Ben&Ben drop new version of “Leaves,” featuring K-Pop star Young K
After topping the search chart of South
Korea’s most prominent music streaming site, Melon in 2020, Filipino
folk-pop collective Ben&Ben have teamed up with Seoul-based
singer-songwriter and rapper Young K for the new version of their 2017
hit single “Leaves.”
Set for an international release, the
re-recorded material comes with fuller, more intricate arrangements and subtle,
background harmonies. Aesthetically, there’s something inherently grand about
the new version of “Leaves” which transports listeners to the late 2000s when
acclaimed musicians like Fleet Foxes and Sufjan Stevens made intricate, chamber
pop music with indie folk sensibilities. “The new version of Leaves is based
heavily on how the full band adapted the song for live performance through the
years,” lead singer and guitarist Miguel Benjamin said in a statement. “As
compared to the original piano and guitar only arrangement, the new one
features the rest of the band’s full instrumentation and additional choir-esque
harmony arrangement by Toni, Andrew, and Poch on the intro and first verse.”
Working with Korean sensation Young K
Multi-talented artist Young K
contributed vocals to the second verse and chorus of the song, giving it an
edgier, more pop-oriented sound. According to lead singer and guitarist Paolo
Benjamin, the collaboration was an extremely smooth process, with the K-Pop
artist seamlessly reinterpreting the song with a clean, powerful vocal on top
of the band’s organic arrangement. He adds, “No revisions were needed, as
everything worked as a result of natural chemistry, and Young K’s affinity to
the band sound as well.”
Young K has been a constant presence in
Korean pop/rock music industry, starting out as the bassist, vocalist and
rapper of South Korean rock band Day6. He scored a No. 1 hit in 2015 as the
featured artist in Baek A-yeon’s multiplatinum-certified single “Shouldn’t
Have,” and earned songwriting credits for some of the biggest K-Pop acts such
as Got7, Park Ji-min, Nakjoon, and Eric Nam—to name a few.
The partnership between Ben&Ben and
Young K started when several K-Pop artists listened and reacted to “Leaves” on
their V Live as requested by the respective fanbases. The videos propelled
Ben&Ben’s “Leaves” to trend at No.1 and occupy the No. 2, 3, 6 and 7
positions on the Melon real-time search chart. The rest of the story, as they
say, is history. “The band’s and Day 6’s management were able to reach out to
each other, and the artists’ mutual respect for each other’s music eventually
led to Young K agreeing to a collaboration,” percussionist and background
vocalist Andrew de Pano points out.
Young K, on the hand, shares that he
immediately accepted the offer to work with Ben&Ben because more than
anything else, he believes in the band’s music and vision. “Out of few songs
that I listened to, Leaves caught my ears the most. The message given
through the lyrics and the entire vibe was very heart-warming. And the vocals
were amazing.”
“It would've been better if we could
meet in person, but still the fact that I could have my voice with them is
enough for me. Maybe in the future we could work on a new song together,” the
Korean recording artist adds.
Forgiveness is freeing
With all the changes and all the
difficulties happening in our everyday lives, it’s important to step back once
in a while and reassess life-affirming decisions. Keyboardist Patricia Lasaten explains, “Leaves
has always been known for its final lines in the chorus, ‘All will be
alright in time’ and ‘You never really love someone until you learn to
forgive.’ In these times, it is a song that continues to remind us of the
temporary nature of hardships and challenges, and the true nature of love as
well as something that is freeing.”
“Leaves” was mixed and mastered by Grammy
Award-winning sound engineer, Miles Walker, who has worked with the likes of
Beyoncé, Rihanna, Coldplay, Katy Perry, and several more international
superstars. Walker praised Ben&Ben for their professionalism, and for being
collaborative in terms of executing ideas. “They have great arrangements and
harmonies within their performances, and the addition of Young K as a new vocal
texture in the performance really made this one feel extra special.”
“Leaves
(feat. Young K)” is out now on all digital platforms worldwide via Sony
Music. The official music video featuring Young K will drop on May 28, Friday (7pm
– Manila time), and there will be an IG Live on Ben&Ben’s Instagram with
Young K at 6pm.
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