VOTE! K-Pop Idols That Should Do a Collaboration Together

Recently, it’s been extremely popular for K-pop artists to do collaborations with each other. Whether they work with another artist in the same company or even do a project with a Western artist, the recent trend lies in joint projects and special collaborations. After making a mental journey through the ranks of K-pop, I realized that there are a lot of talented artists who could make fantastic music together. If you weren’t limited by labels, entertainment companies, ages and genres, which artists would you choose to do a collaboration together? After taking it into careful consideration and seeking the opinions of other K-pop junkies, I give you “K-Pop Idols That Should to Do a Collaboration Together!” If you’re not familiar with each artist, there will be some song suggestions on every page. If you click the song title, a new window will open up so you can listen to the song.

Zico (Block B) and CL (2NE1)

These two are like hip-hop royalty of Korea! If G-Dragon was the king, CL would definitely be the queen and Zico would be the rebellious prince. Both CL and Zico have insane skills when it comes to rapping, but they both sing really well too. After listening to CL on 2ne1’s song, “Come Back Home” and Zico’s vocals on the solo song, “I’ll Treat You Better Next Time,” just imagine how their voices and raps could blend on a collaboration! Without a doubt, a Zico-CL collaboration would be epic!

ALi and Lee Hong Ki (F.T. Island) 

Every K-pop fan has heard of F.T. ISLAND and Lee Hong Ki. However, chances are that many people haven’t heard of the soloist ALi.  Her deep, throaty vocals are really unique among the female voices in Korea. They would be a perfect match for Hong Ki since his voice has a gritty quality that comes out on alternative, soft rock songs. Check ALi out on “떠나지마 (Don’t Leave),” then listen to Lee Hong Ki’s amazing live performance of “Confession.” These two would be absolutely amazing together since they also both have the ability to adapt their voices to suit different genres.

Bobby (iKON) and Jay Park

Bobby has achieved astounding popularity and success considering his group iKON hasn’t even debuted officially. For a rookie, Bobby shows an amazing maturity in his stage performances and song-writing abilities. Check out the 19-year-old’s deep, gravely rap on his own song, “Bounce.”  For this talented youth, who would be the perfect person to balance his vocals and add in a carefree attitude that Bobby has yet to achieve at this early stage in his career? In my mind, the perfect match is none other than Jay Park! Jay has a much higher range reminiscent of Michael Jackson and would lend the perfect proportion to a musical collaboration between these two artists. In addition, both singers were born in the USA and could incorporate their own West-Coast vibe, as seen in Jay’s music video, “So Good.”

Raina (After School) and Heo Young Saeng (SS501) 

Raina’s vocals are really sweet, yet strong. You could also describe Heo Young Saeng’s voice in the same way. With such similar styles (but with the perfect contrasting tones), the two would sound great together if they ever decided to do a collaboration. Check out Raina’s stunning voice on “You End, And Me,” then listen to Young Saeng’s pure vocals on the song on “Crying.” I would love to hear these two artists together, singing something slightly different than their usual genre in order to show off their unique and gorgeous voices.

D.O (EXO-K) and Kim Boa (Spica)

Hands down, Kim Boa is one of the most underappreciated vocalists in K-pop. Her soulful voice delivers raw emotion in every performance. D.O also has a mature voice with a smooth, sultry sound similar to Boa. Considering vocals alone, these two artists might be some of the most well-matched on the list. They can both deliver strong, vocal-heavy performances, as well as soft, emotional ballads. After listening to D.O and Chen on “The Last Time,” check out Boa’s voice on her duet with Eric Nam, “Say Something.” It’s really showcases her versatility and proves her an equal match for D.O.

Rap Monster (BTS) and G-Dragon (BIGBANG)

The first time I heard BTS, I literally felt my mind being blown into a million pieces! It had been a long time since I had seen such ferocity in performances. The dances were strong, the vocals were strong, the rap was strong. When I investigated the group more, I became fascinated with Rap Monster- a sort of modern-day, musical genius with hop-hop. I haven’t witnessed that kind of talent in the business since G-Dragon! I still think G-Dragon is absolutely brilliant (as evidenced by his song “Who You?“), but I respect the effort and hard work of Rap Monster as well (especially when you consider he was already writing songs like “Where U At” when he was still in high school).I think Rap Monster could definitely benefit from the guidance and inspiration of the legendary G-Dragon, while the legend himself would benefit from a fresh view and a younger touch to things. The combination would be fantastic and I vote they do a collaboration right now! Go, go, go! Now, boys!

Ailee and Kyuhyun (Super Junior)

Although I’ve been a fan of Kyuhyun’s for a long time and was well aware of his vocal talent (even before his recent solo debut), I wasn’t fully aware of the outstanding power and strength of Ailee’s voice until recently. I was privileged to see Ailee live at Music Bank and the clarity and strength of her voice is simply amazing! Her control is also extremely impressive and allows her to show near-blinding emotion through dynamics, as in the song, “I Have Nothing.” To do a collaboration with a guy, she needs someone who can be strong without straining their voice, but who also knows how to adapt to different genres. While Kyuhyun may be known as a “ballad singer,” he is actually extremely versatile, holds a high voice range to compete with Ailee, and has a great stage presence in songs like, “Masquerade.“ (TIP: Watch the end of this song for quite possibly the most epic high note of Kyuhyun’s career)

Bang Yong Guk (B.A.P.) and Bora (Sistar)

Bora is one of K-pop’s most popular female performers for a good reason- she can sing, dance and rap with equal strength. That’s why she would be a perfect artist to collaborate with Bang Yong Guk! She would definitely be able to hold her own against his super strong rap, without making the collaboration feel forced and unbalanced. Check her out on the song “Ma Boy“ with fellow group member Hyorin , then listen to Yong Guk’s powerful song, “I Remember.” Next, imagine these two artists together- wouldn’t it be super fierce?

Amber (fx), Min (miss A) and Key (SHINee)

If you decided to produce the most fun, entertaining joint-project of all times, chances are you would choose these three artists to be involved. Amber, Min and Key are all good friends and have unique, funny personalities which bring a lot to the stage. Add in the fact that they can all dance, sing, rap and be funny, then you have potential for these idols to be one of the most popular collaborations in modern K-pop! While none of the three may be the lead vocalist for their groups, they are each well-rounded artists who could shine even more in smaller projects. As a young teenager, Min was even planning to debut in the USA and released a few songs (like “Go Ahead“) before joining miss A. Check out Amber on “Someday at Christmas” and Key on “Tell Me Why.” The three could definitely deliver a solid performance with a collaboration.

Chen (EXO-M) and Hyorin (Sistar) 

In my opinion, Chen and Hyorin are the most well-matched people on this entire list. Both artists can deliver some of the strongest, clearest vocal performances in the business, yet neither one try to take the top-spot when singing with other people. While some artists would just try to complete and sing louder than the other one, these two have a great gift of control and know how to hold back in order to deliver the most well-balanced and harmonious performance possible. In addition, they both sing with an insane amount of heart and deliver pure emotion whether they are singing something strong and soulful or soft and delicate. Check out Hyorin on her beautiful performance of “Closer” and listen to Chen’s well-controlled vocals in the duet with Baekhyun, “Really I Didn’t Know.”

IU and Sunggyu (Infinite)

Since I’m not a huge fan of soft pop, I’ve never really listened to IU much. However, when I heard her do this much-too-short cover of “Loving You,” I was really impressed with the clarity of her voice and was left wanting to hear more. When thinking about people who would do well on a collaboration with IU, I automatically thought of Sunggyu. With his versatility in style, he could deliver the strength the songs needed without overpowering IU’s softer, sweet voice. Check out his beautiful voice in the song  “Only Tears.” No doubt these two could deliver one of the most beautiful and pure vocal collaborations in K-pop if given the chance!

CNBLUE and Jungmo (The Trax)

While most of the people on this list are primarily vocalists, I chose to include CNBLUE and Jungmo because they are all insanely talented musicians. Since Jungmo plays mostly harder rock, he doesn’t get enough exposure to mainstream K-pop fans. CNBLUE could definitely benefit from Jungmo’s edgier guitar skills, while the band could serve to soften Jungmo’s sound a bit and make it slightly more accessible to a broader audience. Check out CNBLUE on their song “Go Your Way” and Jungmo on the lesser known recording, “Oh“ (his cover of a Girls’ Generation song). This collaboration would definitely be one of the most amazing in terms of talent!

Eun Ji (Apink) and Jung Joon Young

As a participant in some of the most popular dramas within the last few years, Eunji has gained quite a number of fans for her acting skills. However, Eunji also has one of the most beautiful voices in K-pop. If I were to sum up her voice up with one word, it would be, “Classic!” The tone of her voice is truly crystal clear and she was able to fully show off her skills on the show “Immortal Song 2” with performances like “If I Leave.” Although she has performed in the past with other artists of similar tone and vocal quality (and I hope to hear her do so again in the future), I would really like to hear her mix it up with someone from a completely different genre. The tastes of the amazingly talented musician Jung Joon Young may run primarily to rock, but something inside me tells me that the slightly hoarse quality of his voice and deeper tones would be the perfect compliment to Eunji’s pure vocals. Check out Joon Young on his amazing song, “Teenager.”

Kevin Woo (U-Kiss) and Taeyeon (Girls’ Generation)

Everyone in K-pop has heard Taeyeon at one point or another and know of her extreme popularity as a vocalist in Korea. When considering who would be a good artist to collaborate with the Girls’ Generation singer, a lot of names occurred to me! In the end though, one name continued to stand out in my mind and that was Kevin Woo. The popular singer may be known for having one of the higher voices in U-Kiss, but he is able to deliver different types of performances as well (as heard in the song “In Your Hands“). Although some people might think that these two artists would sound better with singers of contrasting tones, I still think the two vocalists would sound amazing together for mainly one reason- they both have a gift for vocal performances bordering on angelic (If you don’t believe me, check out Taeyeon’s phrasing and vocals on “Set Me Free“) Kevin is also able to harmonize really well and would provide the perfect balance to her clear voice.

While the list of artists who would sound great on collaboration projects could be endless, these were a few that made the final cut. What other artists would you love to see collaborate? Out of all the artists on this list, which ones do you think would sound the best on a joint project? Vote now!

lee1086 is a Soompi writer who has studied music for over 20 years, released her own CD and plays 4 different instruments. While acknowledging her very humble claims to music, she tried to put all favoritism aside and view K-pop singers with a musician’s eye alone in order to form the list. If not, this wish list of ideal artist collaborations would have been very short and only included a singer/songwriter team of 2 people- her and Lee Donghae!