South Korean boy band BTS rules the charts; that much is certain. US fans may have already taken to them before, but their adoration was cemented when the group began releasing English-language singles like “Dynamite.” But one other talent these boys are beloved by their Army for, is their knack for covering songs. Their endearing English pronunciation did not just come from nowhere. And when they appeared on “MTV Unplugged” this past Tuesday, among the numbers they performed were some covers of Western artists. One they did of a hit song from British band Coldplay has sparked social media frenzy.

According to The Manila Bulletin, BTS has caused critical fan hype again during their February 23 (US time, morning of 24 in Philippine time) guesting on “MTV Unplugged.” While acoustic takes on their megahits like, again “Dynamite” were expected and appreciated, it was then they did covers that their hype levels went through the roof. The moment they broke into the poignant lines of “Fix You,” the 2005 hit of rock band Coldplay from the UK, the fans knew that they have scored another keeper that will go into the most-requested playback lists in future.

Just as heartwarming was the boy band’s explanation for why they chose to perform the song, it being something that perked them up when the COVID-19 pandemic kept them indoors for most of 2020. “This song gave us comfort,” says Jimin about “Fix You.” “So we wanted to prepare this cover to comfort [our fans] as well.” The performance was some of their best-received yet, and Coldplay themselves gave a big seal of approval for the acoustic cover on “Unplugged.” Their Twitter post linked to the official YouTube video of the performance, captioned with the Korean word for “Beautiful,” and with love from the four Coldplay members (signed in initials).

Also covered during the set was “2U” by Justin Bieber.

Image courtesy of Esquire PH