In order to produce the K-Pop songs that we love today, a lot of thought goes into creating one song to make it perfect. Some songs have become so iconic, that we can't help but think that the track was perfect for the artist. However, some of the hit songs that we know today weren't always made with that certain artist in mind, and was actually meant for someone else.
With that, here are some of the hit K-Pop songs that were actually produced for other artists!
1. EXO - 'Ko Ko Bop'
Believe it or not, one of EXO's most iconic songs, "Ko Ko Bop," was actually meant for another SM Entertainment artist! The song's producer, Stylaz Fuego, revealed that the song was originally written for Red Velvet back in December 2019, and that a demo was recorded with a female's voice at a pitch three times higher than EXO's version.
2. Red Velvet - 'Zimzalabim'
Red Velvet's "Zimzalabim" was made by Swedish producers Caesar and Loui, who were actually inspired by Girls' Generation's "I Got a Boy" for its rhapsody and unusual structure. The song was written shortly after "I Got a Boy" was released, with the producers hoping for it to be used as a follow-up single. While SM Entertainment did buy the song, it wasn't used until "Zimzalabim" in 2019.
3. IVE - 'Love Dive'
"Love Dive" definitely cemented IVE as a rising rookie group. However, the song was actually made with a certain solo artist in mind. "Love Dive" was originally produced with Sunmi in mind. In fact, she even received a demo for the song. But the solo artist ended up refusing the song, as she found "Love Dive" more fitting for IVE.
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4. EXID - 'Up&Down'
"Up&Down" is easily EXID's representative song, which was produced by member LE and Shinsadong Tiger. But LE revealed that she actually didn't produce the song with EXID in mind, and that it was actually meant for Jessi! But after hearing the song, Jessi suggested it to EXID instead, as she felt it suited the group more.
5. SHINee Taemin - 'Press Your Number'
Taemin's iconic solo track "Press Your Number" was originally written and recorded by American singer Bruno Mars, who had the song under the title "Press It." The song was written years before SM Entertainment bought it from the artist, who decided to sell the song instead of officially releasing it himself. In fact, he even released the song's original audio!
6. TWICE - 'More & More'
TWICE's much-loved song "More & More" was originally entitled "Back & Forth" and recorded by Swedish singer Zara Larsson for her album "So Good" in 2015. However, it wasn't included in the album, and ended up being sold to JYP Entertainment, who changed the lyrics to suit TWICE.
7. Sunmi - 'Siren'
Sunmi's iconic track "Siren" was composed by Sunmi herself, although she originally made the song as her former group Wonder Girls' title track. She sent the song to Park Jin Young for approval. However, it was delayed for several years as he didn't think the song suited Wonder Girls.
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8. BLACKPINK - 'As If It's Your Last'
"As If It's Your Last" was originally meant to be 2NE1's song under the title "Blame It On Your Love." But 2NE1 decided against taking the song, as revealed by member Minzy in 2021. This led to YG Entertainment giving the song to BLACKPINK for their comeback instead.
9. EXO - 'The Eve'
Another song by EXO that is hard to imagine wasn't originally made for them is "The Eve." The song was composed by former Super Junior-M member Henry, who almost released the song as his own. However, the other composers thought that the song was better suited for EXO, thus, giving it to the group. Henry even released a demo of the song's English version.
10. Taeyeon - 'I'
Taeyeon's iconic solo debut song "I" wasn't actually produced with her in mind! It was revealed by SM Entertainment's producers that "I" was originally meant to be Girls' Generation song and sung as a whole group. But it was ultimately given to Taeyeon for her solo debut, and has since then been much-loved!
Which K-Pop song is your favorite?
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Written by Robyn Joan
