Although off topic for my blog, I couldn’t resist writing about this story. Japanator reported in December that Boyz II Men would be releasing a J-Pop CD. Entitled COVERED – Winter-, it released on December 22, and featured covered of artists like EXILE and…Utada Hikaru! That’s right – the three member group (if I remember correctly, their bass voice left the group due to personal and health issues) covered “First Love.”
Really?! Boyz II Men covering Utada Hikaru?? Have I died and gone to Heaven?
*Pinch*
What I also didn’t realize was that this was Boyz II Men’s second J-Pop cover CD. They released their first, Winter/Reflections, in 2005.
I’m loving the Utada cover, though as Linda of Animemiz, from whom I heard about all this, tweeted, it’s a bit strange. Still, to me, it’s an unexpected collision of two favorites – the super-talented supergroup from my childhood (I’m still listening to “Four Seasons of Loneliness” constantly on my iTunes and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” was our senior year song) and my favorite J-Pop artist (boo on the retirement, er, hiatus).
Check out the version below – what do you think of it?
Sources: Japanator, Utada Net, Toyko Hive