12 MASSIVE Hits You Had No Idea Were Originally Recorded By These Huge Artists

30 June 2017, 10:10 | Updated: 4 December 2017, 11:10

Some of the biggest hits by One Direction, Ellie Goulding, Rihanna and more were originally recorded by other artists!

In case you hadn't noticed, we love music at Capital. Hearing all the biggest hits all day long has given us an appreciation for amazing songs, but things aren't always as they seem with the most popular tunes.

Sometimes songs are recorded by one artist as a demo and then given to someone else - now we've tracked down 12 of the biggest anthems that have actually already had a huge artist record them in the past. To be completely honest, some of these have blown our minds!

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1. Beyoncé - 'Irreplaceable'
When Beyoncé released this mega tune back in 2006, we had no idea that Ne-Yo had already recorded it! Thanks for passing it onto Bey though because we absolutely love this one.

2. Rihanna - 'Diamonds'
Yep, this one was written and recorded by Sia before being passed over to Rihanna, who went on to storm the charts with it back in 2012.

3. Ellie Goulding - 'Burn'
'Burn' was nominated for Best Single at the BRITs, but did you know it was initially recorded by former X Factor champ Leona Lewis?!

4. Beyoncé - 'Halo'
Turns out there are a couple of Bey tracks which have been recorded by other artists and 'Halo' is one of them. One Republic's Ryan Tedder wrote and recorded it first before Bey ended up releasing it back in 2008.

5. Major Lazer feat. Justin Bieber - 'Cold Water'
Massive tune and an iconic Bieber vocal - but who knew that Ed Sheeran wrote it and recorded it first?!

6. Nicki Minaj - 'Starships'
It's arguably one of Nicki Minaj's biggest tunes, but it turns out 'Starships' had a life of its own before the New York rapper got her hands on it. Can't mistake that instrumental though!

7. Lady Gaga & Beyoncé - 'Telephone'
Massive collab, massive tune. But whilst Lady Gaga did write it, she initially gave it to Britney Spears to record before taking it back to release alongside Queen Bey. Imagine if all three had appeared on one version!

8. Rihanna - 'Umbrella'
It was the song that turned Rihanna from a loveable popstar into one of the world's most in-demand artists, but it was initially recorded by its writer, The-Dream.

9. One Direction - 'Little Things'
Ed actually wrote 'Little Things' when he was 17 alongside one of his friends and he forgot about it until she sent it to him years later. Needless to say 1D loved the sound of it and he gave it to the lads, but not before he recorded a version.

10. B.O.B feat. Bruno Mars - 'Nothin On You'
An absolute classic on the #CapitalThrowback playlist, but did you know that the song was actually initially recorded by Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco and had completely different verses?!

11. Miley Cyrus - 'Party In The USA'
A Miley anthem that shows a bit of that patriotic spirit she's got - 'Party In The USA' was a massive hit when it was releaswd back in 2009. But who knew that Jessie J actually had a hand in writing it and was planning on releasing it herself before passing on it?

12. Rita Ora feat. Tinie Tempah - 'RIP'
When Rita Ora burst onto the scene with her debut solo effort, there were a lot of Hip Hop fans scratching their heads thinking they'd heard her song before, and they had - Drake recorded a version back in 2010.