BTS, Blackpink And Other K-Pop Stars Driving The Rise Of Worldwide Collaborations
- riya siddacharjee
- Oct 14
- 4 min read
When BLACKPINK's Jisoo and Zayn Malik dropped “Eyes Closed” on October 10, the internet basically hit pause. It’s Jisoo’s first big cross-culture collab and Zayn’s smooth dive into K-pop’s orbit - soft, cinematic, and totally playlist-core. The track blends moody R&B with the dreamy Y2K energy, the kind you play on repeat at 2 a.m. because it feels distinctly different. We break down how K-pop stars have been driving the rise of worldwide collaborations in this article!
K-pop and International Collabs Are Having a Main-Character Moment
This isn’t happening in isolation. The K-pop world has been soaking up cross-genre, cross-culture partnerships more than ever-and with good reason. Take Rosé with Bruno Mars on “APT". That collaboration wasn’t just about a Western star feature- it was cultural exchange (the inspiration came from a Korean drinking game called “apateu”) and it turned into global chart domination: #1 in many charts, breaking streaming and airplay records.
S Coups and Mingyu from SEVENTEEN released “5, 4, 3 (Pretty Woman)” through their unit, and although this is more internal to K-pop than truly cross-border, it reflects a trend: subunits, experimental features, blending of sounds (they sample/interpolate “Oh, Pretty Woman”), and different collaborators.
J-hope’s “Killin’ It Girl” with GloRilla was declared Best Collaboration of Summer 2025, mixing the K-pop idol energy with hip-hop/rap from the US and capturing global attention.
Why International Collabs Are Working Magic Now?
The rise of tracks like “Eyes Closed” points to several shifts in how K-pop is evolving. Here are some of the deeper ripples:
Global Audiences, Local Identity
Collaborations help K-pop maintain its cultural roots (language, culture, aesthetic) while reaching new ears. Rosé’s "APT." is a good example: Korean cultural reference + Western pop production + global marketing = K-pop identity exported, not diluted. "Eyes Closed" similarly uses English and familiar Western pop tropes while keeping the emotive soul and aesthetic that fans expect from K-pop.
Artist Growth & Artistic Freedom
For solo members from big groups, or for artists branching out, collaborations offer room for risk: working with different producers, exploring different vocal styles, experimenting with genres (R&B, soulful pop, ambient, etc.). Jisoo’s "Eyes Closed" showcases her voice in a more delicate, emotionally vulnerable setting—something very different from group tracks or her earlier solo EP material.
Cross-Market Leverage
These features help with streaming numbers, chart reach, and breaking into markets outside South Korea. With digital platforms and social media, a song with an international cameo or co-voice often has more hooks for virality, playlist curators, and radio play abroad. The business side can’t ignore that.
Cultural Diplomacy (Soft Power)
It’s not just commerce or music; it’s also about culture. The more K-pop idols collaborate with Western stars or artists from different countries, the more cultural exchange happens. There’s a greater chance that people who wouldn’t normally check out a K-pop song will do so because of a familiar name, instrument, or genre.
Challenges & Trade-Offs
But it’s not all smooth. Some fans worry collaborations can overshadow local artistry or lead to homogenization (every song sounding more like global pop than uniquely K-pop). Also, production and promotion expectations rise: high-quality visuals, polished sound, huge marketing machines. So only artists with resources (or big labels) may fully benefit.
Where It’s Going From Here?
If I had to channel a little Zen predict-vibe, here’s what we sense is next:
More genre-blurring: we’ll see more tracks that don’t just feature artists from other countries, but truly blend styles-say, Korean traditional instrumentation mixed with trap and West African rhythm, etc. Deeper artistic partnerships: beyond just vocals, collaborations in songwriting, producing, and even visuals will become more equal; not just “K-pop idol + Western star” but co-creators.
Localized global hits: artists may drop regionally targeted collabs (e.g., featuring popular Latin, African, Southeast Asian artists) to tap into specific markets, then use those as stepping stones to global charts.
Increased expectations: fans will expect cross-border work to feel meaningful, not token. So quality (lyricism, production, authenticity) will matter more than just name value.
Why Collabs Didn’t Click Back Then?
K-pop-Western collabs aren’t new. Remember Wonder Girls x Akon’s “Like Money”, CL’s solo US run, or BTS’ early link-ups with The Chainsmokers and Steve Aoki? They were cool for their time, but didn’t quite hit global takeover mode.
Back then, streaming wasn’t universal, social media hadn’t become the cultural loudspeaker it is now, and K-pop was still finding its global identity. Those early crossovers felt like test runs - fun, experimental, but not yet synced with the world’s rhythm. Now, fandoms are online 24/7, streaming counts mean everything, and everyone’s fluent in cultural mash-ups. The world finally caught up to what K-pop was building.
Why This Era Feels Different?
Today’s collabs are less about “breaking into” the West and more about blending worlds. BTS paved that road- proving Korean lyrics and global charts can coexist. BLACKPINK teamed up with Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez without losing their sound. Stray Kids linked with Charlie Puth for “Lose My Breath”, showing just how seamless pop chemistry can be.
Collabs now feel organic. They’re not just brand deals or chart hacks - they’re creative hangouts that sound like they actually belong together. Fans aren’t asking, “Why are they collabing?” anymore. They’re saying, “Finally.”
The message is simple but powerful: K-pop doesn’t need to chase the world anymore. The world is already listening. Eyes closed, world open-that’s the new rhythm of pop.
Comment below with your favorite K-pop crossover collab!