Charli XCX tends to do a pretty bang-up job on her songs the first time around, but she’s also a big fan of the remix, and why shouldn’t she be? It has to be a neat feeling to see somebody else take your work and move it into directions that you hadn’t previously considered. Scrolling through her Spotify page, you’ll find a ton of remixes from over the past couple years, and now she’s added to her oeuvre yet again by recruiting Yaeji to put her own spin on recent single “Focus.” Yaeji’s take on the song is smoother and not quite as sunny, taking away some of the pop vibes in favor of a darker and more electronic feel. Both versions of the song are totally satisfying bops, just in different ways.
Charli has been vocal about her admiration for Yaeji in the recent past. She gave her a nod in an Instagram post from March, in which she mentioned a variety of female artists she enjoys. In an August interview with Ssense, Charli also said, “I’m really into this girl Yaeji. She has this really awesome song called ‘Raingurl’ and produces a lot of stuff herself.”
Listen to Yaeji’s remix of “Focus” above, and find to the original version of the song below.
