Monsta X’s Shownu X Hyungwon honor 2PM with Spotify K-Pop ON! cover of ‘I Hate You’

Shownu X Hyungwon of MONSTA X released a passionate tribute to K-pop “beast-dol” legends 2PM on Spotify. () Single with their rendition of “I Hate You” from the senior artist’s “2:00PM Time For Change” album.

A moving rendition of one of the duo’s all-time favorites, the song pays tribute to the music that helped to mold their careers as idols and K-Pop fans alike. It is the second of three Spotify-exclusive covers that will be released as part of the platform’s K-Pop ON! (온) First Crush ad asks fans to join around a shared passion for K-Pop as they remember about the genre’s roots.

K-Pop ON! (온) First Crush was launched to commemorate the anniversary of K-Pop ON! (온) – Spotify’s global genre flagship playlist dedicated to providing millions of listeners worldwide the finest of K-Pop. Since its inception in 2014, this flagship playlist has been “saved” by over 5.3 million Spotify users globally, generating billions of streams for Korean artists.

SHOWNU X HYUNGWON’s interpretation of “I Hate You” is a fresh take on the 2009 smash, with UK garage rhythms combined with dreamy sounds and a firm base for an R&B-inspired composition. With their hypnotic vocals, the duo conveys the song’s emotions with a sense of sophistication and their distinct elegance. The track was created before HYUNGWON enlisted in the military.

Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to develop 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.

Spotify will be releasing a series of special supplementary content on its K-Pop ON! platform to go deeper into SHOWNU X HYUNGWON’s performance of “I Hate You”. (☨) Video podcast and YouTube channels. On March 2, SHOWNU X HYUNGWON will perform their Spotify K-Pop ON! (온) Single, and on March 4, a special episode will take fans back in time to 2009, revealing the K-Pop songs that molded their career as idols and K-Pop fans. On March 6, Spotify will take you behind the scenes to see how SHOWNU X HYUNGWON created 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.