This autumn has been an exciting season in K-pop, particularly in terms of collaborations, as K-pop acts like Black Pink, BTS and Red Velvet have released new work with Western pop stars.

With the sheer volume of collaborations speaking to K-pop’s elevated global status in recent years, here are three songs between K-pop and international artists from recent months.

Black Pink and Dua Lipa: “Kiss and Make Up”

Black Pink’s new song “Kiss and Make Up” with Dua Lipa is one of the most high-profile K-pop collaborations to date, putting itself on par with Psy and Snoop Dogg in terms of star power.

The official video of the track, which has been watched over 10 million times already, is on Dua Lipa’s repackaged debut album “Dua Lipa: The Complete Edition.”

Bringing together two of the hottest acts in pop, the song was guaranteed to draw attention from the get-go.

In May, Bandmates Jenny and Lisa went to see Lipa’s first solo concert in Korea. A few months later, the international pop star tweeted in September the track list for her new album which included “Kiss and Make Up (Dua Lipa & Black Pink),” sending fans into a frenzy.

Wendy and John Legend: “Written In The Stars”

(S.M. Entertainment)

The collaboration between Wendy, a member of the group Red Velvet, and US singer-songwriter John Legend, came in the form of a slow ballad.

The two singers got together to record “Written In the Stars,” as part of “STATION X 0,” a series of digital music projects by S.M. Entertainment.

The two met in person and filmed the video for the song, as well as doing some promotions together.
Wendy said it was “like a dream” to work with an artist she grew up listening to.

BTS and Nicki Minaj: “Idol”

(A capture of the "IDOL" video)

Last but not least, BTS pleasantly surprised fans when it unveiled a new version of Idol featuring US rapper Nicki Minaj.

The lead track on the group’s latest album “Love Yourself: Answer” received the rapper treatment, adding yet another collaborator to its long-running list, which also includes Steve Aoki and the Chainsmokers.

It has been reported that it was BTS that contacted Minaj first and suggested that her rapping would suit the song.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)