17 Amazing English Songs From K-Pop Artists

Being a K-pop fan can be difficult, especially since we don’t always understand the lyrics of our favorite songs. Luckily, some K-pop artists also release original English music, along with English versions of their Korean songs. Here are a few of those amazing English tracks, in no particular order.

For her solo album, Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany grants us two versions of title track “I Just Wanna Dance.” The English version is more than just the song in translation, but also features a remix of sound from artist Kago Pengchi. Tiffany’s album also features the English version of “What Do I Do.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlGpXB1597s

Sam Kim takes a break from his guitar for the upbeat all-English track “Dance.” Much like the rest of the songs on his two-part debut album, it showcases yet another sound Sam Kim excels in.

Eric Nam pairs with electronic duo KOLAJ for the chill and lush track “Into You.” But this isn’t the only English track from Eric Nam. He’s also dropped an English version of his debut song “Heaven’s Door,”  the Timbaland collab track “Body,” and a duet with f(x)’s Amber called “I Just Wanna.”

Epik High delivers lyrical excellence every time they step to the mic. This is especially true for their English songs. From “Map The Soul” to “Dear TV,” Epik High showcases time and time again what it means to deliver a powerful message through music. Their song “Excuses,” featuring rapper MYK, is a perfect example of this.

CL has been poking around the western market with English features for quite some time now, but “Lifted” marks her first major venture into the American music scene. The song is a breezy hip-hop track much unlike the fierce sound of “Hello Bitches” and serves as an impressive precursor to CL’s long-awaited EP.

More than just releasing an English version of her comeback song, Jessica raises the bar with the release of both an English and a Korean version of her last two EPs “With Love, J” and “Wonderland.” Check out the English version of “Wonderland” below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8GTXqm5_b8

G-Dragon, T.O.P, and Park Bom are the unofficial dream project group of the mid-2000s. With at least three collaborations under their belt, the three have never failed to disappoint with their musical chemistry. The English version of “We Belong Together” really makes you wish they collaborated more often.

f(x)’s Amber dropped a ton of notable solo tracks last year, most of which were in English. “On My Own” and “Borders” feature emotionally heartfelt lyrics that pair with Amber’s soft voice well, while the slow build of a track like “Need to Feel Needed” is just peppy enough to start any day off right.

R&B composer, songwriter, and breakout artist Dean brings his musical artistry abroad for a collaboration with American artist Anderson .Paak on “Put My Hands On You.” Dean also collaborates with R&B artist Eric Bellinger for the English track “I’m Not Sorry.”

A definite unexpected collaboration, Rain teams up with R&B artist Omarion for “Man Up.” And if you want to hear more of Rain’s English songs, you can find the English versions of “Love Song,” “Rainism,” and “Sad Tango” floating around the web as well.

From “Nobody” to “2 Different Tears” and “Like Money,” Wonder Girls consistently dropped English classics that probably haven’t left your playlist since they first came out years ago. For “The DJ Is Mine,” the legendary group join forces with girl group School Gyrls for a standoff over the DJ.

If only there were more fierce girl group collabs like this in K-pop.

Produced by Code Kunst, “Hood” pairs Epik High’s Tablo with rapper Joey Bada$$ for a haunting rap single.

This iconic song and music video will never go out of style. A classic from an equally as renowned artist, BoA’s “Eat You Up” is the high-energy dance track from an impressive catalog of music. The multilingual artist has also recorded songs in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, in addition to her several songs in English.

“Make Love” is just one of the many great tracks from BIGBANG’s predominately English album “Number 1.” Here’s to hoping the group blesses us with another amazing English album in the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLxRyMg2iZc

Although the group has now disbanded, we’ll never forget 2NE1’s unique style and sound. The ladies have gifted us with style inspirations to last the decade, along with two full-length Korean albums we’ll always cherish. In addition to this, 2NE1 also released the English version of their hit “Can’t Nobody.”

Powerhouse vocalist Ailee switches things up for her recent American debut single, even adopting the alias “A.Leean.” Under this new name, she recently dropped the music video for her first song, “Fall Back.”

Nothing’s better than being able to understand the lyrics of your favorite K-pop songs, and Girls’ Generation grants us that wish with the English release of “The Boys.” The group’s album also features a few remixes of the famous song, one of which is a collaboration with rapper Snoop Dogg. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV7Oqh3E8g8

What are your favorite English songs by K-pop artists? Let us know in the comments!

brookenicole writes from YG’s basement until her (indefinitely) postponed debut. You can find her on Twitter.