Unis Revives 1997 K-pop Classic “heaven, Earth And Stars”

The eight-member group will bridge two generations of Korean pop with its first remake single, arriving September 8.

UNIS is traveling back to 1997 for a song that became a hit years before any of its eight members were born.

The group will release its first remake single, “하늘땅 별땅,” on September 8 at noon KST. The song was originally recorded by the Korean female duo B.B and served as the title track of the duo’s second album.

Nearly three decades later, Jin Hyeonju, Nana, Gehlee Dangca, Kotoko, Bang Yunha, Elisia, Oh Yoona and Lim Seowon will introduce it to listeners who may have never encountered the original.

That generational distance makes the project more interesting than a routine remake. UNIS is not simply covering a familiar senior artist’s song. The members are interpreting a piece of Korean pop history that belongs to a world they never personally experienced.

UNIS Turns a 1997 Korean Hit Into Its First Remake / Official X

Why “Heaven, Earth and Stars” Fits UNIS

Originally released in 1997, “하늘땅 별땅” is remembered for its playful melody, energetic delivery and instantly recognizable refrain.

The Korean title loosely evokes the sweeping phrase “heaven, earth and stars,” giving an exaggerated, almost storybook quality to a song about affection. Its repetition and rhythmic phrasing helped make it memorable long before TikTok challenges and short-form dance clips became part of the music industry.

Those qualities could translate naturally into UNIS’s musical identity.

Since debuting, the group has frequently worked with bright colors, youthful confidence and high-teen imagery. The original song’s cheerful energy gives the members room to emphasize their personalities while introducing updated production and contemporary K-pop performance elements.

The remake will retain the original’s catchy melody while adding what F&F Entertainment describes as UNIS’s “kitschy high-teen” style. How much of the 1997 arrangement will remain has not yet been revealed.

More Than Another Y2K Concept

K-pop’s renewed fascination with the late 1990s and early 2000s has produced countless retro outfits, vintage cameras and nostalgic graphic designs.

A remake, however, demands more than wearing the right clothes.

Fans familiar with the B.B version will listen for the melody and personality that made the original memorable. Younger listeners will expect the song to feel natural beside UNIS’s existing music rather than sounding like a novelty cover.

That balance is the real challenge. If a remake changes too little, it risks becoming karaoke. If it changes too much, it can lose the emotional connection that made revisiting the song worthwhile.

For UNIS, the project is also an opportunity to reveal new vocal colors. Original releases are usually designed around an artist’s established image, but remakes place performers in direct conversation with an earlier interpretation. Each member must find a way to make the song feel like UNIS without erasing its identity.

UNIS Turns a 1997 Korean Hit Into Its First Remake / Official X

A Korean Pop Memory Meets a Global Group

The choice becomes even more meaningful because UNIS represents a very different era of K-pop from the one in which B.B performed.

Formed through the SBS survival program Universe Ticket, UNIS debuted in 2024 with members from South Korea, Japan and the Philippines. The group was international from its beginning, reflecting a K-pop industry in which artists and fandoms increasingly cross national borders.

B.B released “하늘땅 별땅” before Korean pop had built today’s global distribution system. The song’s original audience largely encountered it through domestic television, radio, physical albums and local performances.

The UNIS version will reach fans instantly through global streaming services, social platforms and international fan communities.

For Korean listeners who remember the original, the remake may feel nostalgic. For international EverAfters, it could become an introduction to a chapter of Korean pop that existed well before the industry became globally dominant.

Arriving After UNIS’s Japanese Debut

The remake also follows UNIS’s first major Japanese release.

The group released its debut Japanese mini album, UNI☆Sparkle!, in July 2026. The album reached No. 4 on Oricon’s Daily Album Ranking, while Billboard Japan recorded it at No. 15 on its Top Albums Sales chart with an estimated 4,763 copies sold during the measured week.

Its title track, “GimmeSummer☆,” continued the bright and seasonal image associated with the group while helping UNIS establish an early presence in Japan.

Rather than immediately repeating that formula, UNIS is now turning toward an older Korean hit. The decision gives fans something familiar in spirit but unexpected within the group’s young discography.

It also creates an unusual cultural exchange. Japanese and Filipino fans who discovered UNIS through recent releases may now encounter a Korean song associated with the childhood and teenage memories of an earlier generation.

UNIS’s First Test With a Remake

“하늘땅 별땅” will be the first official remake released by UNIS since the group’s debut.

That distinction gives the single significance even if it is not positioned as the beginning of a larger album era. It will show how the members handle material that already carries strong memories and expectations.

The song also arrives at a point when UNIS is still defining its musical identity. A successful reinterpretation could demonstrate that the group’s youthful energy is flexible enough to work beyond newly written tracks.

Much will depend on the arrangement, vocal distribution and choreography. The original provides an irresistible hook, but the remake must offer a reason for listeners to choose the new version rather than simply returning to the 1997 recording.

For now, its most compelling idea is already clear: eight performers born in the 21st century are reaching into Korea’s 1990s pop archive and asking a new generation to sing along.

UNIS’s “하늘땅 별땅” will be released on September 8 at noon KST.