K-pop collaborations are one of the most anticipated announcements of this current generation. Long years back, K-pop groups shared stages with other groups, may it be for a track or a commercial film, and NGL, fans loved that! However, some things do change, and this one is no exception; K-pop has been active in collaborating and featuring with international artists. But should we normalize K-pop groups collaborating instead of global artists?
K-pop Groups Collaborating Would Be The End of Fans
It will be the end of fans in the most positive way, definitely! Imagine being a multi-stan (like me) and seeing your faves release a track or work on something together; who wouldn’t praise the universe for that?! If these expressions aren’t enough, I do believe that the K-pop industry should normalize K-pop collaborations. I may have a few reasons ready for it, and here it goes.
- Fandom power
When it comes to K-pop or even the entertainment industry in general, fandoms or fanbases are a considerable help and positively impact the artists’ works. If one fandom is big enough, imagine the power of two. Well, even a single track could probably sell out big time, especially with famous groups.
Just look at the album sales and streaming numbers; avid fans have a massive impact on the artists’ records and achievements. Of course, I wouldn’t deny that some fandom wars are still inevitable, but fans should compromise and make sure that these won’t get in their faves’ way. Can we hear noise from all the fandoms out there?
- Iconic interactions
Of course, if two or more K-pop groups collaborate, fans will be fed with so much interaction. It could even lead to legendary interactions, like those GIFs you see every time you search for ‘K-pop idol interactions.’ For the idols, it may open their doors to meeting more acquaintances or friends in the industry.
New lock screen for fans? Well, we might expect that coming, too. Of course, we can also assume to see special stages when these idols will perform their music. Doing ending fairies in music shows? Behind the scenes and vlogs? Oh, can we have more of these?!
- New and great music
If there are collaborations, we can expect to see and hear new music. It’s an opportunity for fans to listen to the voices and see these K-pop idols all together. Interestingly, it could be a way for different K-pop groups to venture into a new genre their group has never tried.
The imagination is limitless with new collaborations, and I honestly can’t wait to witness more legendary pair-ups. I’ll get into the iconic stages before, and I’m pretty sure you would also want to see more of it!
- More opportunities
When two artists are working together, we can say that more will follow. If these team-ups were successful locally and internationally, there would be more opportunities for other groups in the industry.
May it be soloists, groups, or group members, these collaborations are something worth looking forward to, especially for fans!
Should there be more of these?
K-pop collaborations have long been set aside in the industry, and I think it’s the best time to bring it back. On Monday, November 6, fourth-generation girl group stans rocked X (formerly Twitter) after the surprising announcement. In case you missed it, (G)I-DLE, aespa, and IVE are preparing for once in a blue moon collab. This quickly became one of the most anticipated releases of this year, and I am for sure thrilled to be witnessing this in the 4th gen.
(G)I-DLE, aespa and IVE to release a special collaboration 'NOBODY' on November, 16th. pic.twitter.com/zMbCZFLiXl
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) November 6, 2023
- I find K-pop collaborations more thrilling than international ones, and it could be because of how rare it happens. There have been a lot of releases lately that feature global artists like Jungkook’s Seven with Latto, TXT and Jonas Brothers’ Do It Like That, and (G)I-DLE MINNIE and Anne-Marie’s Expectations, among others.
- I would love to see more K-pop artists work with other groups to create new music that would show off both their music. It’s always been a dream to witness RED VELVET, TWICE, and BLACKPINK (or even just their main vocals) share a track because that would literally shake the third-generation stans. Sure, there have been several special stages before where artists collaborated, but something is exciting when you know that they are brewing new things.
I hope this upcoming (G)I-DLE Soyeon, IVE Liz, and aespa’s mystery member collaboration will start this idea for more groups. Now that we have reports on who the mystery members are, I can’t wait to hear what NOBODY is about. I am very much interested in how CUBE, SM, and Starship Entertainment made this one possible!
I’m not saying that collaborations with international artists should halt, as these works also build K-pop from a global perspective. But maybe agencies should also try to look into working with one another and see how people’s reception could (and would) be huge, too. At present, while everyone seems excited about these international pair-ups, I’m positive all fans could give the same energy when it comes to K-pop groups joining together!
Iconic collaborations from the K-pop industry
I wouldn’t miss it for the world to add some iconic collaborations in the industry. If you’re new in the K-pop world or you simply missed out on these gems, then sit tight and happy watching and listening!
- BIGBANG and 2NE1
YG Entertainment‘s second-generation groups slayed promotional advertisements way back in 2009. This Lollipop track unofficially debuted 2NE1 just quite two months before their Fire came out.
This topped various charts and even got nominated for Cyworld, MMA, and Mnet. Lollipop has a music video that runs for about three minutes and eight seconds. It was to promote LG Cyon’s cellphone.
- RED VELVET Seulgi, Soloist Chungha, GFRIEND and VIVIZ SinB, and (G)I-DLE Jeon Soyeon
Oh, this may have saved my 2018 fangirl life; no joke! K-pop fans know that year have dropped a lot of incredible tracks, and SM Station X dropped this gem. Fortunately, they gathered the perfect mix of everything — singing, dancing, and rapping — with Seulgi, Chungha, SinB, and Soyeon.
It reached its peak of number 3 in Billboard’s US World Digital Song Sales. Wow Thing showcased the vocals of the four K-pop idols, and I sure am in awe. Have you watched the music video above? Oh, you’ll be amazed to see the chemistry of the four of them!
- EXO Baekhyun and Suzy
To cap off this list, SM and JYP Entertainment‘s Byun Baekhyun and Bae Suzy serenaded the netizens with their duet song. This dreamy jazz ballad has been one of my anthems way back in 2016. Dream made its way to the top of the Gaon Digital charts.
With the great and honey voices of Baek and Suzy, I would wish to be back in 2016 to relive the moment when I listened to it first. With a collab work this massive, Dream even won Best Collaboration at the 2016 MAMA Awards and garnered Golden Disk trophies, too.
So, what are your favorite K-pop collaborations? Let us know in the comments below!
