BTS’ Jung Kook and Usher in Perfect Harmony on Silky Smooth ‘Standing Next to You’ Remix

We already knew that BTS held Usher in high regard thanks to their famous shout-out to the R&B legend (“Don’t need no Usher to remind me you got it bad”) on their 2021 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Butter.” But on BTS member Jung Kook‘s new remix of his solo track “Standing Next to You” — which dropped on Friday (Dec. 1) — JK teams up with Usher for real to supercharge the soul pop ditty.

The track from Jung Kook’s solo album Golden retains the original’s disco lite groove, with JK gliding through his verses and the song’s yearning chorus, before Usher pops up about halfway through to spread some of his satiny love magic. “Stop, can you feel that?/ It’s like heaven and earth moves whenever we touch/ No, for real, I know you feel that/ The universe approves when you and I dance,” Usher sings in his silky falsetto over the song’s bass snap.

“So elegant and heaven sent these vibes, yeah/ It’s way, way too early to leave, we go away,” Usher adds, before slipping into the steamy pre-chorus: “You know that, all night long, we rock to this/ Screamin’, I’ll testify this lovin’/ All night long, we flock to this/ Screamin’, I’ll testify that/ We’ll survive the test of time.”

The collab with Usher follows on the heels of Jung Kook’s other A-list team up’s on Golden, which include the hit Jack Harlow single, “3D,’ the Major Lazer-assisted “Closer to You,” as well as “Seven” with Latto and “Please Don’t Change” featuring DJ Snake; earlier this month JK released another remix of “3D” featuring vocals form Justin Timberlake.

Listen to the “Standing Next to You” remix below.

Gil Kaufman

Billboard