Music or song collaboration is a tradition as old as the craft itself. Since people learned to make music and write songs, the desire to work with like-minded folks is natural and almost ingrained initially. We can readily knock off a few reasons why a collaboration (or a “collab”) is good, and at the top would be, 'two heads are always better than one.' Lennon-McCartney, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Taylor Swift-Ed Sheeran, you get the picture.

And in that spirit, here’s a listing of newly released songs that collabs Pinoy pop style.

Fresh from his “Ere” success, Juan Karlos returns with a new song called “Kasing Kasing” with singer-actor Kyle Echarri in tow. Relaxed and subdued, this ballad finds JK and Echarri in lovesong mode. Slow and R&B-tinged, the song also sports a regional flavor (Cebuano), as evidenced by the title, which translates to ‘from the heart.’ JK and Echarri’s vocal styles are somewhat similar, and both can hit those falsettos, and they let it loose near the end just to let everybody know they can.

No strangers to working together, ex-Battalion comrades ace singer-songwriter John Roa and popular hip-hop act Skusta Clee bring on the jams on their new track, “Bumabalik.” This pairing highlights both singers' knack for singing hooks, and J.Roa and Skusta worked it in this track. In this mid-tempo R&B jam, Roa and Skusta take turns in the stanzas before singing that unison chorus near the end, which shows how well Roa and Skusta know each other’s style.

Then there’s the behind-the-scenes play by Janine and Sunkissed Lola songwriter-guitarist Alvin Serito on the former’s latest single, "Hulaan.” The song starts slow but eventually builds into a mid-tempo trot. Those familiar with the “Di Na Muli” singer can expect Janine’s playful vocal style as she floats and dips and back while embellishing the melody. And while this song features just Janine’s voice all the way, Sunkissed Lola’s Serito is pretty much in the lyrics and melodies Janine sings. With Janine’s track record for hit collabs (“Pelikula” with Arthur Nery and “Tingin” with Cup Of Joe), “Hulaan” is a nice preview of what could be if Janine and the whole Sunkissed Lola work together.  

 In the case of Janine Berdin, you seek out the one you want to collaborate with. This is the case with the new song “Mikasa” by Janine Berdin and Arthur Nery. The “Sitwasyonship” singer shared that “Mikasa” is a song that she first sought to write on her own. But for some reason, he keeps imagining Arthur Nery in the song. So what’s a girl to do? Call the “Pagsamo” singer up and ask to collaborate, of course! The resulting song is this moody track, Which Berdin says was inspired by the Attack On Titan character Mikasa Ackerman. As it turns out, Arthur Nery is a big fan of the anime story and was game on Berdin’s idea about writing a song about love in impossible situations, seen through Mikasa’s point of view.  

Last but not least is “sa’yong, Sa’yo lang ako” by rhodessa and mrld (stylized lowercase as such). Both mrld and rhodessa have a lot in common, not the least their knack for unusual song approach and hitting big with it as “an art gallery can never be as unique as you” and “kisame” attests. Both combine for this upbeat and attractive little song that proves different is good, and some collaborations happen naturally.