When aK-Popsong becomes popular, it’s likely to take on a life of its own.Much like the Western music industry, song covers are incredibly common in the K-Pop industry. When trainees attend dance and vocal lessons at their companies, they learn popular K-Pop choreography or are taught original choreography to global music, either being songs that are easily recognizable and familiar to most.
Once a group debuts, however, it’s common for them to cover another K-Pop group’s song in their early years.These tend to be covers of songs by older groups within their company, like Stray Kids covering 2PM, both under JYP Entertainment, but can vary. Generally, covers are a great way to help a newer group gain attention while also showing respect for a group that already has a large following. Other times, a group might just want to perform a cover as a special treat for fans.
Either way, covers can be a gateway forK-Pop beginnersand groups to connect. The video above features two groups with entries on this list who celebrated the history of K-Pop in a collaborative performance that led to several moments and members going viral online.The 10 covers below are a combination of covers that honor the original artist, reinterpret the original song to fit the group’s image, or perform an impressive combination of both, but by no means is an exhaustive list.
10MONSTA X
Covering “Mirotic” by TVXQ!
When it comes to songs that are a rite of passage for rising K-Pop groups, “Mirotic” by TVXQ! often comes to mind.The 2008 track is covered time and time again by boy groups who aim to fit the sexy concept of one of K-Pop’s most iconic songs. It’s even been covered by aespa, one of SM’s biggest groups right now, adding an exciting feminine touch to a predominantly masculine song. One group who perfectly captures the masculine energy of “Mirotic” is MONSTA X.
The group moves through the choreography as if it’s their own, with impressive preciseness for being performed the year after they debuted.
Their 2016 cover for their M COUNTDOWN Special Stage is a perfect example of how a group can make a song their own while also sticking to the original. The styling is iconic, particularly Shownu and Wonho, both of whom fit the concept effortlessly. The group moves through the choreography as if it’s their own, with impressive preciseness for being performed the year after they debuted.
9LE SSERAFIM
Covering “The Boys” by Girl’s Generation
From the opening lines, it’s easy to hear how LE SSERAFIM made one of the most famous girl group songs their own. While the original includes the iconic “G.G.” and “TRX” before the first verse, this4th generation K-Pop girl groupchanges those to reflect their own identity. They say “I’m fearless, huh” in reference to their debut track, and “L.S.F.,” a shortened version of their group name.Performed at 2022 SBS Gayo Daejeon, LE SSERAFIM’s “The Boys” cover received a number of negative reviews for how it altered the original.
I’d like to point out the fact that one reason for doing a cover is to introduce the song in a new light.Some groups change a song completely, but that’s not what LE SSERAFIM did. They stuck to the original instrumental, choreography, and lyrics besides altering a few words, and what they did change makes sense. Once you brush any preconceived ideas about this song aside, you can focus on how tasteful their cover is, with Yunjin being an absolute joy to watch and hear.
8STAYC
Covering “Queencard” by (G)I-DLE
Sometimes a K-Pop group covers a specific song out of pure appreciation for the artist.This is certainly the case for STAYC’s cover of “Queencard” by (G)I-DLE at KCON LA 2024, just a year after the original song was released.Yoon, one of STAYC’s main vocalists, is known to be a massive (G)I-DLE fan, so it makes perfect sense that a cover of her favorite group would come to fruition.
STAYC is a refreshing group who always put forth their all in each performance. This is no different, with every member tapping into the exact energy of each (G)I-DLE member. Seeun encapsulates Shuhua’s bright energy while J captivates the crowd with a coolness that can only come from Yuqi and Soyeon. Everything from the casual styling to how easy it is to tell who is emulating who makes this a worthwhile cover.The concept for “Queencard” fits STAYC well enough to want something similar for their next title track.
7NMIXX
Covering “VERY NICE” by SEVENTEEN
Anytime a girl group covers a boy group, it’s likely to go viral. When NMIXX covered SEVENTEEN’s “VERY NICE” at KCON LA 2022, it was a pivotal time for the group to gain some positive attention. They debuted with “O.O” just six months prior, a song that still gets K-Pop fans fired up online forhow hated the K-Pop songbecame. Many claimed this was the worst song to come out of the genre in years, while others found something charming about how unique it was. The group was clearly talented, but would their music back that up?
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NMIXX’s cover of the well-known SEVENTEEN song was an incredible strategy by their team to get K-Pop fans on their side. Not only did they redo the song’s formations to fit a seven-member group (as opposed to 13), but they sang completely live with flawless vocals that never wavered despite the high-energy choreography. NMIXX continues to be a group which people either love or hate, but this cover certainly pulled a lot of people over to their side at the right time.
6ENHYPEN
Covering “Boy In Luv” by BTS
The rite of passage for any new group under HYBE, particularly boy groups, is to cover a BTS song. Tomorrow X Together covered “DNA” and “Dynamite,” BOYNEXTDOOR covered “Dope,” and ENHYPEN covered “Boy In Luv,” among others.“Boy In Luv” is a particularly popular cover song, with boy groups wanting to lean into the teenage rebellion that defined early BTS music.
The rite of passage for any new group under HYBE, particularly boy groups, is to cover a BTS song.
As HYBE’s only other seven-member boy group, ENHYPEN fits right into the roles of each BTS member.Heeseung and Jake fill in perfectly for Jungkook and Jimin’s seamless harmonization during the bridge, while Sunghoon surprises fans with how well he slips into J-Hope’s iconic rap energy. Other stand-out moments include Jungwon’s central role during the bridge and Jay’s raspy tone fitting the song’s angst perfectly from start to finish.
5THE BOYZ
Covering “CALL ME BABY” by EXO
THE BOYZ are an unbelievablyunderrated K-Pop boy groupwhose covers make it nearly impossible to pick just one.In the end, I went with their 2019 cover of EXO’s “CALL ME BABY” to appreciate how great a cover can be when they do the original group justice. As soon as the camera pans up to Juyeon, you know these boys mean business.KAIand Juyeon have very similar dance styles, so it’s a no-brainer for Juyeon to emulate him whenever he gets the chance.
From there, the viewer is overwhelmed by how easily THE BOYZ radiate the coolness of EXO’s iconic 2016 track. Jacob transforms Lay’s lines at the beginning with an infectious smile and perfect tone, while Hyunjae steps into Baekhyun’s shoes with undeniable ease. As a unit, THE BOYZ never fail to deliver a stellar performance, even so soon after their debut.
4Tomorrow X Together
Covering “Replay” by SHINee
Occasionally, an idol comes along who reminds fans of an older idol.In the case of Tomorrow X Together (TXT), Taehyun reminds many fans of the late Jonghyun of SHINee in both his appearance and his vocal ability. For that reason alone, their SHINee covers of “Replay” and “Sherlock” are fan-favorites. “Replay” holds a specific charm in how TXT performed it just six months into their debut year.
“Replay” holds a specific charm in how TXT performed it just six months into their debut year.
Every member adopts the boyish nature of the song and the early days of SHINee, but Taehyun can’t help but stand out.His voice mimics every rasp and ad lib from Jonghyun in the most natural way, accompanied by a sparkle in his eyes that still captivates fans years later. Of all the songs on this list, I think Taehyun’s performance alone is one of the best.
3ATEEZ
Covering “T.O.P” by SHINHWA
When ATEEZ performed “T.O.P” by SHINHWA, a song from 1999, a lot of fans wondered why they chose this specific song. The original is controversial, with its lyrics containing the N-word, something that was kept in through SHINHWA’s promotion of the song.ATEEZ’s team made a deliberate (and common sense) choice to change the lyrics for their cover, something that made fans let out a sigh of relief while watching.
They’re another group who have perfected the art of transforming every song into their own. For “T.O.P,” however, they largely honored the original in their minimalistic styling, vocal delivery, and in the choreography,all of which are extremely tame for the types of performances ATEEZ is known for. This laid-back approach offers some standout vocal performances from Yeosang, Yunho, and Seonghwa, with each additional member having their own moment as well.
2BOYNEXTDOOR
Covering “Pretty U” by SEVENTEEN
K-Pop idols love SEVENTEEN. BOYNEXTDOOR, the six-member group under KOZ Entertainment, are an exciting young group with a bright future ahead of them.They covered “Pretty U” on Music Bank exactly a month after their debut, delivering an impressive amount of energy and stage presence to a song that has truly stood the test of time.
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Taesan and Jaehyun wrote their own raps for this stage, adding an originality that ties into the original song so well that you might miss the changes unless you’re a dedicated SEVENTEEN listener. Sungho also stands out with his vocal power, commanding the stage during choruses, verses,and Seungkwan’s iconic note at the end, but every member of this group is sure to put a smile on the face of each viewer.
1BTS
Covering “Perfect Man” by SHINHWA
Did you really think I’d make an entire list of K-Pop covers and forget to mention BTS? I re-watched a handful of their most popular covers, but I couldn’t resist coming back to “Perfect Man” every time.Maybe it was orange-haired Jimin and the fact that I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, or maybe it was eighteen-year-old Jungkook delivering some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard. Either way, I can’t deny this cover its rightful place at the top of this list.
While this cover is absolutely dominated by Jimin and Jungkook, and a rap verse by J-Hope, it wouldn’t be the same without the rest of the members harmonizing and filling up the stage with their clean choreography. RM isn’t present, but he does still get a short rap verse during the performance.K-Pop covers have been popular ever since new generations of K-Pop groups were first introduced, and this is just one of many examples of how to do a cover right.
