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BIGBANG's G-Dragon set the internet aflame with a snippet of his cover of the classic Elvis Presley song Can't Help Falling in Love.
The K-pop idol dropped the cover amid rising speculations about a surprise collaboration between the artist and the Australian director and producer Baz Lurhmann.
The K-pop idol posted his take on the Elvis Presley song, with the original singer's image as its cover. The member captivated fans with his slow and mellow version of the song. The BIGBANG fandom VIPs flocked to social media to reveal their reactions to the unannounced gift.
BIGBANG rapper G-Dragon to collaborate with Baz Lurhman
The BIGBANG rapper was rumored to be collaborating with the Moulin Rouge director for his 2022 release Elvis. The film, scheduled to release in South Korea on July 13, had a special screening on July 8.
The screening was a surprise for fans. The only hint was Baz Luhrmann, who said on his Instagram that he was doing a 'surprise event at a surprise location.'
The screening was rumored to have been attended by G-Dragon and BLACKPINK's LISA, who was seen spending time with the director in an Instagram story shared by the BIGBANG rapper.
The Australian director also asked his friends, who are music artists, to record their renditions of Can't Help Falling in Love. This will be compiled into playlists to be released later.
Luhrmann's meeting with K-pop artists set off a series of speculations about possible collaborations. The director has previously worked with BLACKPINK's Rosé on a Vogue cover shoot.
Luhrmann said he wanted to work with K-pop artists because there has been a long relationship between American and Korean pop culture. These K-pop artists would bring their unique sound to an American classic. In an interview with MBC News Korea, he said,
"The fact is that the [American] GI’s brought rock and roll into Korea early on and it mixed with local talent."
In a press conference held by South Korean media outlets, Luhrmann described Presley as the “first-ever idol."
"K-pop culture began with Elvis in the 1950s.”
Luhrmann said, per The Korea Times,
“He was the first-ever idol. We become conscious that business is important, but an artist’s soul is the most important thing.”
Later, during his interview with MBC News, Luhrmann confirmed that he was working with “K-pop icons” for upcoming music. He refrained from naming artists or the release dates for the said collaboration.
Meanwhile, BIGBANG's G-Dragon fuelled conjectures by putting out a series of Elvis-related posts on his Instagram handle.
On July 7, he posted an art cover of the song Can't Help Falling in Love and shared a similar story.
He later uploaded a series of pictures from a photo shoot dressed in a white Elvis shirt and a belt with the late singer's face. The former also sported the famed Elvis Presley pompadour hairstyle for the photoshoot and tagged his styling team in an Instagram story.
Luhrmann commented on G-Dragon's post and later re-shared it, putting doubts about the collaboration to rest.
With the fandom's excitement at its peak, G-Dragon dropped a cover revealing only a snippet of the song to his fans via Instagram on July 13.
The post was captioned GD+EP+BL= TCB, where GD stands for G-Dragon, EP for Elvis Presley, and BL for Baz Luhrmann. TCB is short for Taking Care of Business, which was the name of Elvis Presley's band.
The cover was shared by Baz Lurhmann on his Tiktok and by Warner Brothers Korea on their Instagram handle. This is a sign that a collaborative project might be announced soon. Luhrmann also shared a thread of G-Dragon's Elvis photoshoot on his Instagram.
Fans praised the rapper's heavenly vocals in the snippet. They seem quite excited about the full version.
Baz Luhrman's Elvis is now in theatres worldwide
The 2022 movie Elvis by Baz Lurhmann is based on the life of the legendary rock and roll singer Elvis Presley and follows his journey to stardom. It explores his life and ordeals from the prism of his complicated relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker.
Austin Butler plays the late singer in the lead role, and Tom Hanks plays his enigmatic manager. Stranger Things actor Dacre Montgomery will also appear in the film in a key role.
The film received a 12-minute standing ovation after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2022.
