Two's Company: 5 Forthcoming Music Collaborations To Look Out For This August
Two heads are better than one, as the old adage goes, and it seems that some of our favourite pop stars would agree, because the second half of 2020 is shaping up to be a very exciting time in terms of musical collaborations (we aren’t complaining). From Dua Lipa tapping two legendary artists for a Future Nostalgia remix to Selena Gomez joining forces with a certain girl group, here are five upcoming collabs to look forward to in August and beyond.
Blackpink x Selena Gomez
K-pop powerhouses Blackpink marked the 4th anniversary of their debut last week, and they are celebrating the occasion in a major way. After weeks of teasing a special feature in their forthcoming single, which will drop on August 28, Blackpink yesterday confirmed that Selena Gomez will appear on the track. In other words, #SELPINK is coming to your area.
The as-yet-unnamed tune will be the quartet’s second collaboration of the year, following their tie-up with Lady Gaga on “Sour Candy”, and will serve as the second official single on the group’s first-ever full-length album in October. Gomez broke the news on Twitter and Instagram, writing, “So SO excited to announce @BlackPinkOfficial and I have a new song coming out”, with Rosé, Lisa, Jisoo and Jennie doing likewise on their individual social media.
Blackpink has already had quite the year, with June’s “How You Like That” crowned the most-viewed music video on YouTube in 24 hours (86.3 million views). Not much else is known about the #SELPINK track at present, but if the past is any indication, the collab will likely — definitely — be another record-smashing hit.
Dua Lipa x Madonna and Missy Elliott
It’s Dua Lipa’s world, and we’re just living in it. Hot on the heels of her wildly successful sophomore album Future Nostalgia, the 24-year-old artist is set to drop a new remix of the cut “Levitating” tomorrow (!), and she’s got a couple of guests lined up: none other than Madonna and Missy Elliott.
“DREAM COME TRUE LET’S GO!” Dua Lipa tweeted in late July by way of an announcement, and we have to say it is. Put together by DJ and producer The Blessed Madonna (fka The Black Madonna and not to be confused with the Queen of Pop herself), the remix is a kind of full circle moment for Lipa, who has made clear that the veteran pop star is a huge source of inspiration to her — indeed, the groove-worthy Future Nostalgia was heavily influenced by Madonna’s Confessions on a Dance Floor.
Take a sneak peek below:
JoJo x Demi Lovato
August 28 has another teamwork treat in store for all the melophiles out there. JoJo has revealed on Instagram that her Good to Know cut, “Lonely Hearts”, is getting a fresh spin thanks to Demi Lovato, and will be released at the end of the month. Lovato is no stranger to tunes about self-love, making her the perfect choice for the song, which speaks of moving forward from a toxic relationship.
Because of COVID-19, the two musicians recorded their parts of the remix separately, but it still promises to be a powerful duet. JoJo reportedly texted the recently-engaged singer after hearing her positive remarks about Good to Know in an interview with Sam Smith earlier this year, and that’s how the collaboration got its start.
“I think she told me that ‘Lonely Hearts’ was one of her favourites,” JoJo said on Entertainment Tonight. “I was like, ‘Why don’t you get on it?’ And she was like, ‘OK’. So really it was like that. And we were able to make it happen.”
Miley Cyrus x Dua Lipa
Miley Cyrus is on a roll right now. She’s got not only a raved-about web series, Bright Minded, but also an album on the way, her long-awaited seventh venture. And a new single, “Midnight Sky”, coming out August 14 (this Friday). And a possible (probable?) collaboration with Dua Lipa.
Lipa mentioned in early 2020 that they had recorded a track together, although she further added, “We aren’t sure if the song is the one we want to release so it’s in waiting, and maybe we’ll do something different.” Which might just be what they did.
Cyrus set the internet abuzz a while ago when she captioned a photo of them and producer Andrew Watt with a cryptic “Dua has heard what you haven’t…” Lipa then posted a series of similar shots on her feed, and fans think that’s a hint she will be on “Midnight Sky”. We’ll have to wait one more day to find out, but you can watch the teaser here.
Drake x Ariana Grande
Okay, we’ll admit this Drakiana collaboration involves a fair bit of speculation, but hear us out. You may have listened to Drake’s latest song “POPSTAR”, where Champagne Papi nods to several, uh, pop stars. Among the names cited is Ariana Grande, in the line “Look, Ariana, Selena, my Visa. It can take as many charges as it needs to, my girl”, presumably a reference to Grande’s status as a platinum-selling artist.
Following that, today the Degrassi alum posted a video on Instagram in anticipation of his imminent single (due to drop on the apparently popular August 14) that shows two jet skis doing turns on water — one of the operators is ostensibly Drake, but the other person is too far away to make out. Netizens have taken this as a clue that it’s a collaboration, and opinion currently leans towards Ariana Grande as half of the duo. They did follow each other on social media last year, so we think there’s a real chance the “thank u, next” singer will pop up tomorrow, or soon, anyway.
