MONSTA X sub-unit Shownu X Hyungwon have released their new laidback cover of 2PM’s ‘I Hate You’ for Spotify Singles, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the streaming service’s ‘K-Pop ON!’ playlist. But what fans might not realise is that the cover has long been in the works, stretching back to way before Hyungwon enlisted into the South Korean military in November last year.
In their chat with NME, which took place prior to Hyungwon’s enlistment, the K-pop duo revealed that they had “several options of songs by artists like Rain and TVXQ!” for their Spotify Single. “But after discussing the style we wanted to show in our version, we decided ‘I Hate You’ by 2PM fit us the best,” Shownu says. Their version of ‘I Hate You’ arrives nearly 15 years after the song was first released by 2PM in 2009, as a beloved B-side to their hit single ‘Again and Again’.
To the duo, the artistically autotuned angst of ‘I Hate You’ evokes their earliest days pursuing the path of K-pop stars: MONSTA X debuted in 2015, the year 2PM’s now-iconic ‘My House’ came out, and their training period coincided with many of 2PM’s biggest hits, providing inspiration for K-pop hopefuls. “‘I Hate You’ is important to us because it’s a reminder of our past and present,” reflects Hyungwon. “2PM reminds us of our trainee days.”
This isn’t the first, or even second, time MONSTA X have covered 2PM. The senior group have regularly been in their cover song repertoire at special K-pop events, resulting in covers of hits like ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Again & Again’. “We were reminded of our younger days listening to 2PM and covering their other songs as a group before,” he says. “We had fun while preparing and it was a very cool experience to cover a song by an artist we respect and were influenced by.”
While K-pop stars often cover senior artists, it’s natural that MONSTA X, whether as a whole or in parts, step so easily into 2PM’s sonic footprint: both have a tendency towards sexier, more dramatic performances than many of their peers, with discographies that aggressively capture sleek romance.
Both, of course, have been dubbed “beast idols” at various times, due to them typically veering towards darkly powerful, traditionally masculine stage presences. Ahead of the release of their take on ‘I Hate You’, Shownu X Hyungwon spoke with NME about the process of creating the cover and their thoughts on the future of K-pop.
Tell us about the process of creating this Spotify Single.
Shownu: “We discussed what would fit our unit well and decided to make our version more laidback to fit our image better than the strong vibe of the original version. It was a fun process to think about our younger days and think of ways to recreate the song into our own style for our fans to enjoy.”
Were there elements of the original that you wanted to keep in an ode to 2PM?
Hyungwon: “2PM’s original version is very powerful and sexy. We wanted to keep that kind of strong emotion and sexiness in our version and performance but in a more subdued way.”
Were there elements that you changed up?
Hyungwon: “We made our version into a UK garage and focused on making the rhythm sound more dreamy and deep to fit our vocal styles well.”
Shownu: “You can look forward to hearing my higher range and Hyungwon’s emotional delivery in our version!”
How did 2PM shape how you create music and impact your journey as artists?
Hyungwon: “2PM is known for their cool and powerful performances so watching them made us aspire to be performers like them. We covered their songs as trainees and as a group before, so they inspired us and are a group that we always respect.”
How has your music evolved over the years?
Hyungwon: “Our music has definitely matured over the years and become a better reflection of our style, especially after [we] became more involved in the production process.”
What is your vision for the K-pop genre in the future?
Hyungwon: “K-pop is such a global genre now with so many fans around the world no matter where they live and what language they speak. We hope K-pop continues to evolve and influence people positively around the world.”
How do you see Shownu X Hyungwon and MONSTA X in this vision?
Shownu: “We’ll continue to work hard to give our fans great music and performances so that they can get positive energy from us!”
Shownu X Hyungwon’s remake of 2PM’s ‘I Hate You’ is available to stream now on Spotify’s K-Pop ON! (온) playlist.