In 2004, Dutch DJ Tijs Michiel Verwest, better known as Tiesto, performed in front of 10,000 athletes at the Athens Olympics opening ceremony. That 90-minute set, later released as Parade of the Athletes, went down in history as one of the seminal moments that pushed electronic music to a broader global audience.
After the tragic demise of disco, Americans have been on a quest for a new music to dance to. Around the millennium, Europeans’ obsession with electronic and house music, both of which have roots in the U.S., carried over back to America’s pop music. European DJs like David Guetta found great success collaborating with mainstream pop stars with crossover hits like “When Love Takes Over” and “Love is Gone.” In 2011, Swedish House Mafia became the first electronic act to sell out Madison Square Garden. In the same year, Scotsman Calvin Harris scored a 10-week No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 with “We Found Love,” featuring Rihanna, one of pop music’s greatest experimenters and trendsetters. The tradition of electronic artists collaborating with established artists from other genres to make hits continued when Zedd brought Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams on his “Stay The Night” and was featured on Ariana Grande’s “Break Free.”
From Grammys to sold-out shows to record-setting chart runs, these partnerships can bring an artist the kind of success most only dream about. Take a look at the 15 best Dance-Pop Collabs of all time to see what it takes to make this kind of lightning strike.