Artists constantly look for inspiration from other musicians. Sometimes they even will pay homage to those artists by creating their own version of their favorite artists’ songs. These covers create unique mixes of artists and give new twists to some already-amazing songs. Here is a list of five of my favorite covers from popular artists to YouTube sensations.
“Chandelier” by Fatai
YouTuber Fatai has been doing covers for a good time now, but her most notable cover by far is of “Chandelier” by Sia. With just a guitar and her voice, she creates a soulful acoustic rendition of the popular song. Her voice floats softly with a sweet jazzy tone to it. There is a funky breakdown about half way through that shows off her impressive vocal skills and beautiful arrangement. It’s truly an amazing rendition of the song and definitely one of my favorites.
“Riptide” by MisterWives
MisterWives, during their recent rise to fame, released a Spotify Sessions EP that included a live version of Vance Joy’s “Riptide.” With “Riptide” being one of the most covered songs of 2014, it’s hard to choose the best one, but MisterWives’ rendition has to be my favorite. I think the best way to describe their cover is cute. It has accordion and the lead singers’ scratchy, adorable and powerful voice making it a fun, very MisterWives style rendition.
“No Diggity” by Chet Faker
Chet Faker is one of the greatest musicians of this decade in my opinion and his cover of “No Diggity” is definitely one of his best. It still has the original hip-hop vibe but switched to be more non-traditional by flipping the song on its head. It has a laid-back style that makes it a relaxing and perfect song to enjoy on these rainy Denver days. Besides this song, you should check out more songs from Chet because he really is an amazing musician.
“One More Time” by Bowling For Soup
This song isn’t particularly good; I just found it hilarious and needed to share it. I’m pretty sure we all remember Bowling For Soup and their pop-punk music of the early 2000s, but I only recently found their cover of Britney Spears’ “One More Time,” and I have to say it’s pretty funny. Hearing a punk version of a Britney song is just ridiculous and the fact it’s Bowling For Soup just makes it even better. It’s like original pop goes punk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_yEBOShHPI#t=38
“2 On” by Ally Rhodes
Similar to Fatai, Ally Rhodes posts covers and original music on YouTube. The most interesting part of her covers is that they are generally of hip-hop and rap songs. Her cover of Tinashe’s “2 On” is a sexy, acoustic rendition of the club jam. Her voice is very soft and sultry adding to the sensual vibe of the song. She also has a bunch of other covers including one of Beyoncé’s “Drunk In Love” that is very impressive.
Covers are one of the best ways for beginning artists to get noticed, but also some big artists’ most popular songs are covers. This may be a small list, but there are plenty of amazing covers out there to hear. Hopefully one of these songs suits your fancy, even if it is the Bowling For Soup cover.
