To celebrate Japanese culture on November 3, we will break down K-pop Bangsong’s favourite collaborations between Korean and Japanese musicians.

Epik High & Sekai No Owari – Sleeping Beauty

Two influential musicians; you cannot tell the story of Korean hip-hop without talking about Epik High, and the same goes for Sekai No Owari for J-pop.

Over a soft composition, the track focuses on the voices of the group’s English-speaking members, Fukase and Tablo. At the start, Tablo plays more of a narration role before being complemented by Fukase’s dreamy vocals. Tablo eventually breaks into rap, which, alongside Mithra’s solo and bridge leading into the song’s chorus, takes the song to another level while showing the two musicians’ chemistry.

BoA & SEAMO – Hey Boy, Hey Girl

One of Korea’s most successful musicians to enter Japan, it will come as no surprise to see BoA enter this list with it rather a question of who would feature alongside the megastar. 

In this instance, we opted for her 2007 collaboration with Japanese rapper SEAMO, which would feature on SEAMO’s album ‘Round About‘ and later on BoA’s 2008 album ‘The Face‘.

With its fast-paced dance the album, the song sees SEAMO at his best experimenting between fast rap and the delicate vocals of BoA. The sound is extremely reminiscent of early 2000s and SM style K-pop infused with Japanese lyrics. The composition of the song gives each star their own time to take the lead in a fun and energetic song all about coming to terms with and admitting love.

Pinponpanpon, kanamil, Kataoka Miyu and KIRARA – Tokyo Sinks

Away from the world of K-pop, there have been many great Japanese and Korean collaborations, with many Korean and Japanese indie acts collaborating both on and off stage. 

No example is better than the joining of Korean electronic musician-engineer KIRARA and Japanese indie stars Pinponpanpon, kanamil, and Kataoka Miyu; the musicians formed an Avengers collective for “Tokyo Sinks” a song all about standing up for your beliefs. 

The song’s lyrics are a mixture of playful and inspirational quotes, targeted towards people questioning themselves and those putting pressure and blaming people for their struggles. The hard baseline and electronic instrumental by KIRARA provide a substance of activism, providing a modern pop/riot grrrl-esque sound.

Miyavi & Kang Daniel – Hush Hush

An established solo star in Korea, Kang Daniel’s reputation as a Korean soloist has seen him collaborate with two of Japan’s biggest musicians, MIYAVI and CHANMINA. Both songs easily made it on this list, but we opted for his song “Hush Hush” with MIYAVI.

Released in 2021, the Korean version of the song would feature in the Disney+ series Rookie Cops in 2022, while the Japanese version would see the pair produce the song in collaboration with NFT platform KOLLEKTION. A guitarist as well as a singer-songwriter, the song features a strong guitar melody highlighted by his solo on the song’s last verse and outro. Paired with Kang Daniels’s incredible vocals, this makes for a missable collaboration.

Reddy & Sky-hi – Stand by You

Korean rapper Reddy has been featured on many tracks in his career and even on shows such as Show Me The Money. Similarly, Sky-Hi has been known for his collaborations, one of his most famous being with Stray Kids 3RACHA.

In 2018, the two rappers joined forces on an RnB track focused on telling the lives of both singers and rapping about embracing your individualities and speaking your truths. The song differs from the heavy rap you usually expect from the pair, but together, they make it work and showcase their incredible musical ability.

MIYACHI & Jay Park – Messin

American-born and raised, MIYACHI has always been proud of his Japanese heritage. He produced various Japanese songs, and his work incorporating American and Japanese styles has seen him become loved by the Asian community.

Debuting in 2019, MIYACHI showed his talent and connections as he collaborated with Korean megastar Jay Park for “Messin“. Two great rappers, the song benefits from each rapper’s ability to switch verses and incorporate multiple languages on the track. The music video perfectly matches the song as it is perfectly made for the club.

How are you celebrating Japanese Culture Day? Are there any collaborations we missed? Let us know in the comments below or on social media via Instagram or X.