Imagine Dragons’ “Take Me to the Beach” featuring Japanese singer Ado reached 16 million views on YouTube this past month, surpassing all other versions and the original song by a staggering 13.6 million views. Imagine Dragons has not had a video this popular in nearly 3 years.

     While the average American may not know her, Ado is a powerhouse in Japan, selling out world tours and dominating her niche. This collaboration between the Japanese singer and the American band truly shows the success that combining two different worlds can have.

     “There’s a lot of music collaborations,” says Sophia Gututowsky, ‘28. “On social media, I see a lot of collaborations too.” Collaborations, or “collabs,” can be seen in various art forms. From Taylor Swift and Post Malone’s song “Fortnight,” to McDonald’s and BTS’s limited edition meal, the biggest creators and brands have combined elements to reach a more extensive fan base. 

     The Go-Pro x RedBull collab was an unexpected combo for the two brands but a momentous success for both parties. The pairing of perilous bike races, skydiving, and even a world record-breaking freefall jump from a space pod brought Red Bull a 7% sales increase and GoPro $32.26 million in profits. Red Bull’s motto of “Red Bull gives you wings” complements GoPro’s association with activity, so it’s unsurprising that their partnership was positively received.

     If this is the case, then how does something like McDonald’s x BTS or “Take Me to the Beach” work? In McDonald’s x BTS’s case, both parties have massive followings, with McDonald’s being the largest fast food chain in the world and BTS being the biggest K-Pop group on a global scale. Their dominance in their fields ultimately trumps their minimal connection in brand image. This momentous popularity likely led this partnership and other brands and creators’ collabs, such as Liquid Death x Martha Stewart’s “Dismembered Moments” candle and Airbnb x Lego’s competition to success.

     While Ado and Imagine Dragons may share few similarities in their image and are both far from mainstream in the same community, these factors are instead the collab’s biggest strength. Ado and Imagine Dragons’ differing fan bases allow for a wider audience and less overlap, as fans of one artist will likely be seeing the other for the first time. Their shared raspy, edgy instrumental music style ensures new fans of either artist have a high likelihood of enjoying the song as it is similar in style but still adds new elements that they aren’t typically used to.

     While, in some cases, collaborations can be formulated purely for monetary value, the reality is that regardless of whether they’re for money or the sake of art, collabs are enjoyed by the masses and give a new spin on a traditional business endeavor. Collabs such as Coca Cola x Oreo, Sephora x The Museum of Ice Cream, and Fortnite x literally anything will forever be iconic and strengthen the reputation of both parties involved. Natalia de la O, ‘27, says, “You can clash on opinions and that can lead to falling outs, but when you put two different things that you wouldn’t have expected together it can create something incredible.”