Review

2024 In Review: Day 11 – Best Collaborative Work

By Jung Bae | January 25, 2025

2024 In Review

1. Introduction + Best Album Art
2. Song of the Year
3. Album of the Year
4. R&B and Soul
5. Rock and Alternative
6. Rap and Hip-hop
7. Dance and Electronic
8. Pop and Ballad
9. Folk and Country
10. Jazz, Crossover and World
11. Best Collaborative Work
12. Rookie Artist of the Year
13. Artist of the Year
14. Other Recognition
15. Concluding Remarks

Separately from the genre picks, we make a point of recognizing the Best Collaborative Work section each year because it is this space where some of tomorrow’s best ideas are born – and some of today’s best music too, of course. Like in anything else, interaction and exchange of ideas help musicians to be creative and explore things that they could not do alone.

The Collaborative Work section is the only one where works from the genre sections can reappear, and that applies to the Song of the Year and Album of the Year finishers as well. The criterion is somewhat different, though, as we focus on things like synergy, significance, or even the unexpectedness associated with a collaboration.

The “Next 10” and honorable mention lists are sorted by artist name. Bolded honorable mentions received particularly serious consideration for the Next 10.

Albums

Best Collaborative Album 2024

Piano Shoegazer, Jang Myung-sun – Wood Wide Web

Wood Wide Web was not as sonically imposing as a lot of Piano Shoegazer’s solo work, nor did it have as big of a role for vocals as Jang Myung-sun’s solo work. It instead found a gentle and burgeoning balance, emerging into a deliberate, folksy electronica that sang of connection and solidarity like the arboreal network it was inspired by. That way, the two created a vision of nature with the most unnatural sounds of all.

The Runner-up

Dress – How Deep Is Your Love

Dress is no stranger to this category with multiple full-length one-on-one collaborations that have landed here in the past. How Deep Is Your Love had solo billing, and the producer recruited a team of fiercely individualistic vocalists to headline these richly detailed and dreamy compositions. The unlikely match of eAeon and Ahn Da-young in the steely and absorbing “Crack” and the delicately explosive “Emoji” were brilliant highlights.

The Next 10

: B-Free, Hukky Shibaseki – Free Hukky Shibaseki & the God Sun Symphony Group : Odyssey.1

: Garion – Garion 3

: Hyukoh, Sunset Rollercoaster – AAA

: Jinbo, Hersh, PoPoMo – PoPoMo

: Jung In, Mild Beats – Jung In & Mild Beats

: Lobonabeat!, Bill Stax, Oygli – Skreet Knowledge

: O’koye – Whether the Weather Changes or Not

: Rad Museum, Kid Milli – Rad Milli

: Sumin, Slom – Miniseries 2

: Swimrabbit – Connect

B-Free, Hukky Shibaseki – Free Hukky Shibaseki & the God Sun Symphony Group : Odyssey.1

Garion – 가리온3 (Garion 3)

Hyukoh, Sunset Rollercoaster – AAA

Jinbo, Hersh, PoPoMo – PoPoMo

Jung In, Mild Beats – 정인 & 마일드 비츠 (Jung In & Mild Beats)

Lobonabeat!, Bill Stax, Oygli – Skreet Knowledge

O’koye – Whether the Weather Changes or Not

Rad Museum, Kid Milli – Rad Milli

Sumin, Slom – Miniseries 2

Swimrabbit – 접속 (Connect)

Songs

Best Collaborative Song 2024

Rosé, Bruno Mars – APT.
Lyrics and composition by Rosé, Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Theron Thomas, Henry Walter, Michael Chapman, Nicholas Chinn
Arrangement by Bruno Mars, Cirkut, Omer Fedi, Rogét Chahayed

It had to be this one, didn’t it? The year’s biggest K-pop hit waited until November to show up, its endlessly catchy drinking-game hook overtaking the radio and spawning think-pieces in Korea about what the space of the apateu implies and evokes for Korean listeners versus how it lands for international ones. The stature of Bruno Mars and Rosé herself doubtlessly contributed to the song’s virality – which will be an indispensable part of any future discussions about this song – but they were also musically harmonious as Rosé’s attitudinal spunk sparked with the slyness and even earnestness that Bruno Mars brought to the performance.

The Runner-up

Young Posse – Young Posse Up (Feat. Verbal Jint, NSW Yoon, Token)
Lyrics by Sunhye, Yeonjung, Jiana, Verbal Jint, NSW Yoon, Token
Composition and arrangement by Kiggen and Rick Bridges

Young Posse still operates squarely in the idol world and not the hip-hop scene, but there’s no denying that they’ve carved out a niche that no girl group (or even boy group, except maybe 1TYM) really has before. “Young Posse Up” garnered both attention and buy-in for its list of collaborators – a respected OG in Verbal Jint, a guy who actually specializes in drill in NSW Yoon, and an international outreach in Token – and cashed it into a well-balanced, sonically pleasing remix. If Young Posse fulfills their potential, this one might be seen as an important inflection point.

The Next 10

: Blase – Turtle (Feat. Chungha)

: Changmo, Lobonabeat!, Shyboiitobii, Dok2, Smugglers – No Tomorrow

: Choi Yuree – Echo (Feat. Jukjae)

: Dress – Crack (Feat. eAeon, Ahn Da-young)

: Gyubin, Kim Jong-wan – Special

: Kim Yuna – Camellia (Feat. Kim Feel)

: Kirara, Siwa – To. Sora

: Rad Museum, Kid Milli – S/S (Feat. Dean)

: Sohyang – Blessing (Feat. YDG)

: Zico – Spot! (Feat. Jennie)

Blase – Turtle (Feat. Chungha)

Changmo, Lobonabeat!, Shyboiitobii, Dok2, Smugglers – No Tomorrow

Choi Yuree – 메아리 (Echo) (Feat. Jukjae)

Dress – 금 (Crack) (Feat. eAeon, Ahn Da-young)

Gyubin, Kim Jong-wan – Special

Kim Yuna – 카멜리아 (Camellia) (Feat. Kim Feel)

Kirara, Siwa – 소라에게 (To. Sora)

Rad Museum, Kid Milli – S/S (Feat. Dean)

Sohyang – Blessing (Feat. YDG)

Zico – Spot! (Feat. Jennie)

Honorable Mentions

Albums

Big Naughty, Kid Milli – +
HD Bl4ck – Vantablack Dreams
Hyeminsong, Gemma – 시나리오 (Scenario)
J-Hope – Hope on the Street Vol. 1
Ja Mezz, Bangroz – Only God Can Stop Me
Olltii & Lone – Ollone at Allone
Poetry Room – 빛을 불러 (Call Light)
Ryu Su-jeong – 2rox

Songs

A-Fuzz & Route14band – Summer Night Groove
Ash Island – OST (Feat. Chanmina)
B!ni – 쫌! (Jjom!) (Feat. Since)
Baek Z Young, Muzie – 별이 되어주고 싶었어 (Be a Star)
Baekho & Bigone – Love or Die
Bibi – Burn It (Feat. Dean)
Bobby – 무중력 (Harmless) (Feat. Chanmina)
Bryn – Discharged (Feat. Seori)
ChoiLB – 물 (Moool) (Feat. Jerd)
Desert Flower, Woo Jee-won – Kiss Touch Me
Do Jae-myoung – Magic Hour (Feat. Minos)
Fleeky Bang – My Name Is (Feat. Tray B)
Goni Park – 불사조 (Phoenix) (Feat. Kim Kyung-ho)
GroovyRoom – Yes or No (Feat. Huh Yunjin of Le Sserafim, Crush)
J-Hope – Neuron (Feat. Gaeko, Yoon Mi-rae)
Jay Park – Xtra McNasty (Feat. Jessi, Awich, Milli, Ramengvrl, Lil Cherry, Mirani, Malibu Miitch, Camo)
Jinjin – Fly (Duet with Moonbin)
Jiselle – Lemonade (Feat. Woo)
Jung Mijo – 엄마의 봄 (A Mom’s Spring) (Feat. Lee Hyori)
Khundi Panda – The Bento Knight (Feat. Jinbo)
Kim Kyung-ho – For 2000 AD (ver. 2024) (Feat. Kim Jong-seo, Park Wan-gyu, Jeong Hong-il, Yoon Sung-gi, Kwak Dong-hyeon)
Kim Oki – 댄스 그리고 침을 꼴딱 (Dance and Gulp Down Saliva) (Feat. The Deep)
Kimujoo – 사랑할 땐 누구나 최악이 된다 (The Worst Person in the World) (Feat. Mingginyu)
Lee Gwon-hyeong – 선택과 책임 (An Alternative Question) (Feat. Haepa)
Lee Hi, Sung Shi-kyung – 골목길 (Alley)
Lee Young-ji – Small Girl (Feat. D.O.)
Moon Sujin – Stay with Me (Feat. Seori)
OddSong – About You (Feat. Choiyudam)
Park Won – 저기 창밖을 봐 눈이 오잖아 (Over the Window) (Feat. Paul Kim)
Parkmoonchi – Dr. Happiness (Feat. CHS)
Ryu Su-jeong – Fallen Angel (Feat. Xylø)
Sokodomo – E-Girl (Feat. So!YoON!)
Sole – Situationship (Feat. Thama)
Surl, QLER – Humming for Sunset
Trade L – 그만해 (Stop!) (Feat. Minsu)
Uyeon – 지하철 (Subway) (Feat. Lang Lee)
Wonstein – 꿈 (Inception) (Feat. Yun Seokcheol)
Xdinary Heroes – iNSTEAD! (Feat. Yoon Do-hyun)
Young Posse – We Still Loading (Feat. Los, Rick Bridges, Northfacegawd, DJ Sky)
Zior Park – Ashes (Feat. Ai Tomioka)