11 Dream Collabs We Wish Would Finally Happen

Jul 09, 2017

Do you ever listen to an artist and just know they’d sound amazing if they had the chance to collaborate with another singer? Sometimes we’ll get lucky and our dream collabs will happen on their own – way before we even know it’s the partnership we needed. Other times, however, our dream collabs end up being faraway improbabilities – destined to haunt us with their untapped potential forever. Here are 11 collaborations (in no particular order) we wish would finally happen in real life:

1. Jay Park & Ailee

If you count their participation in American rapper Decipher’s “Catch Me If You Can Remix” from 2010, Jay Park and Ailee have technically collaborated with each other before. But it would be phenomenal to hear these two soloists matched up again – this time on a duo track of their own. With Ailee’s powerhouse vocals and Jay Park’s sharp rap, this dream collab is an all-kill in the making.

2. Tablo & BTS’s Rap Monster

The song hasn’t even been recorded yet and it’s already the socially conscious anthem we’ve always been waiting for. Both incredibly intelligent and accomplished in their own right, a collaboration between Tablo and Rap Monster would be like hip-hop brain food.

3. EXO’s D.O. & Baekhyun with Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun

Can we give this unofficial unit group a STATION single already? Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun could definitely do some damage in a trio with EXO’s D.O. and Baekhyun. These three are the perfect combination for an album of sultry R&B tracks, and seeing them perform together on a live stage would just be an added bonus.

4. BTS’s Suga, 24K’s Jeonguk, FIESTAR’s Yezi, MONSTA X’s Jooheon & I.M

Circle room cyphers were meant for rappers like this fierce dream unit, and these five would devour the beat if given the chance. Suga and Yezi’s cutthroat style of rap would blend well with I.M’s deep tone, Jooheon’s fast-paced rhymes, and Jeonguk’s tough verses.

5. Lee Hi & Hyukoh’s Oh Hyuk

Just thinking about these two in the studio together is enough to give you chills. Though Oh Hyuk generally leans more toward an alternative sound, his collaborations with Code Kunst on “Parachute” and “Can’t Love You Anymore” with IU are proof that he can tackle a variety of genres. And Lee Hi is just as versatile. Pairing their already super unique voices together would be like concocting modern-day magic: legendary.

6. BLACKPINK & iKON

We’re long overdue for another collab between YG Entertainment groups now, and BLACKPINK on a track with iKON is the ideal fix. The groups already share similar musical vibes, in addition to their previous promotions for LG and fashion brand NONA9ON in the past. All they need now is a musical collaboration to seal the deal.

7. SEVENTEEN’s Performance Unit with NCT’s Ten & Taeyong

The stage isn’t set up and the choreography hasn’t even been made, but this unit dance group already feels like it deserves a spot at all of the end-of-the-year award shows. SEVENTEEN’s Jun, Hoshi, Dino, and The8 along with NCT’s Ten and Taeyong are an unprecedented combination, and it’d be great to see their talents shining through beside each other on stage.

8. Ladies’ Code & Red Velvet

A collaboration between Ladies’ Code and Red Velvet would be like mashing up Red Velvet’s “Automatic” with Ladies’ Code’s “Galaxy.” Their songs would be just the right balance of unconventional and melodic, and you’d be guaranteed to have their collaboration single stuck in your head all day.

9. BTS’s J-Hope & Tinashe

Honestly, why hasn’t this one happened yet? We all know how much J-Hope loves Tinashe. In any interview he’s asked, he always mentions the American soloist as the number one artist he wants to collaborate with.

And Tinashe herself even said she’d be down to collaborate with J-Hope in a separate interview.

Since both are exceptional dancers with similar musical tastes, a J-Hope and Tinashe collab already boasts the recipe for success. Now it’s just a matter of getting the planets to align the right way to finally turn it into a reality.

10. f(x) & SHINee

SHINee and f(x) have technically collaborated once before on “Lollipop” back in 2011, but that non-promoted album track doesn’t even showcase a sliver of what these two groups could accomplish in a full title track. Just look at Taemin and Luna’s short duo dance practice of Taemin’s solo “Drip Drop” in this clip below.

And that’s only when one member from either group collaborates. Imagine what SHINee and f(x) could do with all nine members, actual studio time, and a real production budget.

11. Gong Minzy & Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon

What’s better than one veteran idol with unrivaled dance skills? Two veteran idols with mutual respect for each other. In an industry that constantly pits artists with similar talents against each other, Gong Minzy and Hyoyeon voice their admiration for one another in this clip from “Abnormal Summit” below.