Plenty of awesome songs have gotten a second wind thanks to K-Pop groups reimagining or faithfully undertaking their concepts. On the other hand, it's exciting to see one's favorite group perform a song made by another, especially when it's a complete 180 from their typical themes. In this week's Throwback Thursday, we’ll look at covers and remakes done by K-Pop groups previously. 

“Dunk Shot” - Covered by NCT Dream

NCT Dream has come a long way since their first single album, aptly named The First, released in 2017. “마지막 첫사랑 My First and Last,” the leading track off this album, garnered the group their first win early in their careers, so many are familiar with their sophomore release. However, this single album also features NCT Dream’s sweet and heart-warming rendition of “Dunk Shot,” a track originally released in 1993 by Lee Seunghwan. The whole song is endearing and fits the group's youthful debut concept, making it clear why this song was chosen for an official cover. The best part of this cover is definitely hearing them cast the ‘magic spell’, “Yaballabahiyamo haimamohairura.” 

“Come Back Home” - Covered by BTS & TXT

These HYBE artists have created an unspoken tradition with their respective covers of Seo Taiji and Boys' “Come Back Home.” Released in 2017, prior to the start of the Love Yourself series, BTS released an updated and personalized cover to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Seo Taiji and Boys. BTS took an already impactful song with a powerful message and imbued their own flair into the track. 

As for TXT (Tomorrow x Together), the group performed a cover during the 2022 Weverse Con in celebration of the new year. Staying true to all the sensibilities of the original, TXT brought the track into the new era in their own way.

“BANG BANG BANG” - Covered by Dreamcatcher

Dreamcatcher has a long list of covers under their belts, all of which are uploaded to their official YouTube as Special Clips. This cover, however, was a complete surprise that was revealed live on stage. The girls excel with any genre and concept they experiment with in their covers, so hearing the normally rock-oriented group rapping along to BIGBANG’s loud and rowdy “BANG BANG BANG” was exciting. The absolute cherry on top is member Dami’s original rap heard at the beginning of the performance. 

“U Go Girl” - Covered by EVERGLOW

Many girl groups, from TWICE, (G)-IDLE, and even Girls’ Generation, have covered “U Go Girl” by Lee Hyori. EVERGLOW, perhaps the most recent entry to this list, also covered the track in an official video posted to Stone Music Entertainment’s YouTube channel. Adorned in cute, retro-styled outfits, the members’ vocals and performance come together to make a memorable take on the iconic track. 

“Sherlock” - Covered by ATEEZ

ATEEZ dominates the cover economy without a doubt if their extensive number of wins on South Korea’s resident cover performance program, Immortal Songs, is any indicator. SHINee songs are well known for both their intense and technical choreography and expert vocals, yet ATEEZ showed no hint of struggle performing “Sherlock.” This track in particular has many precise moments in its choreography that had been challenging at the beginning for the SHINee members as well; regardless, ATEEZ absolutely did this legendary song justice. 

“No.1” - Covered by NCT Dream

Bringing it back to NCT Dream one last time with their cover of fellow SM Entertainment artist BoA’s track “No.1.” The original song was released while many members of NCT Dream were only babies, making this cover even more impactful. As a part of Immortal Songs 2019 Global Special, NCT Dream performed this track live for a large audience. This cover allowed for the pure and beautiful voices of vocalists Renjun and Chenle to steal the spotlight. 

“MOVE” - Covered by MOMIDACHAE of TWICE

Music shows are never short of special stages and covers from K-Pop groups. TWICE has participated in plenty, but perhaps one of the most notorious is their cover of TAEMIN’s subtle and sensual “MOVE.” The MOMIDACHAE (Momo, Mina, Dahyun,and Chaeyoung)combination was a perfect fit for this concept, and one we’d all love to see again some time. While the dancing is the highlight of the live performances, the sultry vocals can be best heard in the official dance practice video.

Edited by Vivian N.