K-pop Expands Japanese Music Remake Projects and Trends

With the rise of social media and streaming platforms, borderless music consumption is spreading, leading to more active cultural exchange between Korea and Japan. Consequently, K-pop artists are increasingly reinterpreting Japanese classics, evolving from simple musical exchange into a new genre of 'cultural translation.' Leading this trend is singer and broadcaster Kang Daniel. Along with SHgold Network, he launched the 'J-POP REMAKE' project, a format where top Korean artists reinterpret Japanese mega-hits and hidden gems. Kang Daniel has consistently shared cover content of popular Japanese songs like 'Lemon,' 'VETERGIUS,' and 'BANSANKA' on his YouTube channel, and this effort has now materialized into an official project. He stated, 'I want to introduce good J-pop to Korea and Korean classics to Japan, hoping to act as a cultural envoy connecting both countries through music.'

The first protagonist of the project is Girls' Generation's Taeyeon. In 'J-POP REMAKE VOL.1,' she will remake 'BANSANKA' (晩餐歌) by tuki. The song was a mega-hit in Japan in 2023 and has already been covered by several K-pop artists in Korea, including ILLIT's Mokar and KISS OF LIFE's Haewon. This remake combines a familiar J-pop track with a popular K-pop idol, making it accessible to Korean audiences.

Additionally, NCT WISH utilized a remake strategy for their Japanese comeback. Their new Japanese single 'YO-I-DON! / BOY MEETS GIRL' features the double title track 'BOY MEETS GIRL,' which was pre-released on global music platforms on June 22 at midnight. Both tracks are remakes based on originals. In particular, 'BOY MEETS GIRL,' a reinterpretation of the 1994 Japanese dance group TRF's hit song, is well-known in Korea as the ending theme for the first season of the anime 'Da! Da! Da!' and an insert song for 'Dream Live Prism Stone.' Thanks to this familiarity, the song received a warm response immediately after release. It entered the Spotify Japan Daily Chart at #171 and maintained the #3 spot on the Line Music Japan chart as of 3 PM on the 24th. Notably, it also entered domestic charts. While Japanese albums by K-pop artists often receive less attention than domestic releases, 'BOY MEETS GIRL' is showing exceptional results. It is maintaining its position in the rankings on Melon's HOT100, Korea's largest music streaming site. Furthermore, it reached #20 on Apple Music's 'Today's Top 100' and #37 on the Spotify Daily Chart, demonstrating that familiar Japanese music remakes are being positively received by domestic audiences and fandoms.

K-pop artists choose remakes for strategic reasons. Rather than introducing new Japanese songs, they reinterpret classics that have already achieved hits in Japan, gaining natural exposure. Both 'BOY MEETS GIRL' and 'BANSANKA' are songs that were loved in their respective home countries. 'BOY MEETS GIRL' is a representative dance hit in Japan with sales exceeding 1.2 million copies, peaking at #3 on the Oricon Weekly Single Chart. 'BANSANKA,' released in September 2023, debuted at #1 on Spotify's 'Viral 50,' reached #1 on Apple Music, and topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100. In January 2025, its music video surpassed 100 million views.