It’s officially been 25 years since the first Pokémon was released. Can you believe it?! To celebrate the big anniversary, The Pokémon Company teamed up with Post Malone to create a cover of ‘Only Wanna Be With You’ by Hootie & the Blowfish, just in time before the Pokémon Day Concert.
Post Malone is a Big Pokémon Fan
Even though the collaboration might sound odd due to Post being known for doing mostly hip-hop/rap, his soothing vocals fit the song perfectly. Even Darius Rucker, aka Hootie himself, approved of the cover, tweeting, “The smile in my face will not leave for a long time. This is awesome. My bro @PostMalone bringing it. Hell yes man!!!!!!!!!”
As for why Malone was the perfect choice for the cover and celebration, he still has a Gameboy Color, so he can specifically play Pokémon. “I’ve been a fan for such a long time, kind of grew up with it,” he previously told Billboard. “Celebrating 25 years is a big deal, so we decided to do it together.”
Performing ‘Only Wanna Be With You’ at the Pokémon Day Concert
Post performed a virtual animated concert for Pokémon on February 27th, which officially marked the 25th anniversary of the franchise. Although the set was short, it was really fun to watch. He sang his own hits like ‘Psycho’ and ‘Circles,’ which were immediately followed by his brand new cover of ‘Only Wanna Be With You.’ The concert came to a close with Post singing another big hit, ‘Congratulations.’ All of the all-time favorite Pokémon characters joined him on stage, while the virtual audience was cheering in the crowd.
After his performance, he said goodbye to the audience. “Thank you! Pokémon fans, thank you all so much! Thank you all for 25 beautiful years. I love you all so much, this has been an incredible experience for me and I’m very honored. Thank you all so very much, and happy Pokémon Day!”
