10 Weirdest Collabs Of 2023 And Why We Dug Them

First things first, weird collabs are nothing new. In fact, at many points in music history, they have been the catalyst for entire new genres of music. But that still doesn’t change the fact that they are indeed a bit off the formulaic road.

From Linkin Park and Jay-Z to Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, many of these collaborations have become massive blockbusters in the past few years, so 2023 was no different!

Here are the 10 weirdest collabs of the year, and why dug them!

“USE ME (BRUTAL HEARTS)” – Diplo, Sturgill Simpson, Dove Cameron

Diplo is no stranger to strange collabs, but having Sturgill Simpson as “Johnny Blue Skies,” Dove Cameron as “Herself” and the producer as “Thomas Wesley” on the single… let’s just say this collab took a very weird turn. Thankfully, the production with a Western cowboy influence and Simpson’s and Cameron’s voices blended well to create a genre-busting jam that worked as well on the dancefloor as any mainstream playlist.

“UNHEALTHY” – Anne-Marie, Shania Twain

Despite a new album Queen Of Me released this year, Shania Twain’s biggest hit actually happened courtesy of a guest feature spot on Anne-Marie’s single “Unhealthy.” These two voices seemingly never should have come together because why would one ever think to put them together…but it worked! Anne-Marie is no stranger to weird collabs (she might even arguably be one of the most consistent weird collabmates of recent times!), but this country-pop single worked to the strength of both artists and we finally got to see Twain’s name back on the pop charts! More please!

“Popular” – The Weeknd, Playboy Carti, Madonna

The Weeknd collaborating with either Playboy Carti or Madonna makes perfect sense. Playboy Carti collaborating with The Weeknd or Madonna also makes sense. Madonna collaborating with either of them also total sense. But the three of them together, somehow just those three names together made this from interesting to weird. Thankfully the end result led to Madonna’s biggest hit in years (even decades). The Weeknd and Madonna give us a 1980s style bop that wished we’d have gotten back then between the Material Girl and Michael Jackson. While the Playboy Carti part is basically filler, it does give the track the modern touch making “Popular” a big Top 40 hit. 

“TOO MUCH” – The KID LAROI, Jung Kook, Central Cee

The KID LAROI is no stranger to collabs having gotten his biggest hit to date with Justin Bieber on “Stay.” Central Cee also scored one of the biggest collabs this year with Dave on “Sprinter.” Jung Kook meanwhile has been working left and right with artists as diverse as Charlie Puth, Latto and Jack Harlow recently. So these three artists from three different continents coming together shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise yet it did and the end result was an instant hit. “Too Much” works because the three blend so well and their lyrical flows blend well to create an almost uniform sentiment, creating in turn, kind of the perfect weird collab!

“FLASHY” – City Girls, Kim Petras

City Girls love to collab with different R&B artists and Kim Petras got a Grammy last year for her collab with Sam Smith on “Unholy”. So you wouldn’t have really thought, oh, these two acts go together…but then when you think about all the high-end designers both acts are singing/rapping about, it all makes sense. “Flashy” is a nod to the excess of the late 1990s/early 2000s and works because it fits both act’s images. Indeed, money never sounded more on point.

“FOOL 4 U” – Galantis, JVKE, Enisa

The first of two collabs on this list that aren’t rookie pairups. Galantis and JVKE had already struck gold in 2021 with their hit “Dandelion.” But this was before anyone knew “golden hour” and JVKE had become a household name. Add in Enisa for special measure and a repeat collab becomes a weird one because the massive audience JVKE had carved for himself just got a jolt of a whole new style. The single is ridiculously catchy and the track served as a perfect summer 2023 addition DJ setlists and Top 40 radio. 

“BOTH” – Tiesto, 21 Savage, BIA

Another ace remixer and producer Tiesto gave us one of the strangest and unexpected Top 40 hits of the year. With help from 21 Savage and BIA, “Both” is both a gloriously weird and amazingly current single that honestly should have been a much bigger global hit than it even was. BIA for once feels well matched up with 21 Savage on the cut mainly because the track isn’t trying to be hip-hop, this is straight up for the clubs, and we loved it!

“STAND BY ME” – Lil Durk, Morgan Wallen

The second collabmates to collab again are Lil Durk and Morgan Wallen. The two made for strange bedfellows in 2021 on the surprise hit “Broadway Girls” and here we get more of the same with “Stand By Me.” But here, it’s not the fact that they’ve paired up that is weird but rather, they’ve both blown up respectively on the charts in the past year so this much hype collab felt like a weird reunion we didn’t know we wanted but once we got it, we thought, but of course!

“WITNESS ME” – Jacob Collier, Shawn Mendes, Stormzy & Kirk Franklin

I think not since DJ Snake brought together different worlds has a list of featured artists felt so random but so right. Jacob Collier truly can’t do wrong these days be it his productions or as an artist himself. “Witness Me” pairs the talent with Shawn Mendes, Stormzy and Kirk Franklin. It’s as though you’d think they all were just a natural fit when you hear the track but just looking at that list of artists, honestly, your first thought is definitely WTF. Thankfully it works and Collier knows how to make weird so damn cool!

“BE WHO YOU ARE” – Jon Batiste, JID, NewJeans, Camilo

Giving Collier a run for his money is another Grammy-winning producer and recording artist who upped his game of collaborators. Jon Batiste got JID, NewJeans and Camilo together for “Be Who You Are.” Bastiste’s World Music Radio featured a who’s who list of artists but nothing really quite felt like the collab coup like this bringing hip-hop, K-pop and Latin pop/reggaeton group together for an inspirational track that is likely to be heard for years to come, if not on the global radio than at international schools and festivities for years to come.