The death of monoculture in popular music has been a topic of concern, and one of the key factors behind this shift is the decline of strategic artist collaborations, or "featurings". The Grammys' Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category is a barometer of how voters perceive hit music, the blending of styles, and the cultural impact of collaborations. The parade of winners from the past 10 years has shown how the contemporary music industry has evolved accordingly.
The combination of streaming platforms and social media has democratized the distribution of music, allowing artists and labels to deliver music directly to fans. This has led to a more diffuse musical landscape, where a song has multiple paths to the charts, and artists can appeal directly to a niche audience. As a result, the days of five culture-defining, genre-spanning hits comprising the Pop Duo/Group field might be in the rearview.
The approach to collaborations has changed, with an emphasis on solo success. Performers are seen as more legitimate if they succeed on their own merits rather than coattail-riding on a popular colleague. This trend limits exposure and weakens the collaborative culture that once united genres, languages, and audiences.
A clear example is Bad Bunny, who gained significant visibility in the Anglo industry thanks to featurings with established artists, such as "I Like It" with Cardi B and J Balvin, and "Un Día (One Day)" with Dua Lipa, Tainy, and J Balvin. Globally massive hits like the "Despacito" (Remix) by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber reflect the impact of cultural union, earning a nomination in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category in 2018.
On the other hand, many artists who do featurings tend to collaborate with colleagues who share the same target audience, genre, and language. Examples include "I Can’t Love You Anymore" by Ella Langley and Morgan Wallen, or "WAP" by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. These songs achieved notable popularity, as demonstrated by their performance on Billboard's Hot 100, but it is fair to say that their audiences overlap, meaning these featurings don’t necessarily diversify their target.
A look at the Pop Duo/Group winners' list from the past 10 years reveals only two genuinely zeitgeist-defining blockbuster hits in Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" featuring Bruno Mars and Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" with Billy Ray Cyrus. Ronson was a DJ and producer before becoming a recording artist on his own and has the collaborative spirit in his DNA, while Mars is always good for a team-up. And the Lil Nas X-Billy Ray Cyrus version of "Old Town Road" virtually created the subgenre of country rap, bridging two disparate worlds.
With artists eschewing collaborations and the continued splintering of music audiences, the days of five culture-defining, genre-spanning hits comprising the Pop Duo/Group field might be in the rearview. Instead, we have been making due with mid-sized successes or album tracks by Grammy favorites, like in 2024, where all five of the nominees were just deep cuts or warmly received songs by General Field nominees.
But even while we mourn monoculture, the Grammys might find a way back to encouraging more compelling collaborations. By expanding the Recording Academy and creating new categories embracing Asian and Latin music, more artists could be motivated to take chances and collaborate outside their comfort zones. With the Grammy-nomination voting coming up soon, we'll have our first clue as to whether there will be a resurgence of featurings, perhaps marking a slowdown of monoculture's demise.
