It's Live Lounge Month! Thirty days of live performances from the great and good of rock and pop, including James Bay, Muse, Chvrches, and The Weeknd. And that got us thinking: who in the history of the Live Lounge has been covered the most? So we went through the archives and crunched some numbers. We reckon this list's pretty accurate (and it's in order). Ready?
Drake
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By our count, Drake has been covered nine times, including by The Saturdays (above) and Florence + The Machine, who will be in the Live Lounge again on 28 September. But he's not the only artist with that number of covers - and Oasis are tied on nine each too.
Lady Gaga
Here's the wonderfully eccentric Lady Gaga in Jo's Live Lounge back in 2009, talking tea cups and pop music, before playing Poker Face and a cover of Coldplay's Viva la Vida. Many artists have covered Gaga herself - 10, including Klaxons, Mika and You Me at Six.
Arctic Monkeys
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Irish singer-songwriter Hozier began Live Lounge Month with a version of Sam Smith's Lay Me Down that blew everyone away, including Smith himself. Last year, though, Hozier covered Arctic Monkeys, who, like Gaga, have also clocked up 10 covers. Two of those were on the same day - by Queens of the Stone Age in September 2013.
Bruno Mars
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Bruno is the third of four artists with 10 covers to their names - doubly impressive in his case because we're not including features in our list, which means Uptown Funk, the much-covered Mark Ronson hit he sang on, doesn't count. Here are Marmozets doing their wonderfully rocked-out take on Locked Out of Heaven last September.
Beyoncé
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Last of the sixth-place-equals is Beyoncé, who seems to inspire seriously good versions of her songs. Here's Los Angeles sister act Haim doing XO last year, and just as brilliant was Anna Calvi covering Naughty Girl in 2012 and Florence's take on Halo back in 2009.
Taylor Swift
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This was so good! Lucy Rose doing all of Taylor Swift's Bad Blood, including Kendrick Lamar's rap. Taylor has been covered 11 times by our count - by the likes of Charli XCX, Imagine Dragons and The Vaccines, who are adding their contribution to Live Lounge Month on 6 September.
Justin Timberlake
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Also on 11 covers is Justin Timberlake and who could forget this superb version (2.5m views on YouTube and counting) of Cry Me a River by Chvrches, Live Lounge Month band on 23 September. Other artists who have tackled JT? Biffy Clyro, Corinne Bailey Rae, Everything Everything and Little Mix.
Katy Perry
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Out on her own in third place with 12 covers is Katy Perry, here having her song Dark Horse being reinterpreted byKwabs. Over the years Katy's been covered in the Live Lounge by the likes of Bruno Mars and McFly. Example's even taken her on twice - once in 2010 and again 2014. Katy has visited the Live Lounge herself on two occasions, covering Electric Feel by MGMT, and Jay Z and Kanye's N****s In Paris.
Coldplay
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So, Katy's had 12 covers; Coldplay, in silver medal position, have had 18. Massive jump. Here's You Me at 6 doing Magic, which was also covered by soul singer Aloe Blacc. Pick of the rest? Gaga's Viva la Vida, Jem doing In My Place and also Robyn covering Every Teardrop is a Waterfall back in 2011.
Rihanna
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If Coldplay hadn't covered Rihanna's We Found Love in 2011, they would have tied first. But they did, so Rihanna wins - with 19 covers (plus a half, if you count Jess Glynne dropping a bit of Umbrella into her James Bay cover). There have been loads of really good ones: Thirty Seconds To Mars doing Stay in 2013 was a winner, as was Only Girl byEllie Goulding, Live Lounge Month artist on 27 September.
Related links
- Live Lounge Month 2015
- BBC Radio 1 - Live Lounge
- BBC iPlayer - The Live Lounge Uncovered
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