Sometimes you come across a cover of a song that makes you appreciate the original more or even less. Sometimes the covers aren't even sung in the original language. Here are twenty covers of popular English songs performed by singers based out of Asia. Some are straight covers whereas others are interpreted in the singer's native tongue. All are official recordings so no YouTube celebrities sorry.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Dreams" (1992) by The Cranberries
Cover artist: Faye Wong
Cover title: Mung Zung Yan lit. Dreamer
Cover language: Cantonese
Cover style: Dream pop, shoegaze
Release: 1994
Trivia: Faye Wong was a big fan of western dream pop at the time of her cover's release. She wanted a Cocteau Twins sound for her music back then, which was very different from the generalized style of '90s Cantonese pop. Wong went on to cover the Cocteau Twins as well as The Sundays. Her Cranberries cover is well known internationally due to its usage in the 1994 movie
Chungking Express, which she also starred in.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Venus" (1969) by Shocking Blue
Cover artist: Hanul Kim aka Rottyful Sky
Cover title: Oot Gi Ne lit. You got to be kidding me
Cover language: Korean
Cover style: Teen-pop
Release: 2001
Trivia: This remake is based more on Bananarama's 1986 rendition of "Venus." Hanul Kim released her version at the age of fourteen. It was considered her one-hit wonder until she returned in 2010 under the name of Rottyful Sky. In 2013, Kim passed away at age 25 from complications of a brain tumor.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "The Power of Love" (1984) by Jennifer Rush
Cover artist: Amar Dhanjal
Cover title: Sitam
Cover language: Hindi
Cover style: Ballad, reggae-pop
Release: 1994
Trivia: Celine Dion's version covered
Rush's.
Amar's rendition can be heard in the 2002 movie
Bend It Like Beckham.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Emotion" (1977) by Samantha Sang
Cover artist: Regine Velasquez
Cover title: Emotion
Cover language: English
Cover style: Ballad, pop-R&B
Release: 1998
Trivia: Mark Feist produced this cover as well as Destiny's Child's own cover in 2001. The latter version even uses the same backing track as Regine's.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "When I Come Around" (1995) by Green Day
Cover artist: Lula
Cover title: When I Come Around
Cover language: English
Cover style: Bossa nova
Release: 2009
Trivia: This is from Thai singer Lula's cover album,
Swing Swing. It includes covers of popular songs like "Bizarre Love Triangle," "Right Here Waiting," "Kiss Me," and "Last Christmas."
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Lovesong" (1989) by The Cure
Cover artist: immi
Cover title: Lovesong
Cover language: English
Cover style: Electro-house
Release: 2008
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Creep" (1992) by Radiohead
Cover artist: ACO
Cover title: Creep
Cover language: English
Cover style: Alternative rock
Release: 2000
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Heartbeats" (2003) by The Knife
Cover artist: SingerSen
Cover title: Heartbeats
Cover language: Mandarin
Cover style: Electronica, synth-folk
Release: 2011
Trivia:
José González re-popularized this song as an acoustic version in 2006. SingerSen's Mandarin version was produced by Guy Sigsworth.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Larger Than Life" (1999) by Backstreet Boys
Cover artist: MAX
Cover title: Bara-iro no Hibi lit. Rose-colored days
Cover language: Japanese
Cover style: Pop
Release: 2000
Trivia: The lyrics in MAX's remake are not a direct translation of the original's. Many MAX fans can agree this cover was not good. Members of MAX once backed Namie Amuro in the classic Jpop group Super Monkeys before forming their own unit in the early '90s.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "True" (1983) by Spandau Ballet
Cover artist: Mi-Rae Yoon aka T aka Tasha
Cover title: Salm Ei Hyang Gi (Soul Flower) lit. Life's scent
Cover language: Korean/English
Cover style: Hip hop-ballad
Release: 2001
Trivia: Rapper/singer Natasha Shata Reid is best known as simply Tasha or T or by her Korean name Mi-Rae Yoon. After working in two music groups (Uptown and Tashannie), she went solo. Her first solo album included this fan favorite non-single that heavily samples Spandau Ballet's classic
#1"True." She often performs it because of how well received it was in South Korea. Her husband is rapper Tiger JK of Drunken Tiger.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Human Nature" (1983) by Michael Jackson
Cover artist: Kyla
Cover title: Human Nature
Cover language: English
Cover style: Pop-R&B
Release: 2004
Trivia: Kyla, or Melanie Alvarez nee Calumpad, is a popular Filipino musician who saw success in the early 2000s. Brian McKnight wrote her an original song just for her wedding.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Doesn't Really Matter" (2000) by Janet Jackson
Cover artist: Hitomi Shimatani
Cover title: Papillon lit. Butterfly
Cover language: Japanese
Cover style: Dance-pop
Release: 2001
Trivia: Hitomi Shimatani was trained to be an enka (traditional Japanese music) singer, but when that didn't pan out, she began a pop career. Her Japanese remake of Janet's "Doesn't Really Matter" has very different lyrics from the original. Shimatani's
cover includes Indonesian, Mandarin, and Tagalog words.
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2Cover of: "She Bop" (1984) by Cyndi Lauper
Cover artist: WAX
Cover title: Oppa lit. an affectionate word referring to a slightly older, non-related male
Cover language: Korean
Cover style: Electro house, Eurodance
Release: 2000
Trivia: WAX is the stage name of Korean singer Hye-Ri Cho. At the start of her career, she was known more for her fast songs before shifting into slower music. In "live" performances as well as the music video for "Oppa," WAX herself doesn't even appear.
Actor Ji-Won Ha wore sunglasses and mimed to WAX's vocals. Cho eventually appeared in her own future videos and performances.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Landslide" (1975) by Fleetwood Mac
Cover artist: Fayray
Cover title: Landslide
Cover language: English
Cover style: Piano, vocal
Release: 2004
Trivia: Fayray is the stage name for Minako Ohashi. She was born in Tokyo, but she lived in the United States as well. This is why she is proficient in English. Her cover choice of "Landslide" was likely influenced by Dixie Chicks'
hit cover of the same song.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Take a Bow" (1994) by Madonna
Cover artist: Jaurim
Cover title: Take a Bow
Cover language: English
Cover style: Acoustic
Release: 2005
Trivia: Jaurim (lit. Purple rainforest) is a South Korean indie band led by Yoon-Ah Kim. They're notable for finding success as a rock band in the late '90s when Korean popular music was focused on targeting a very different sound.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Everytime" (2004) by Britney Spears
Cover artist: S.H.E
Cover title: Bie Shuo Dui Bu Qi lit. Don't say sorry
Cover language: Mandarin
Cover style: Pop-ballad
Release: 2004
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Rainy Days and Mondays" (1971) by The Carpenters
Cover artist: Sora Lee
Cover title: Rainy Days and Mondays
Cover language: English
Cover style: Pop
Release: 2010
Trivia: Sora Lee is a Korean singer-songwriter known for her 1995 hit
"I'm Happy." She is known for her recognizable vocal tone. She hosted her own talk show from 1995 to 2002 that featured live performances of popular singers at the time.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Faithfully" (1983) by Journey
Cover artist: Anita Mui
Cover title: Faithfully
Cover language: Cantonese/English
Cover style: Power ballad
Release: 1991
Trivia: Anita Mui, dubbed the Madonna of Asia, was a renowned singer and actor in Hong Kong who was remembered for her unique voice and stage costumes. Apart from being a star in her homeland, she managed to conduct a sold out concert overseas in Hammersmith, London, England. Mui died of cervical cancer in 2003. A bronze statue made in her honor stands in Hong Kong.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Livin' la Vida Loca" (1999) by Ricky Martin
Cover artist: Hiromi Go
Cover title: Goldfinger '99
Cover language: Japanese
Cover style: Dance-pop
Release: 1999
Trivia: Hiromi Go (real surname is Haratake) is a very popular performer in Japan as he both sings and acts. Fans of the Japanese comedian Hard Gay may recognize Hiromi for the sheer fact that Hard Gay targets Go since they have the same initials (H.G.). Hiromi Go appeared with Catherine Mary Stewart in the 1994 movie
Samurai Cowboy.
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2 (the original song)Cover of: "Because I Got High" (2001) by Afroman
Cover artist: Q.O.Q
Cover title: Ddeo Na Ga Ra lit. Leave
Cover language: Korean
Cover style: Kpop
Release: 2002
Trivia: Q.O.Q (Quantity of Quality) only released its
one album, and their
remake of "Because I Got High" is not at all a direct translation of the original.
What are your favorite covers in any language, ONTD? Or, what new music are you into at the moment?