Twitter by P1Harmony / Instagram by DO
Of course, we like K-Pop because it’s Korean, and we love the original lyrics and music. But. it’s always interesting to have some diversity every now and then. After so many years, idols singing in English is not a big deal anymore. Many idols are learning English, or are already bilingual. It’s also true with the Japanese, considering most K-Pop groups will also have a Japanese debut. It can either be English or Japanese, as K-Pop fans are used to, and it’s nothing new or surprising anymore. But what about all other languages?
In fact, many groups have sung, or at least tried to sing, in a number of foreign languages that you’ve probably never thought of. How about having a K-Pop group singing in Spanish, Thai or even French? Well, this might come as a surprise, but many groups have sung in these languages, and even more! Whether it’s a cover, an original song or even a compilation of multiple languages into one song, the idols have done it all. Some were a hit and some gave fans more funny moments to enjoy, no matter the outcome, it was worth a try. So let’s see some idols and groups that sang in many foreign languages besides English and Japanese.
Note: This is not a rating.
1. DO – ‘If you were mine’
EXO’s DO had previously performed a song in Spanish in 2014, but in 2021 he released an original Spanish song ‘Si Fueras Mia’. This shows not only DO’s skills as a singer, but also as a linguist. Having DO’s angelic vocals combined with the beautiful Spanish language is someone we didn’t know we needed!
2. Chan – ‘Why Don’t You Stay’ (original song by Jeff Satur)
The song Chan from ACE is covering in this video is a Thai song that was used as OST for BL series “Kinnporsche”. Chan was praised for covering a song from a BL series and for doing a great job with the Thai language vocals and pronunciation!
3. JiUng, Intak and JongSeob – ‘Just Being Friendly’ (original song by Tilly Birds ft. MILLI)
Another Thai song, covered this time by three members of P1Harmony! This song went viral in Thailand last year as the plot is all about the friends to lovers trope, but it looks like the song made it to Korea as well, and fans were more than grateful to have these talented kids cover the song. music!
4. Go EunSeong – ‘The Desire To Love’ (Original Song by Daniel Lévi)
As hard as French is, this singer made it look so easy. Not only were his vocals amazing and flawless, but his French was also immaculate! This song is an old French song from a musical, which explains the complexity of the song, but Go EunSeong did an amazing job that won’t be easily forgotten!
5. MONT – ‘Dommage’ (original song by Big Flo et Oli)
MONT isn’t a very famous K-Pop group, but they did something that many others couldn’t, they sang in French and not just any song. ‘Dommage’ is a song performed by a French rapper duo, which means that not only did the members sing in French, but they also rapped, and the fans were amazed at the members’ talent. Their pronunciation was so accurate that it almost felt natural for them to sing in this foreign language!
6. Bae DooHoon – ‘Despacito’ (original song by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee)
During his fan meeting, FORESTELLA’s Bae DooHoon sang this popular Latin song that went viral for years. And to this day, people are still very excited to hear this song, as proven by the fan reactions during the event. Everyone must have been delighted and excited about this special performance!
7. FORESTELLA – ‘Je Suis Malade’ (Original song by Serge Lama)
FORESTELLA has proven her incredible vocals more than once, with this fourth being unique in the K-Pop industry. But by playing this French song, they proved their incredible vocal abilities along with their limitless language skills. After singing in English and Spanish, they also sang in French, making it seem like there’s nothing too hard for them to do.
8. KyuHyun – ‘BLAH BLAH’ (Thai version)
If you’re a fan of SUPER JUNIOR’s KyuHyun, you’ve probably heard of the Korean version of this song, but what about the Thai version? If you already knew him, it’s a great occasion to hear him again! If you didn’t know, we are pleased to present this amazing version of the song! How original is it to do a Thai version of a song? Most idols would have done a Japanese version for sure, but Kyuhyun opted for something different and unique for our greatest pleasure!
9. SUPER JUNIOR – ‘Now You Can Leave’
SUPER JUNIOR’s passion and ability for foreign languages strikes again with this original Spanish song! Again, how delicious is it to combine K-Pop musical style with other languages? Gives great combos, especially when it fits the group’s style. SUPER JUNIOR has released some songs with instrumentals or Latin vibes, so this song is like the cherry on top!
BONUS. All Transonglations
YouTube channel @KPOP created a new challenge for K-pop idols called Transonglation. The concept is very simple, the groups are divided into teams of up to three members, each team is responsible for a language or part of the song, and must sing their original song in several languages, and the objective is not to make too many mistakes to win snacks from different countries. Thanks to this new type of content, fans could hear their idols singing in multiple languages, and sometimes even their own! You can check out all the videos in this playlist as we can’t share them all – there are too many – we’re only sharing the last one released, enjoy!
That’s all for the idols who sang in foreign languages except English or Japanese, what do you think? Share with us your favorite song from this list or who you think sang the best in a foreign language!
