”
“Purple” by HyunA ft. DAWN
It came as a bit of a surprise to the K-Pop world when HyunA and DAWN (formerly E’Dawn) announced they were dating back in 2018, but after listening to “Purple” off her 2017 mini-album Following, it’s pretty obvious how much the two love each other. With lyrics written by the couple and music by DAWN, the two sing about their love and sing, “Kids who listen to this song won’t understand. Oh well, I don’t care, I don’t care,” and they were right—after all, we didn’t seem to notice the song was a little more fact than fiction.
“늴리리야 (Niliria)” by G-DRAGON ft. Missy Elliott
G-DRAGON and Missy Elliott came together on “늴리리야 (Niliria)” for G-DRAGON’s COUP D’ETAT, describing how they are the king and queen of rap in their respective countries. While Missy Elliott says she’s got “hits, hits, hits like a tennis racket,” and G-DRAGON proclaims that whatever he releases becomes a hit in their self-penned verses, it’s hard to find any flaws in what they’re saying, especially when the track jams so hard.
“데자-부 (Déjà-Boo)” by Jonghyun ft. Zion.T
“데자-부 (Déjà-Boo)” from Jonghyun’s first mini-album BASE was written by the vocalist and co-produced by himself and the featured musician Zion.T, blending the close friends’ styles seamlessly. With Jonghyun’s signature jazzy sound and Zion.T’s R&B background, “데자-부 (Déjà-Boo)” talks about experiencing déjà vu when looking at a pretty girl and will have you bopping around the room, singing along with the soulful musicians in no time.