Top 10 Most Unexpected Pop Collabs

In the late 1970s, Barbra Streisand was killing it in every area. She had conquered Hollywood, Broadway, and the charts. But did you know she even had a disco period? In 1979, she paired with the Queen of Disco herself, Donna Summer, on this barnburner about post-breakup blues and female empowerment. It’s easy to believe this one practically dragged people onto the dance floor. It’s got a great hook and enough combined diva power to cause a New York City blackout. Sadly, Summer and Streisand never performed the song live together. Maybe it’s for the best. It would have been far too powerful.

When it comes to sound, you can’t get much further apart than these two. At the start of the century, they were making waves in different genres. Dido’s romantic, ethereal, and radio-friendly music sat somewhere between standard pop and ethereal electronic music. Meanwhile, Eminem’s gritty rap style, poeticism, and aggressive lyrics made him a hero of the young and disillusioned. “Stan,” Eminem’s first-person account of obsessive fandom, actually samples Dido’s “Thank You,” a completely different track in its own right. Their styles blend together in a haunting, violent, and lyrical counterpoint.

To duet with the Queen of Soul herself was a tall order at any stage in her career. In the mid-to-late 1980s, Aretha Franklin was experimenting with more dance-pop style tracks. Meanwhile, English singer George Michael was just beginning his solo career after leaving Wham! Together, the two created an incredibly catchy and totally unexpected pop anthem. “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” is an exuberant and uplifting track of peak ‘80s goodness. The song won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and topped many charts, including in the US and UK.

One is a silky-voiced crooner who has made scores of audiences swoon and sway with him. The other is a guitar playing folk and country star whose voice can best be described as gruff. Even when they’ve performed together, they’ve looked like a huge mismatch. But the truth is, their voices totally complement each other, even if they never exactly blend. It’s a combination that works for listeners, too. A co-signed letter to the women they’ve loved, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” entered the charts in several countries and won the pair a CMA Award.

Longtime music fans might have been a little confused when they heard the verse of Elton John’s “Sacrifice” mixed with the chorus from “Rocketman.” The song, a collaboration between John and Dua Lipa, became a sensation. It’s a medley of four different tunes of his, with vocal contributions by Lipa. It was the most successful from John’s album of collaborations, recorded differently than usual, as it was created during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also helped reintroduce the piano-playing singer to a new, fresh audience, and helped launch Dua Lipa into an even higher echelon of industry recognition.

In the mid-80s, the musical landscape was changing. Rock and adult contemporary artists like Aerosmith were sharing more mainstream stages with hip-hop tracks from the likes of LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Run-DMC. Instead of retreating from the new wave of music, Aerosmith joined forces with the New York group on a rerecording of their 1975 hit. Though members of Run-DMC weren’t thrilled with the idea at first, they came around to it. The 1986 version of “Walk This Way” became the best performing hip-hop single on the Billboard charts at that point.

This mournful duet sees Australian alt rocker Nick Cave essentially playing a man who murders his love, and Minogue as his victim. The composition has a sense of doom and scope that makes it feel timeless, like a deranged love ballad written a hundred years before. Though his sound didn’t seem at all like the effervescent bubblegum pop Minogue was known for, it was the collab he had been waiting for. Indeed, Cave had actually written several songs for her, but never sent them. Despite initially confusing some longtime fans of both, “Where the Wild Roses Grow” won folks over, and was a huge success.

2024’s “Cowboy Carter” wasn’t Beyoncé’s first foray into country. No, she’s been country, as notably evidenced by this 2016 banger from “Lemonade.” The Chicks joined Beyoncé on a spirited remix of “Daddy Lessons” later that year. Although the blending of genres might have been surprising, the Chicks are no strangers to going against the grain. The collaboration made even more headlines after a surprise performance at the 50th Country Music Association Awards — though sadly, not all of them were constructive or positive. In fact, many believe the problematic criticism and backlash that ensued was the inspiration behind Queen Bey’s chart-topping country album.

For his second album full of special guest duets, legendary crooner Tony Bennett pulled from several different genres. Although his duet with Amy Winehouse is elite, her music was clearly inspired by jazz and blues artists of the past. Lady Gaga is a different story. Up to that point, only diehard fans may have known just how versatile her talents are. “The Lady is a Tramp” is not necessarily a song that many would have expected the artist behind “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” to slay so thoroughly. But that’s what she and Bennett did. This collaboration also birthed two of their own albums, and a friendship that lasted until Bennett’s passing in 2023.

Not only was this collaboration unexpected, the entire thing made everyone stop and take notice of the newer artist on the scene. After his original rap-country fusion track began to take off, Lil Nas X tweeted that he wanted Cyrus to join him on a remix, and the latter agreed. Despite getting some additional country cred with Cyrus, “Old Town Road” was unfortunately the subject of discussion and even controversy over its genre classification. This is a song that was so confusing to the industry, they clearly had no idea what to do with it. Listeners love it, though. The video featuring the unexpected duo has over 1 billion views on YouTube.

What’s your favorite collaboration between two unlikely artists? Tell us in the comments.