There are cases where remakes become even more popular than the original songs.
‘Remake’ refers to reinterpreting a song or work from the past to fit the present era and making it anew. It has the advantage of being able to introduce one’s own color through a unique interpretation while taking some of the artistry and popularity of existing works. For this reason, it is often used in popular culture such as movies, dramas, and music. In particular, various K-pop remakes have been released recently and achieved great success. Not only the remade and newly released songs, but also the existing songs are gaining popularity.
The remake craze among K-pop singers
An outstandingly successful remake song is “Shiny Star”, which was first released by producer Yang Jung Seung in 2010 and became a mega hit at the time. The latest version of “Shiny Star” by rookie singer Kyungseo was dropped in 2021 and also became a hit, achieving an All Kill on domestic charts and winning 1st place on Inkigayo. According to Melon on August 9th, “Shiny Star” (2020) ranked No. 62 on the weekly chart and is still receiving a lot of love from listeners.
“Love Always Flees”, or “Love Always Run Away” by trot singer Lim Young Woong, was first released by Lee Moon Sae in 2010. The following year, it was used as an OST for MBC’s weekend drama “Flames of Desire”. Lim Young Woong remade the song as an OST for KBS2’s weekend drama “Young Lady And Gentleman” in 2021. The song topped various music charts after its release. It currently ranks #19 on the Melon Weekly Chart.
IU has released two albums filled with only remake songs, “A Flower Bookmark” in 2014 and “A Flower Bookmark 2” in 2017, including famous tracks such as “My Old Story”, “Pierrot Smiles at Us”, “Autumn Morning”, and “Last Night Story”. In particular, “The Meaning of You”, IU’s remake of the original song of the rock band Sanulrim, achieved a record of charting on Melon for 73 weeks, recalling the old memories of music fans.
Success of remakes lead to the popularity of original songs
The remake craze is also leading to the popularity of the original songs. In particular, such a movement is noticeable in the music copyright market. Specifically, the number of original song purchases increased after the remake was released.
Red Velvet’s Joy released the solo song “Hello” in May of last year. It’s a remake of a 2003 song by singer Park Hye Kyung. Joy’s “Hello” received much love from people in their 10s and 20s, so the original song was also mentioned in search terms on portal sites. In particular, the purchase volume of the original song “Hello” increased by 271% compared to the week before and after the release of Joy’s remake.
“LOVE DAY” sung by HIGHLIGHT’s Yang Yoseob and Apink’s Jung Eunji is another example. This duet song was first released in 2012, and the two re-sung and released it again in March of last year. In the week before and after the remake, the number of original song purchases increased by 257%. “LOVE DAY” also saw an increase in the number of streams. Comparing the increase in the number of streams of the original song on Melon for a month before and after the release of the remake, the number of streams of the original song has tripled since its release.
An official in the pop music industry said, “As an existing song is being remade, both the new (remake) and existing (original) songs are becoming more popular. Consumers are using music in various ways.”
Source: daum
