Oftentimes, musicians go to the studio to remix or cover a song they love or they see has a large fan base. This remains one of the easiest ways to make a hit song and attain stardom as an upcoming or even as an established artist.

In fact, you stand on an existing protocol or leverage an artist’s success when you remix his or her hit song.    

It is no crime to remix or cover someone’s song. The only time it becomes an offense is when you fail to seek the permission of the owner of the song before recording or performing it. Copyright in literary, musical, or artistic works other than photography lasts until seventy (70) years following the death of the author.

The bitter truth is that a great number of musicians who attempt to do song covers or remix a song fail woefully. This is because they fail to take into consideration a lot of things before going ahead to record their version of the song.

If you are thinking of going into the studio to remix or cover someone else’s song, please read this article to the end. It is designed to equip you with the knowledge to come up with a version that will blow you away. Below is what you must know and do. 

1. Know the lyrics and Understand the message

If you want your cover song or remix to sound like the original version or, better still, sound better, your job is to take time in listening to the original version of the song you intend to remix or cover.

Yes, you must listen to it over and over again to understand the emotions or feelings the artist expresses in the song. This will help you know the attitude to use while voicing your version.

Also, you must understand clearly the message and lyrics of the song you intend to remix so that you can use the right lyrics while voicing it.

If you don’t know the lyrics of the song or the message it contains, you will end up annoying not only the owner of the song but also his or her fans.

2. Avoid sounding exactly like the musician

Whether you are covering a song or remixing it, you must resist the temptation of sounding exactly like the original owner of the song. If you do, your version will not go far because you will never succeed in winning the hearts of the majority of the song’s fans.

The reason is that they have heard the original version time without number; they see no reason why you or anyone should start singing it for them again.

If you want them to give your version a listening or even give you a standing ovation, you must give them enough reason to. Of course they will appreciate and embrace it if you sing it with a new flavor and bring freshness into it. This is one little secret of doing a successful cover song. 

3. Ask yourself how to improve on the song

After studying the song you intend to do the cover of, the next thing to do is sit down and ask yourself this question! “How can I improve on this song? Or what can I remove and add to it that will make it better than it was?

If you can ponder on this question long enough, you will certainly come up with that unique thing that will make your own version unique. Remember, no matter how good a product is, there is a hole in it.

If you want your version of the song to be better than the original one, you must think and rethink in order to uncover the hole in the music and fill it. 

4. Follow the trend and be unique

To come up with a successful remix or a cover song, you must use today’s sound and flavor for your song, and you must be unique about it. Today’s people will only understand you if you speak the language they understand.

Whitney Houston was able to come up with one of the greatest cover songs in the history of music (I will always love you) because she reflected the flavor and sound the people of her generation understood in her cover song.

In fact, when the original owner of the single, Dolly Parton, heard it, she could not believe it was her song. She expressed delight and was grateful to Whitney Houston for resurrecting the monster hit song.

Because she put the people of her generation and that of Dolly Patty’s into consideration, she was able to win the hearts of a great number of people. 

5. Listen repeatedly to great cover songs and remixes

If you want to see further in life, you must stand on the shoulders of giants. It is only when you learn from the masters themselves that you can do it better.  

Yes, if you aspire to come out with a successful remix or a cover song all you have to do is simply ask those who have done it and achieve success.  

You don’t necessarily have to see them face-to-face to ask them how they did it. You can find out how by carefully giving their cover song or remix a listening.

Of course, as you listen to their own version repeatedly with the whole of your being, they will talk to you through their work. This will help you see the little extra they added and how they added it so that their version stands out and is accepted.

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