Favorites Reimagined: 5 Covers Better Than The Originals

emilytan | August 27, 2012 2:02 pm

Remember when Greyson Chance played and sang Lady Gaga‘s “Paparazzi” during his sixth grade talent show? Or when Charice‘s pitch perfect rendition of Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You” catapulted her to stardom? With the help of YouTube, everyone from your best friend to your grandmother can sit in front of their webcams to film and post their versions of today’s hit songs. But now it looks like our favorite pop stars are getting in on the action and putting up covers and remixes too. Here are our Top 5 favorites.

Karmin, “Look At Me Now” Sure, anyone can tackle the Chris Brown and Lil Wayne lyrics. But Amy Heidemann of the pop duo Karmin took on Busta Rhymes‘ section like a pro. Not only does she spit out every word with impeccable timing, it’s obvious she’s adding her melodic tone to those lyrics — without breaking a sweat. You’ll be gasping for air while watching this cover.

Dia Frampton, “Heartless” When Dia Frampton stepped onto the stage on the first season of The Voice, we all fell in love with her adorable personality and her even sweeter voice. But when she decided to cover Kanye West‘s “Heartless,” we fell in love. She reinvented a dark song into something that sticks to the bones.

Mandy Moore, “Umbrella” Rihanna‘s “Umbrella” wasn’t only a hit on the charts but also one of the most popular songs to cover on YouTube. From Train to Taylor Swift, everyone seemed to want a piece of The-Dream‘s paper-making handiwork. But after rifling through the sea of remixes, we thought Mandy Moore took it in the right direction with a laid back, folky vibe.

Florence & the Machine, “Take Care” Florence Welch is no stranger to covers. Last month, she sang her version of Green Day‘s “Hitchin’ a Ride.” But perhaps what you didn’t know is that she’s a huge hip-hop and R&B fan. So when she decided to put her spin on “Take Care”, Drake and Rihanna’s MTV Video Music Award-nominated collaboration, she didn’t disappoint.

Victoria Justice & Max Schneider, “Maroon 5 Medley” It’s already impressive to put your spin on someone else’s song, but Nickelodeon stars Victoria Justice and Max Schneider took it to another level by creating a mashup of Maroon 5‘s most popular songs, including “She Will Be Loved,” “Payphone” and “Moves Like Jagger”. Not only do they film the entire video in one cute and seamlessly transition from song to song, they provide you with the lyrics just in case you forgot them.

What are your favorite pop star covers? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.