By Kim Young Deok and Lee Jihae
Videos = Jeon Han and Choi Taesoon
Seoul | Sept. 25, 2019

The K-pop boy band BIG launched early this year its "Global Cover Project" of singing covers from around the world in their native languages.

Formed in 2014, the group said it worked hard to ensure the best performance of the songs. Members watched an Arabic-language music video at least 2,000 times to improve their pronunciation, and the video went on to earn about 10 million views.

As the first K-pop act to sing songs in Arabic, BIG talked to Korea.net on Oct. 25 on their thoughts of the project and plans.

BIG from the left: Benji, Minpyo, Heedo, Gunmin and Jinseok

What motivated you to start your Global Cover Project with an Arabic-language cover?

Gunmin: We had the chance to appear on a radio program broadcast in Arabic-speaking countries. Since some of our fans are Arabs, we decided to try doing cover songs in Arabic. We got positive responses and this spurred us to initiate our Global Cover Project. We've tried singing South American, Japanese and Arab songs, and our Arab fans really loved our Arabic-language songs. So this made us sing more in Arabic.

You've gotten many compliments on your Arabic accent.

Heedo: We've gotten comments saying our accent is better than expected and that we must have practiced hard. We watched music videos and practiced many times as we watched the singers' lips. I think we raised the view of the videos by at least 2,000. But an objective assessment of our pronunciation is difficult since we haven't had direct interactions with our Arab fans yet. But we're grateful for the compliments.

What was the most challenging part of singing in a new language? 

Heedo: At first, I thought I should be able to rap in Arabic for our first Arabic-language cover "La Bezzaf," but as I began practicing, I realized how difficult it is. Arabic has so many types of pronunciations that we've never used before, so saying them to the beat was hard.

Among the songs you sang for the project, what is your favorite? 

Benji: I'm particularly fond of "La Bezzaf" because we sang it in front of President Moon Jae-in.

Heedo: I like "Maalim (LM3ALLEM)." The composition is quite distinct from that of other Korean songs and is unique to Arabic.

BIG hosts in June a congratulatory performance at a luncheon for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at Cheong Wa Dae. (GH Entertainment)

How are Arabic songs different from those in Korean? 

Benji: The vocal melody, flexing of the voice and rhythm (of Arabic-language songs) are all different. For example, the song "3Daqat" was particularly difficult. Other songs have a beat to the rhythm, but we were unfamiliar with the pronunciations and the rhythm and thus had to devise a new approach. We had to work hard to give an Arab vibe to the song.


What are the group's plans?

Gunmin: We will hold a concert on Nov. 7 in Abu Dhabi and a fan meeting the day after. We're so thrilled to go there and meet our fans instead of on screen through cover songs.

Heedo: Our Global Cover Project isn't over. We might do another cover. While our past covers were songs in Arabic, the covers we will perform in Abu Dhabi are those by other K-pop groups modified to our own style.


kyd1991@korea.kr