[KPop Review] Gallant — “Only One”
[#ThrowbackThursday]
South Korean singer BoA was often called the “Asian Britney Spears” by her fans. If you’re familiar with her work, you know precisely why this is. Her popularity, energy, beauty, dance and stage presence all made her a phenomenal success throughout Asia and the world.
This month, in just five days, BoA will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut. To celebrate her successful career, her long-time agency, SM Entertainment, has been releasing a series of remakes of BoA’s biggest hits as part of their project, “Our Beloved BoA.” For the third part of the project, American R&B singer, Gallant, released an English cover of BoA’s 2012 single, “Only One,” on August 14th.
His vocals are so amazing. That intro gave me goosebumps!
As with the previous covers, “Garden in the Air” and “Atlantis Princess,” Gallant’s music video for “Only One” is a live performance of the English cover. The language isn’t the only thing that is different in this song. While EXO’s BaekHyun and BOL4’s remakes stayed true to their original counterparts, Gallant adds a more intimate R&B vibe to it.
Is it awful if I say I forgot all about this song? It’s been a long time since I listened to it. I remember being obsessed when “Only One” first came out in 2012. I would put on my headphones and listen to this song repeatedly while walking around campus to the rhythm of the song.
Check out the original version by our beloved BoA:
Isn’t she stunning? She also has a Dance Version of the MV.
The long-time BoA fan, Gallant, participated in the writing of the English lyrics. Though the English lyrics aren’t the same as the Korean lyrics, its feeling and message of leaving “the only one” still remain.
On a side note, if you were wondering whether BoA has ever met Britney Spears, I won’t say much — just leave this here.
“Only One” was officially released on July 22nd of 2012. BoA’s last release was “Starry Night — the 2nd Mini Album” on December of last year, which included the title track “Starry Night” featuring Crush.
There are only two remakes left of the project: “Milky Way” by Red Velvet and “Tree” by SuperM. I am curious to hear what kind of versions they will surprise us with. So far, I have loved every cover. Still, I wonder if she will make a comeback to celebrate this milestone.
What’s your favorite cover so far?