Pop stars share the spotlight

MARS. No stranger to duets.

In the ’80s and early ’90s, pop music’s biggest names were known more for their huge egos than their willingness to share the spotlight with fellow superstars. So, it was an “event” when Whitney Houston finally teamed up with Mariah Carey to breathe life into “When You Believe” (for the 1998 animated feature, “Prince of Egypt”). Instructively, however, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney had a falling out after hitting gold with their ’80s tunes, “The Girl Is Mine” and “Say Say Say.”

But, that was then. These days, it isn’t uncommon to hear rap “royalty” like Kanye West and Eminem sharing the spotlight with their rap-and-rhyme-loving colleagues – with chart-busting success.

Potential

Collaboration lends performers some crossover appeal and expands their marketability by exposing them to the fans of genres other than their own – and, producers are only too happy to acknowledge the “win-win” potential of such unlikely partnerships.

On the Billboard 200, for instance, the latest triumph is West’s album with Jay-Z, “Watch The Throne,” which debuted at No. 1 about a month ago. On the Hot 100 chart, half of the singles in the Top 10 are collaborations, led by “Moves Like Jagger,” Maroon 5’s catchy No. 1 single with Christina Aguilera; “Lighters” by Bruno Mars and Bad Meets Evil, and “Stereo Hearts,” Adam Levine’s duet with the Gym Class Heroes.

On the local front, a more unique partnership is “In Love and War,” Ely Buendia’s 10-track recording with rap icon, Francis M.

One artist who’s always tapped for recording collaborations is Regine Velasquez, who has waxed a number of hit duets with the likes of Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano and Ogie Alcasid, as well as with band soloists and fellow songstresses like the formidable Lani Misalucha.

In all of them, you won’t hear the generous Regine make her singing partners sound inferior (she’ll sing softer to avoid outshining them) – even when we know that she can sing circles around many of them! Now, that’s classy.