“Baby, I like the way that you keep moving ’round the place / And when you dancing in my face / Oh, I just play it cool,” goes the chorus to the English version of “Play It Cool,” the collab Monsta X and Steve Aoki released on March 22. The DJ worked with the group– Shownu, Wonho, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Jooheon and I.M — on the Korean version of the song, which was featured on the band’s recent album, Take.2 We Are Here. If their monbebe (the name of Monsta X’s fandom) loved the first version, they will go absolutely crazy over this.
“Monsta X is one of those powerhouse groups that sets the bar very high,” Steve said about this collab, per Just Jared. “Their voices stay with you long after the song is over, and on this track they sang so profoundly that all we had to do was focus on the story we were telling. I really believe in today’s world that we have redefined what love and relationships look like, so I think that this song is one that many people can relate to.”
“It was such an honor to work with Steve Aoki. He is truly an amazing artist and producer,” Monsta X said. “After the great success of the Korean version, we can’t wait to see the responses to the English version from all over the world. This collab is a gift from us to our monbebe, for always taking care of us and keeping it cool. Thank you.” Earlier in 2019, when discussing collaborating with Steve on the Korean version of “Play It Cool,” Monsta X said the DJ was “such a great guy, and he’s been like a brother to us. We had so much fun working together.”
Aoki is about to hit the road on his next tour, which will wave through the U.K. before hitting numerous festivals across the world. It’ll end up in Sin City in September, as he’ll kick off his residency at Las Vegas’s Hakkasan nightclub. Speaking of festivals, Monsta X will be the first K-Pop group to perform at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in – funny enough – Las Vegas on September 21.
The group also revealed the dates of the American leg of their “We Are Here World Tour,” according to Consequence Of Sound. Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 29, at 4:00 PM ET. While streaming their new collab, check out the dates below (and get all tickets to their upcoming dates here.)
Monsta X’s “We Are Here World Tour” Dates:
07/19 – Sao Paulo, BR @ Espaco Das Americas
07/21 – Mexico City, MX @ Teatro Metroplitan
07/25 – Dallas, TX @ Verizon Theatre
07/27 – Houston, TX @ Smart Financial Centre
07/30 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
08/03 – New York, NY @ Hulu Theater
08/06 – Chicago, IL @ Rosemont Theatre
08/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center