The music industry is highly competitive, so sometimes a good song alone isn’t enough. This is why some artists choose to collaborate on projects—to gain more attention from fans and music lovers. A collaboration with an international superstar, in particular, can help ensure that your music is heard beyond borders.
You’ll be pleased to know that some of our Malaysian-born singers have had the opportunity to work on songs with international artists, with some collaborations becoming iconic. Here are some of our talents who have teamed up with global artists:
1. Diana Danielle & Calum Scott – “Heaven”
“Heaven” is probably one of our favourite Calum Scott songs. A few years ago, we had the opportunity to speak with local actress-singer Diana Danielle about her experience working with the British singer-songwriter on this powerful ballad. The two even performed the duet during Calum’s concert in Kuala Lumpur in 2022.
2. Yuna & Usher – “Crush”
2016 was a great year for Yuna, as she released her third international album, “Chapters”, which features a collaboration with one of the most successful R&B artists, Usher. “I met up with (Usher) about a year ago and we did not talk about any collaborations. When I was recording my new album, I had this one song and I had an idea. We sent it over to him and we didn’t hear anything back for like 2 months. And then I got an e-mail from him and it was a recorded song of him on the song already, all mixed, all done,” she told Hitz.fm.
Fun fact: Yuna revealed in an interview that she has also collaborated with Billie Eilish, but unfortunately, the song has yet to see the light of day. However, the artist has expressed her desire to work with Billie again someday.
@flyfm Still can’t brain that Billie Eilish was @yunamusic’s fan first 🥹
3. Mizz Nina & Colby O’Donis – “What You Waiting For”
Who can forget this legendary track by Mizz Nina? Not only was it her debut single as a solo artist, but she also featured American singer Colby O’Donis on the track! “What You Waiting For” blew up instantly and was played on the radio non-stop for weeks. Following the song’s success, Mizz Nina went on to collaborate with more international artists, including Flo Rida on “Takeover” and Jay Park on “Around The World”.
4. DOLLA & Tobii – “Bad Girls Like You”
When Swiss/Thai rapper Tobii announced that he was releasing an English version of his song “Bad Girls Like You”, no one expected that it would be a collaboration with Malaysia’s very own DOLLA. The song marks the first time the girl group collaborated with an international artist and has received overwhelming praise from fans. Def Jam Recordings South East Asia even compiled a video of fans’ TikTok dance challenges to the track which you can watch here.
5. Che’Nelle & Cham
Last but certainly not least, we have Che’Nelle! The Malaysian-Australian singer-songwriter made headlines and dominated radio airwaves nationwide when she released her single “I Fell in Love with the DJ,” featuring Jamaican artist Cham, back in 2007. The artist hasn’t released an album since 2017 so we’re looking forward to seeing what she’s been cooking for fans once she makes her music comeback.
