6 Times K-pop Idols Wowed Everyone with English Song Covers

K-pop idols often go the extra mile by releasing music in another language. Every once in a while, they delight fans when they cover hits by other artists. These covers even captivate non-fans with their versions of world-renowned songs, as seen in the following examples:

Jaehyun’s cover of Lauv’s “I Like Me Better”

Amassing more than 100 million views on YouTube as of writing, this version of the 2017’s breakout hit is a sensation in its own right. It’s so phenomenal that even the original singer and the cover artist performed together on stage at the Seoul Jazz Festival 2024 held at Olympic Park.

This music video of Jaehyun also set the bar high for cover songs. NCT’s vocalist served up vocals with his soft and refined take on Lauv’s masterpiece. The cherry on top was his looks as he toured and posed on the streets of Paris and London.

Wendy’s cover of Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now”

A few months before she debuted in Red Velvet in August 2014, a video of Wendy’s performance of T-Swift’s country pop track was released on SMTOWN’s YouTube channel. The then-member of SM Rookies sang sweetly while playing guitar effortlessly.

No fancy stage, no glamorous outfit—just RV’s main vocalist in her black tee and pants, singing and strumming strings while sitting. All throughout the video, her endearing smiles made her performance more mesmerizing.

Jungkook’s cover of Charlie Puth’s We Don’t Talk Anymore”

Nowadays, Jungkook’s releases are the ones getting covers by other artists and by fans. However, before his massive global success, the BTS maknae blessed his stans and non-stans with his renditions of some English pop songs. Among them was “We Don’t Talk Anymore”, originally performed by Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez.

JK’s breathy singing easily stood out against the black background of the entire video. Due to its popularity, he collaborated with fellow BTS member Jimin for another version of the song.

Hyolyn’s performance of Beyoncé’s Sweet Dreams”

Often dubbed as the Korean Beyoncé, Hyolyn boasts strong vocals and graceful moves. Performing one of Queen Bey’s iconic songs really showed why the Sistar’s main vocalist deserved to be called royalty on her own.

Now a soloist, she killed it with “Sweet Dreams”, not just once. Apart from her vocal color, strength and control, she’s impressive for having the stamina to sing and dance live on stage.

Rose and Jisoo’s cover of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself”

Back in 2017, BlackPink’s Rosé and Jisoo guested on the South Korean talk show Radio Star.  On the show, the duo harmonized for their version of JB’s 2015 single. At the time, it had barely been a year since their debut, and their performance had a hint of bashfulness in their faces and voices—adding even more charm to the cover.

In the past few months, Rosé has been enjoying another wave of global fame for her record-breaking hit song “APT”. Jisoo, on the other hand, just released her debut mini album.

EXO’s performance of Journey’s “Open Arms”

World-renowned acts such as Dolly Parton, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, Barry Manilow and Boyz II Men have put their spin on Journey’s power ballad. A year after their debut, EXO’s vocal quartet rose to the challenge of interpreting the ‘80s hit song.

D.O., Chen, Baekhyun and then-member Luhan captivated listeners with their mellow version and perfect harmony. EXO’s performance video, originally published in 2013 on KBS World TV’s YouTube channel, garnered more than 20 million views as of writing. The video was also reposted on OnDemandKorea’s Facebook page, where it earned more than 2 million views.

These are just some of the well-loved covers by K-pop artists. Drop a comment to share your favorite from the list above (or to recommend another rendition).