Though British singer Harry Styles released his ecstatic single “Watermelon Sugar” back in November 2019, the delicious slice of pop escapism has since become 2020’s song of the summer, thanks in part to the fruit-filled music video “dedicated to touching” that he dropped in May. Now, Hwasa, of the K-pop foursome Mamamoo, is putting her own sultry spin on Styles’s hit.
Hwasa’s cover of “Watermelon Sugar,” which released the day of the singer’s birthday on Wednesday (July 22), doesn’t stray far from the Style’s original melody, the K-pop idol captures and builds on the track’s windows-down, wind-in-your-hair vibes of the track with her sweltering, moody vocals and a cozy music video filmed at the singer’s apartment in South Korea. Viewers catch Hwasa dancing around her living room, playing with a teddy bear and a beach ball, and using a watermelon rind as a flute. We just hope that apartment has central air, because this song is hot!
“Back before I knew even the concept of being a singer, from when I was born, I was inclined towards music,” Hwasa told MTV News, in an October 2019 interview, of when she knew she wanted to become a musician. “I felt a really special kind of love towards music. So, as I grew, I realized, like, ‘Ah, I should become a singer.'”
Hwasa’s cover touches down the day before One Direction‘s 10-year anniversary, for which the band will release a video featuring clips from music videos, performances, and behind-the-scenes content, per E! Online. Many have speculated that a forthcoming reunion may be in the works, with former member Liam Payne seemingly alluding to the possibility. The song also arrives on the heels of Hwasa’s first solo EP, María, and the K-pop idol’s recent collaboration on a bilingual remix of Dua Lipa‘s “Physical.” Watch her cover of “Watermelon Sugar” below.
