Covered: UAU (EXO), Lily & Camila (‘Wicked’), CREZL (Gen Hoshino), Andamiro (Lee Hi), Na Go Eun (f(x)), JiU (Han Ye Seul)

Covered, because I enjoy covers.

Part of it is because I get to revisit songs from the past that I enjoy (and that’s a lot of K-pop’s appeal to me at the moment), and a part of it is because unfortunately sometimes the best thing talented singers do is cover great material that was given to others.

Additionally, I feel like it’s another way to find talented artists I might not have come across otherwise. Well, either that or I end up finding songs that the original singers probably deserve more credit for.

Listening to "First Love" covers … perhaps Utada Hikaru deserves more credit.

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UAU (Dreamcatcher) – EXO’s “The First Snow”

Wasn’t supposed to do anything from before 2026, but the Asian Junkie Guidelines & Bylaws clearly state that it’s acceptable if it’s to shoehorn as much Dreamcatcher into the site as possible. Yoohyeon really starts picking things up in the second half.

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NMIXX’s Lily & GIRLSET’s Camila – Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande’s “For Good”

An intercompany collab from across the sea, something that should be arranged more often (the intercompany collab part). Obviously it’s from the Wicked: For Good soundtrack, which has high expectations built in, and they delivered.

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CREZL’s Seungmin – Gen Hoshino’s “Koi”

Thought this was an interesting cover in terms of a classical vocalist doing a number from The Full-Time Wife Escapist soundtrack. A lot of these types of covers end up quite frankly being ass because technique isn’t really what makes these songs addictive, but he does great work here.

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Geenius’ Andamiro – Lee Hi’s “Savior” (Feat. B.I)

I like a lot of Lee Hi‘s songs just because Lee Hi is the one singing them, so it speaks well of Andamiro that I still liked this anyway.

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Na Go Eun (Ex-PURPLE KISS) – f(x)’s “4 Walls”

Revisiting an absolutely timeless K-pop classic while reliving the glory days of PURPLE KISS? Hard to ask for more. Loving Na Go Eun‘s YouTube channel, by the way.

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Dreamcatcher’s JiU – Han Ye Seul’s “You’re Different”

It’s wild that Han Ye Seul (yes, the actress) once made an enduring hit song, though obviously being from the soundtrack of the popular Nonstop 04 didn’t hurt. Calm and vibey for a bit, it finishes with a bit of a flourish and is an ideal vehicle for JiU.

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One of the posts I was gonna do before I went AWOL was a Covered centered around the surge of Korean singers covering Tuki‘s outstanding “Bansanka“.

My favorite of the bunch was actually by YouTuber Raon Lee, but on the idol/male side there was BTOB‘s Yook Sungjae.