Last month, British singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran dropped a brand new, reworked version of his single “Shivers” with a remix featuring K-Pop artists Sunmi and Jessi, bringing both English and Korean together through song. This is just one of the many great collaborations between a Western artist and a K-Pop artist, whether it be a remix of an already existing song, like “Shivers,” or through a collaboration of an entirely new release. So, for this week’s Throwback Thursday, let’s take a look at some of these other Western meets K-Pop collaborations and remixes that have occurred over the past few years in music. 

“Dirty Vibe” - Skrillex, Diplo, CL & G-DRAGON

In 2014, K-Pop met Western EDM when American DJs Skrillex and Diplo teamed up for a collaboration with BIGBANG leader G-DRAGON and 2NE1 leader CL for their loud, energetic, dance track, “Dirty Vibe”. The song was met with mixed reviews, with many enjoying this new EDM direction for these K-Pop stars while others disliked it due to the explicit nature of the song's lyrics that are a rarity, if not non-existent, in K-Pop; in “Dirty Vibe,” CL and G-DRAGON make references to sexuality and drugs (which of course is more commonly heard in songs outside of K-Pop). But regardless of this, “Dirty Vibe” is the perfect energy boosting song that should definitely be heard and added to everyone’s workout playlists. 

“Cave Me In” - Gallant, Tablo, Eric Nam

Featuring vocals from K-Pop soloist Eric Nam and rap vocals from Tablo, leader of K-Hip-Hop group Epik High, Gallant’s 2017 single “Cave Me In” is the perfect Western meets K-Pop collaboration. Sung all in English, “Cave Me In” is a smooth R&B song with a perfectly equal line distribution between the three artists, that allows each one’s vocals to effortlessly shine. It is an incredible blend of vocal talents with beautifully written lyrics that are very poetic and deep with a beat that is reminiscent of old school R&B songs, while simultaneously carrying a modern feel to it—the perfect Korean meets Western, R&B track that everyone should listen to.

“Lo Siento” - Super Junior ft. Leslie Grace

The first K-Pop song to debut on Billboard Latin Digital Song Chart, “Lo Siento” is Super Junior’s first ever collaboration with an international artist, this being three times GRAMMY- nominated Latin-American singer, Leslie Grace. This tropical-dance track is the lead single from the group’s 2018 REPLAY album, that fuses English, Spanish, and Korean together to create this amazing trilingual sound that is perfect for recreating those summer vibes we all love, even when listening in the winter, with the title “Lo Siento” meaning “I’m Sorry” in Spanish. Both Super Junior and Leslie Grace embrace their vocal and dance skills in the music video, which ends with a surprise performance by Heechul, who not only appears but lends his vocals for a smooth rap verse to close the song. “Lo Siento” is incredible and has hopefully paved the way for more K-Pop and Latin collaborations in the future. 

“If You’re Over Me” - Years & Years ft. Key

In 2018, Years and Years (the British solo project of singer and actor Olly Alexander) released several reworked versions of their hit “If You’re Over Me,” and one of these reworked versions featured the wonderful vocals of SHINee member Key. Singing in both Korean and English, Key’s vocals blend beautifully with those of Olly’s, turning a once all-English breakup track about ‘trying to remain friends with an ex’ into a bilingual song that, in both languages, emphasizes the same emotions and thoughts as the original. But despite it being a breakup song, “If You’re Over Me” is still a fun, upbeat pop song that definitely needs to be on everyone’s pop playlists.