With the rising popularity of K-pop and Korean performers, it’s no surprise that more and more Western artists are looking eastwards for superhit collaborations.
Inarguably the biggest band in the world, BTS has had several brilliant collabs in the past, including singles with Snoop Dogg, Halsey, Ed Sheeran, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Nas X, Nicki Minaj, and Charli XCX. The biggest girl group on the planet, Blackpink has also teamed up with artists like Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Megan Thee Stallion in the past.
Cabello even surprised Blinks by appearing onstage with Jisoo at the group’s recent LA concert, which is a part of their Born Pink tour. The ‘Havana’ singer even wore a custom-made outfit that was designed using the group’s merchandise.
We decided to take a look at all the iconic East-meets-West musical collabs over the past few years and here are some of our favourites..
BTS and Halsey
The K-pop supergiant brought Halsey onboard to feature on one of the tracks from their album Map of the Soul: Persona. The fun and catchy song, ‘Boy with Luv’ went on to become one of the group’s most popular tracks and even broke three Guinness World Records, including ‘Most Viewed YouTube Video In 24 Hours’.
Blackpink and Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga reached out to Blackpink for a feature on her 2020 album Chromatica on the song ‘Sour Candy’. The pop diva loved working with the girl group so much that she even expressed how much she wanted to be the fifth member of Blackpink.
Hwasa and Dua Lipa
MAMAMOO singer Hwasa featured on Dua Lipa’s ‘Physical’ (remix) which was a part of the Albanian singer’s second studio album Future Nostalgia. In 2019, the duo had collaborated onstage at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) when they performed each other’s songs.
Jin and Coldplay
BTS member Jin and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin have expressed their mutual admiration for each other ever since the British band collaborated with BTS on their Grammy-nominated single ‘My Universe’. Jin’s latest single ‘The Astronaut’ has him teaming up with Coldplay once again. The singer dedicated the song to the ARMYs as a love letter before he left for his mandatory military enlistment.
BTS and Megan Thee Stallion
The unexpected collab between American rapper Megan Thee Stallion and BTS on their chart-topping single ‘Butter’ was made even more bizarre because of the way the news was leaked. Stallion’s lawyers had filed a civil suit against the rapper’s label to allow her to release the song. The legal documents were leaked to the press, leading to fans discovering the news of the collab.
Wendy and John Legend
Red Velvet’s Wendy and EGOT winner John Legend teamed up for the soulful single ‘Written in the Stars’ in 2018. It was a part of SM Entertainment’s Station XO collab project.
RM and Wale
BTS leader RM, or Kim Namjoon, reached out to American rapper Wale on Twitter as he was a big fan. The pair later collaborated on a politically-charged track called ‘Change’ in 2017.
G-Dragon and Missy Elliott
Big Bang’s G-Dragon could not think of a better name to feature on his album other than legendary American hip-hop artist Missy Elliott. Elliott collaborated with the Korean rapper on the song ‘Niliria’ for his 2013 album Coup d’Etat. Needless to say, the song became an instant chart-topper at the time of its release.
Psy and Snoop Dogg
The ‘Gangnam Style’ hitmaker Psy and Snoop Dogg created the inane yet super fun single ‘Hangover’ in 2014. The song was featured in Black Panther (2018). The music video is in the trademark wacky style of the Korean singer and even features guest appearances by G-Dragon and 2NE1’s CL.
Jungkook and Charlie Puth
Charlie Puth called on Jungkook to be a part of a song on his recent albumCharlie. The track ‘Left and Right’ features the BTS maknae and is the perfect song to hum along to as you drive, run, or do anything in the day because the catchy hook is not going to leave your brain.
Jackson Wang and Joji
Got7’s Jackson Wang and 88Rising’s Joji collaborated for the latter’s album Head in the Clouds II. The song ‘Walking’ also features Swae Lee and Major Lazer.
