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K-pop's global rise has been written in collaborations as much as in solo hits. When PSY, BTS, BLACKPINK, and other Korean acts teamed up with Western pop royalty, they pushed Korean music onto the Billboard Hot 100, into Grammy conversations, and across radio formats worldwide. These crossovers blended K-pop choreography with English pop, hip hop, and electronic beats, building bridges that the Hallyu wave still rides today.
From a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with Coldplay to a Chromatica club track with Lady Gaga and a viral dance challenge with Becky G, here are 10 must-listen K-pop collaborations with international artists that reshaped global pop.
1. PSY x Snoop Dogg, 'Hangover' (2014)
Long before BTS topped Billboard, PSY invited Snoop Dogg on a wild ride through soju shots, jjimjilbangs, and noraebang. Premiered on Jimmy Kimmel Live on June 8, 2014, the bilingual single put Korea's drinking and nightlife culture in the global spotlight. The MV crossed 100 million YouTube views in 40 days and ended 2014 as the most watched K-pop video on the platform, making 'Hangover' one of the earliest landmark K-pop and Western hip hop collabs.
2. BTS x Steve Aoki, 'Mic Drop' (Remix) (2017)
BTS's first major Western EDM crossover came when Big Hit handed 'Mic Drop' to American DJ and producer Steve Aoki for an electro trap remix featuring rapper Desiigner. Released worldwide on November 17, 2017, the remix debuted at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming BTS's first track to break the top 40. The MV later passed 1.4 billion YouTube views, cementing the remix as a defining moment in BTS's American breakthrough.
3. BTS x Nicki Minaj, 'Idol' (Remix) (2018)
For the lead single off 'Love Yourself: Answer', BTS brought in Queen of Rap Nicki Minaj. Released on August 24, 2018, the remix paired BTS's Korean traditional samples and EDM trap production with a fierce English-language verse from Nicki. The MV passed 100 million YouTube views in less than four days and helped 'Idol' climb to No. 11 on the Hot 100, then a peak for the group.
4. BTS x Halsey, 'Boy With Luv' (2019)
The lead single from 'Map of the Soul: Persona' debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest charting position by a Korean group at the time. Halsey's smooth pop vocals folded into BTS's bright funk-pop, and the music video racked up 74.6 million YouTube views in 24 hours, a record on release. BTS and Halsey performed the song together at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards on May 1, sealing one of the most iconic K-pop x Western collab moments.
5. BLACKPINK x Dua Lipa, 'Kiss and Make Up' (2018)
BLACKPINK's first major English-language collab arrived when Dua Lipa added them to the reissue of her debut album in October 2018. Mixing English and Korean over an electropop beat, 'Kiss and Make Up' debuted at No. 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming BLACKPINK's first Hot 100 entry. The two acts later performed it live together at New Jersey's Prudential Center in May 2019, sparking a long-running friendship between Dua Lipa and BLACKPINK.
6. J-Hope x Becky G, 'Chicken Noodle Soup' (2019)
BTS rapper J-Hope teamed with Latin pop star Becky G for a multilingual update of the 2006 Harlem hip hop classic 'Chicken Noodle Soup'. Released on September 27, 2019, the trilingual track mixed English, Korean, and Spanish, and its chicken-themed choreography launched the viral #CNSChallenge across TikTok and Instagram. The MV crossed 100 million YouTube views in under a week, proving K-pop solo collabs could go just as viral as group projects.
7. BLACKPINK x Lady Gaga, 'Sour Candy' (2020)
Track 10 of Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica' fused 1990s house with Korean rap, debuting at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, then BLACKPINK's highest entry on the chart. Jennie, Lisa, Rose, and Jisoo trading flirty bilingual lines with Gaga over a bouncy electropop beat made 'Sour Candy' a turning point for K-pop on a mainstream Western pop album, proving Korean verses could anchor a global pop project without translation.
8. BLACKPINK x Selena Gomez, 'Ice Cream' (2020)
BLACKPINK's second pre-release single from 'The Album' paired the quartet with Selena Gomez for a bubblegum pop confection produced by TEDDY. Released on August 28, 2020, the MV racked up 79 million views in 24 hours, then the third biggest debut on YouTube, and the single debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'Ice Cream' marked BLACKPINK's first US pop diva crossover and remains a defining K-pop x Western pop moment.
9. BTS x Coldplay, 'My Universe' (2021)
Released on September 24, 2021, 'My Universe' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming BTS's sixth Hot 100 chart-topper in roughly a year and Coldplay's first No. 1 single since 'Viva La Vida'. Co-written in Korean and English and produced by hitmaker Max Martin, the sci-fi music video saw the two acts perform together through holograms. It turned a stadium rock band and a K-pop supergroup into a single global brand.
10. Jungkook x Charlie Puth, 'Left and Right' (2022)
Released on June 24, 2022, 'Left and Right' was BTS member Jungkook's first official Western collab. Produced by Charlie Puth, the breezy summer duet peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 17 consecutive weeks, the longest streak for a K-pop idol at the time. It topped iTunes in 93 countries and the MV passed 300 million YouTube views, kicking off Jungkook's solo crossover era.
Honorable Mention: BTS x Nicki Minaj and Steve Aoki Live
BTS's American Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards stages from 2017 to 2019 with Steve Aoki, Halsey, and friends defined the live face of K-pop x Western collabs, while honorable mentions like RM x Wale ('Change') and Suga x IU ('Eight') show how deep the Hallyu collab catalog now runs into hip hop, R&B, and indie pop.
Where K-pop x Western Collabs Go Next
In the years since these landmark tracks, K-pop collabs have only grown deeper and more genre fluid. Newer acts pair with Latin pop stars, EDM producers, country names, and alt rock acts, while veteran BTS and BLACKPINK members continue to lock in features with Western A-listers. What started with PSY and Snoop Dogg in 2014 now spans every chart and streaming corner, making 'K-pop collab' its own category in global pop.
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