HOWNU X HYUNGWON of MONSTA X honor K-Pop legends 2PM with Spotify K-Pop ON! (온) Single

In a powerful tribute to K-pop “beast-dol” legends 2PM, SHOWNU X HYUNGWON of MONSTA X dropped their Spotify K-Pop ON! (온) Single, featuring their rendition of “I Hate You” from the senior artist’s “2:00PM Time For Change” album. 

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A heartfelt cover of one of the duo’s favorite songs from back in the day, the track is an ode to the soundtrack that shaped their journeys as both K-Pop fans and idols. It is the second of three Spotify-exclusive covers to be released as part of the platform’s K-Pop ON! (온) First Crush campaign, which invites listeners to unite over a shared passion for K-Pop as they reminisce the roots of their love for the genre. 

K-Pop ON! (온) First Crush was launched in celebration of the anniversary of K-Pop ON! (온) – Spotify’s global genre flagship playlist dedicated to bringing millions of listeners around the world K-Pop’s very best. Since launching in 2014, this flagship playlist has since been “saved” by over 5.3 million Spotify users worldwide and racked up billions of streams for Korean artists. 

A fresh take on the 2009 hit, SHOWNU X HYUNGWON’S rendition of “I Hate You” features UK garage rhythms layered with dreamy sounds and a solid bass for an R&B-inspired arrangement. With their mesmerizing vocals, the duo delivers the weight of the song’s emotions with a sense of coolness and their unique suave. The track was produced prior to HYUNGWON’s military service enlistment.

Expressing appreciation for the opportunity to produce this Spotify K-Pop ON! (온) Single, SHOWNU X HYUNGWON said: “We grew up admiring the performances and choreography videos of our respected and beloved sunbaes (senior artists), 2PM. “I Hate You” is such an iconic song, and the original version will always be something only 2PM can deliver. So rather than covering the track as it is, we’re honoring the song by delivering a version that allows us to put our best performance forward.” 

“It was refreshing for us to be able to fuse our styles on a music piece once again, continuing our activities as a unit. Our hope is that listeners who come across our version of ‘I Hate You’ will find themselves falling in love with K-Pop, just as we did back in the day,” they added.

To dive deep into SHOWNU X HYUNGWON’s rendition of “I Hate You”, Spotify will be rolling out a series of exclusive bonus content on its K-Pop ON! (온) Video Podcast and YouTube channels. Tune in on March 2 to watch SHOWNU X HYUNGWON perform their Spotify K-Pop ON! (온) Single, and on March 4, a special episode will take fans back in time to 2009, to uncover the K-Pop songs that shaped their journey as idols and K-Pop fans themselves. On March 6, Spotify will take you behind the scenes for a peek into the Making of SHOWNU X HYUNGWON’s Spotify K-Pop ON! (온) Single. 

Listen to “I Hate You (2024) – Spotify Singles” by SHOWNU X HYUNGWON on Spotify’s K-pop ON! (온) Playlist today.