One of the reasons for K-pop’s success is the unique blend of catchy beats, captivating visuals, and innovative concepts. However, it is not uncommon for K-Pop songs to be inspired by or even remakes of other popular songs.
In this section, we will explore 10 K-Pop songs that are remakes of other songs. From iconic hits from the past to modern-day chart-toppers, these K-Pop remakes have added their spin to classic tunes and created something entirely new and exciting for fans to enjoy. So, let's dive in and discover some of the most noteworthy K-Pop remakes out there!
1. SHINee – Juliette
Corbin Blue released his first studio album in 2007. “Deal with it” was his second single. The song has the same music he has used since his Disney era. His music caught the attention of SM Entertainment. SM Entertainment bought the rights to the song and passed it on to SHINee for their comeback in 2009 with the song “Juliette,” which has Romeo and Juliet concept. They recorded this song in Japanese for their Japanese comeback in 2011, 2 years after the Korean version.
2. f(x) – Hot Summer
SM Entertainment bought the rights to several songs from the German girl group Monrose. Hot Summer was one of the songs that SM Entertainment bought from Monrose. They remade this song in Korean with the girl group f(x) in 2011. The song was a hit in the summer of 2011 in South Korea.
3. Brian Joo - In My Head
American singer Jason DeRulo released his popular second single, “In My Head,” in 2009. Brian Joo, a Korean-American artist who is a member of the group “Fly to the Sky,” was asked by Jason himself to make a Korean version of this song so that Jason could promote himself in Korea and Japan in 2010. Brian Joo agreed, as he was a fan of this song. This version had lots of original song production.
4. G-Dragon – This Love
Maroon 5 released their song “This Love” in 2005. BIGBANG’s G-Dragon recorded his version of “this love” for the debut studio album of BIGBANG in 2006. He added his vocals, and rap and his signature flair to bring out his creative side.
5. Girl’s Generation – Dancing Queen
Girl’s Generation remade a popular 2008 song, “Mercy,” by Duffy. Duffy is a Welsh singer, actress, and songwriter. The song was originally meant for the Girl’s Generation comeback but the idea was rejected by SM and they chose the song “Gee” for the group’s comeback in 2009. The song “Dancing Queen” was eventually released in 2012 when the group was making a comeback with “I Got A Boy.”
6. PSY And Hwasa – Now
The latest song of PSY come out in 2022. One of the songs released that year was “Now,” which featured Hwasa of MAMAMOO, which had an interesting music video to follow up to the song in portrait mode. This new song of his is a remake of the 1987 Korean song “Now” by Seoul Family, which was a remake of the 1984 popular English song “When The Rain Begins to Fall” by Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora.
7. RGP Ft. Kwon Jung Yeol – Beautiful Girls
In 2007 American pop star Sean Kingston released his song “Beautiful Girls,” which had some controversial lyrics about suicide. Though the lyrics were worked upon later to change the word “suicide” to “in denial.” Later, in 2015 Korean duo Skull and HaHa paired up with Kwon Jung Yeol of 10cm to make their version of this song in Korean. Skull and HaHa are now known as RGP.
8. NCT 127 – Fly Away With Me
NCT 127 released their album “Regular-Irregular” in 2018 which featured a song called “Fly Away With Me” and sparked controversy about plagiarism. The song was similar to Jordan Fisher’s 2016 song “All About Us.” Later it was reported that Jordon’s company Hollywood Records, had sold the song to SM Entertainment without the artist’s knowledge, so the accusation and the allegations of plagiarism were settled.
9. Jang Woohyuk – Flip Reverse
H.O.T member Jang Woohyuk left his management agency SM Entertainment in 2001. He continued working with his bandmates and eventually created a dance academy with them in 2003. In 2005 after lots of hard work, he made his solo debut album
“No More Drama.” And for the lead single, he made the remake of a 2003 song of the same title by the British hip-hop group Blazin’ Squad called “Flip Reverse.” This song was a massive hit, and so was the original version of this song.
10. SHINee – Hit Me
In 2009 SHINee released their song “Hit Me” for their Romeo concept. It was the remake of a song called “Bad Case,” originally recorded by Jackie Boyz a year before 2008 but never officially released. Not just SHINee but Marques Houston also bought the rights to this song. Shortly after the release of “Hit Me,” Marques Houston released his version of the song called “Case of You,” and both the songs had a similar vibe. And they were equally very successful in their rights.
