The music industry has seen a surge in artist collaborations with nearly half of the 100 most popular tracks featuring two or more artists, according to the Official Charts company. This is double the number of collaborations on the charts at the end of the 2000s, and the trend has seen a rise over the past 30 years. Four of the top 10 songs in the current UK Singles Chart are collabs, indicating that this trend is not just a passing fad.
Patrick Stump, the frontman of Fall Out Boy – a band that has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry such as Taylor Swift and Jay-Z – says that most of their collabs are pretty simple in terms of how they happen. “People just ask,” he says. Sometimes it’s worth taking a chance – a few years ago, Patrick was planning on holding off working with other artists, but then Taylor Swift emailed. Fall Out Boy ended up featured on Taylor’s Electric Touch on her album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which was a number one album in 2020.
According to Patrick, every instance of recording a track with another artist is different. Sometimes they are in the same studio, and sometimes it’s recorded remotely. He says he prefers collaborations that stem from authentic connections, similar to when Brendon Urie from Panic! at the Disco featured on Fall Out Boy’s 20 Dollar Nose Bleed.
Ella Henderson, who has worked with David Guetta, Tom Grennan, and Becky Hill, also loves linking up with different musicians. She says artists can learn about different genres and heritage in music and gain new insights that they wouldn’t have gained otherwise. Her collabs have helped her grow as an artist, with a different opinion allowing her to have faith in a song.
Music producer Seb Barlow believes there is an increase in collaborations, especially since remote recording tools have become more prevalent during the pandemic. Social media has also played a significant role in bringing artists together. Neck Deep, a pop-punk band, has collaborated with Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 and Sam Carter from The Architects. Seb says that collaborations are fulfilling as they offer artists a chance to push themselves creatively and meet new fans.
Collaborations are not a trend in the music world, but a new way for artists to stay creative, try new things, and grow as musicians through learning from one another
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