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Here’s Nirvana’s ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ like you’ve never heard it

A hard-to-cover song gets a modern update. 

 

Audra Schroeder

Streaming

Posted on Mar 19, 2014   Updated on May 31, 2021, 2:57 pm CDT

Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” is now 20-years-old, and though many bands have attempted to cover the song, it’s not an easy one to master.

Kawehi, a musician living in Lawrence, Kan., recently produced a cover worthy of praise, however. Using a looping setup, she performs all the parts of the song herself, and gives it a more modern update, while keeping the melody intact.

The song is part of a bigger Kickstarter effort for a project called Robot Heart, which was successfully funded earlier this month. According to the Kickstarter page, “every sound on the EP will be made from a machine of some sort, and all songs will be written from the perspective of a robot.” Those pledging $200 or more could ask for cover requests (with a video) and “Heart-Shaped Box” was her first delivery.

TCS – Robot Heart: Heart-Shaped Box – Nirvana (covered by Kawehi) from Kawehi on Vimeo.

Kawehi’s produced other notable covers. If you’ve ever wanted to hear Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” from a female perspective, here you go:

Closer by NIN – Covered by Kawehi from Kawehi on Vimeo.

H/T Esquire |Screengrab via Kawehi/Vimeo

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*First Published: Mar 19, 2014, 12:33 pm CDT