Cover A look at the most unexpected song collaborations of 2025 featuring global artists from K-pop and pop music (Photo: Jisoo/YouTube)
A look at the most unexpected song collaborations of 2025 featuring global artists from K-pop and pop music (Photo: Jisoo/YouTube)
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From K-pop to hip-hop, these 2025 song collaborations prove that global music has never been more connected
Pop music in 2025 continued to erase borders, both cultural and sonic. This year’s standout song collaborations brought together artists who, until recently, seemed unlikely to share studio time. From K-pop idols working with Western singers to established stars linking with rising names, these partnerships showed how global pop now functions as a single, fluid network. The following five tracks—from Jisoo and Zayn’s ballad to J-Hope and Le Sserafim’s bright team-up—represent the year’s most notable and unexpected collaborations, each revealing a different kind of creative exchange.
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1. Jisoo and Zayn – ‘Eyes Closed’
Above A subtle, acoustic-driven duet that pairs Zayn’s smooth R&B tone with Jisoo’s refined pop vocals
When Blackpink's Jisoo joined Zayn for “Eyes Closed”, it instantly became one of 2025’s most discussed releases. The track is a slow, mid-tempo ballad that merges Zayn’s R&B-smooth vocals with Jisoo’s clean, emotive delivery. Acoustic guitar and soft synth layers create an understated production that highlights both voices rather than blending them. It marked Jisoo’s first high-profile international duet and Zayn’s first collaboration with a K-pop artist, an intersection fans have described as, no less, “iconic”. The single charted globally and became one of the year’s most-streamed song collaborations.
2. Jennie and Dominic Fike – ‘Love Hangover’
Above A moody, minimalist track exploring the push and pull of toxic attraction through contrasting vocal styles
Released in early 2025, “Love Hangover” saw Jennie of Blackpink and American musician Dominic Fike pair their contrasting sensibilities for a smoky, low-key pop-R&B hybrid. Built around a looping bassline and sparse percussion, the track explores the addictive cycle of attraction and regret. Fike’s conversational tone offsets Jennie’s precise phrasing, giving the song a push-and-pull dynamic that feels intentionally unpolished. Among this year’s song collaborations, it stood out for its “vibey” quality and refusal to chase chart-friendly gloss.
3. Jackson Wang and Diljit Dosanjh – ‘Buck’
Above A high-energy fusion of Punjabi rhythm and trap-pop swagger that bridges Asian music scenes
“Buck”, released in May 2025, paired Hong Kong’s Jackson Wang with Indian-Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh. The single combined Punjabi rhythmic elements with Jackson’s trademark trap-pop sound, backed by bold brass and percussive beats. Both artists share bilingual verses, switching between Punjabi, English and Cantonese-inflected phrasing. Rather than a token feature, “Buck” plays as a full-scale exchange—each artist adapting to the other’s tonal and rhythmic vocabulary. It underscored how the South and East Asian markets are increasingly overlapping, creating a shared zone for song collaborations that appeal to audiences across continents.
4. Flo Rida with Heeseung and Jake (Enhypen) – ‘Confessions’
Above A throwback-style rap-pop single that connects early-2010s energy with new-generation K-pop flair
Flo Rida’s “Confessions”, featuring Heeseung and Jake from Enhypen, was one of the year’s most surprising releases. The collaboration reintroduced the American rapper to younger listeners while allowing the K-pop duo to experiment with a sound outside their group’s usual catalogue. The track combines hip-hop beats with melodic pop hooks, giving each artist a defined space. The result feels like a time warp of early-2010s party rap meeting modern K-pop grooves—a treat for K-pop fans, millennials and the vast intersection of the two.
5. Le Sserafim and J-Hope – ‘Spaghetti’
Above An upbeat, dance-ready collaboration that unites two major K-pop acts in an unexpected in-label crossover
“Spaghetti”, released in October 2025, brought together J-Hope of BTS and girl group Le Sserafim. The upbeat track blends playful rap with electro-pop energy, its production alternating between sharp synths and chant-like hooks. The collaboration also marked a rare inter-label partnership in K-pop, bridging two of the industry’s biggest acts. Among the year’s song collaborations, it captured the internal dynamism of K-pop itself—one that continues to evolve through unexpected in-house reinventions.
The song collaborations of 2025 underline how fluid pop has become. Borders between genres, markets and fanbases continue to blur, and artists are now moving across them with ease. Whether through chart-topping duets or experimental crossovers, these releases capture a year defined by creative partnerships.
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Chonx Tibajia is a senior editor at Tatler Asia’s T-Labs team, where she writes widely on lifestyle subjects including beauty, style, entertainment and travel. She has a long career in journalism, including roles as a columnist at The Philippine Star, and is the founder of the creative platform Pineappleversed. Beyond Tatler, her bylines appear in regional lifestyle and business publications, showcasing a broad portfolio that spans beauty trends, travel guides and culture pieces.
