IVE gives ‘Looks Can Kill’ four new versions in six days, first with rapper Tiger JK

IVE is not letting its new title track settle. Days after the “Looks Can Kill” EP reached streaming services, Starship Entertainment issued an Alawn remix of the song with Korean hip-hop veteran Tiger JK on a guest verse, then followed it with three more versions in under a week: a sped-up edit, a remix by Inverness and another by Captain Cuts.

The Alawn version is the one that changes who is on the record. Melon’s release listing credits Tiger JK with the rap making, and the track’s official credits name Alawn as producer and arranger. The remix is also much shorter: it runs 2:25, against 3:15 for the original, and it keeps the original lyric credits of member Rei, Gaeko, Seo Ji-eum, Lil Cherry and Rick Bridges.

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The guest choice pulls on a thread that was already in the song. Gaeko of Dynamic Duo co-wrote the original lyrics, and Tiger JK, who led Drunken Tiger, is one of the best-known names in Korean hip-hop. Starship pitches the feature as a meeting between his forceful, commanding rap style and IVE’s confident dance pop, which is the brand the group has been selling since its debut.

Alawn is not a stranger to the group either. The French-born producer and mixing engineer, who told Rolling Stone Korea he has worked mostly in the United States, mixed IVE’s “LOVE DIVE”, the song named Song of the Year at the Melon Music Awards. The K-pop credits discussed in that interview include KAI’s “Mmmh” and work for WayV, NCT 127, ITZY and MONSTA X. Starship introduces him as a multi-platinum producer with several Billboard No. 1 hits to his name.

The release that carries the remix is a “remix edition” of the EP. The Alawn track opens a seven-song list, followed by the original “Looks Can Kill” and the record’s other five songs: “Mirror Mirror”, “SNAKESKIN”, “CRUMBS”, “Girls Girls Girls” and “Glow Motion”. The three later versions arrived as standalone singles. The sped-up edit runs 2:54, the Inverness remix 2:08 and the Captain Cuts remix 3:13. Inverness is hardly an outsider here, having co-arranged the original with BAVA.

Starship’s own figures explain the hurry. According to the label, the title track topped YouTube’s worldwide music-video trending chart and Melon’s weekly Global-K chart, and challenge videos posted on IVE’s official social channels have passed 100 million combined views. Every new version gives the song another entry on streaming playlists and short-video apps while the comeback is still being ranked.

The open question is what the run adds beyond volume. Only the Alawn version brings in a new voice; the other three rework the original with no guest artist credited, so they can widen the song’s reach or simply spread the same fans’ plays across more files. On paper, the Tiger JK feature is the one version that changes the song rather than repackaging it.

The Alawn remix went live on October 30 at 1 p.m. KST, four days after the EP arrived on October 26 and eleven days after the title track’s pre-release on October 19. The sped-up edit followed on October 31, the Inverness remix on November 2 and the Captain Cuts remix on November 4.

Tags: K-pop, IVE, remix, STARSHIP Entertainment, Looks Can Kill, Alawn

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