It’s International Friendship Day 2022 and what’s a better sign of friendship than adding some pop music collaborations to our playlist? From Taylor Swift to Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes, the last few years have seen some great collaborations in the pop industry Here are just a few you might have forgotten about (and are a must for your playlist).
Pop collaborations you need to add to your playlist
Creating this list was difficult. I consider myself a music enthusiast and I took the task on as if I was on the voting list for the Recording Academy for a Grammy. There is a lot to choose from. Doja Cat has taken over the music industry in the last year with her eccentric personality, looks, and mix between a modern-day Gwen Stafani and Nicki Minaj. With “Kiss Me More”, not only did Doja and SZA win their first Grammy’s, but Doja Cat also received a Record and Song of the Year nomination. It also was the lead single off Planet Her, which drove the recognition Doja Cat has now.
Similarly, chemistry brought success when Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes met together on “Señorita”. The single was actually the exes’ second collaboration but topped any expectations when it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the music charts in over 40 countries. Was it the sultry mix of language?
Speaking of language, who could forget the remix that took over 2017 and much more. Despacito, anyone? Did anyone know Justin Bieber knew any Spanish before this? Whatever the case may be, the Puerto Rican-influenced collaboration became the first primarily Spanish language song to top the Billboard charts since 1996 and it is one of the most watched videos on Youtube with 7 billion views.
Another artist that changed up their sound was Katy Perry and while we have not seen much new music since the Alesso and Katy Perry collaboration proved that Katy Perry is versatile and a hitmaker.
We could not continue this list without a mention of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. The friends are frequent collaborators as performers and producers. It is hard to pick just one song to add to the list. But, if there is one to choose from, it is the collaboration from Taylor’s Red era. Who could forget the Ed and Taylor lookalikes in the video? That alone is reason enough!
When it comes to pop music, an artist that is hard to forget is Justin Bieber. And nowadays, who doesn’t just want to sing “You got that yummy, yummy …”. But a song that is overlooked, and is actually Grammy-nominated, is his collaboration with Daniel Caesar and Giveon.
What are your favorite recent collaborations in the pop music industry? Elton John and Dua Lipa? Bruno Mars and Silk Sonic? Megan Thee Stallion & Beyoncé? Sam Smith and Normani? Sound off below! We’d love to hear from you.
