Ne-Yo told Entertainment Weekly, "In a few interviews, I talked about taking pride in my diversity - being able to work with a Mary J. Blige, then a Michael Bolton, and then a Marilyn Manson. [Manson's] people heard about that, and were like, 'Put your money where your mouth is,' so now we're in the process of getting those sessions together."
He continues, "We're about to go into the studio together. I've wanted to work with him for ages and his people reached out to me when they heard. I have no idea what the music will sound like or what direction we'll take, but it will be really cool. We're obviously two separate sides of the musical extreme but that's what makes it exciting.
"People might think it's a strange collaboration, I don't. But don't worry you won't see me adopting his style. I don't think you'll ever see me in make-up."
Seemingly random collaborations have always been present on the charts (think Bob Dylan's and Michael Bolton's combined effort for his 1991 album 'Time, Love, and Tenderness', Alicia Keys and Jack White's new James Bond theme, and who can forget Ozzy Osbourne's mis-matched musical endeavors with the Wu-Tang Clan, Crystal Method, and Miss Piggy?) And it doesn't stop there. Last year, The Killers sought the melodies of Lou Reed on their single 'Tranquilize', while Pharrell Williams and The Hives sewed seeds of fabulosity with 'T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S' release.
Meanwhile, teeny bopper punk alum Avril Lavigne managed to significantly enhance her dwindling street crew with the Lil' Mama 'Girlfriend' remix. Then there's the irrepressible Kanye West, who, in between losing dignity at various music awards shows, managed to simultaneously iconise some peculiar eyewear and introduce the hip hop world to robotic Frenchmen Daft Punk with 'Stronger'. And if you think Burt Bacharach musical interests don't extend to hip hop, you'd be wrong. The results of Burts hook-up with renowned producer Dr Dre can be found on the crooners recent 'At This Time' offering.
There are two distinct strains of unexpected collaborations: the pleasant surprise through contrast, and the downright weird. The best of them pleasantly surprise, while other blends simply baffle. And a good example of the latter would be 'Lhuna'; a collaborative track recorded by none other than Aussies Princess of Pop Kylie Minogue and the masterful Coldplay.
During the recording of Coldplay's fourth studio album 'Viva La Vida' it was confirmed that Kylie would be making a collaborative appearance on the eagerly awaited rock record when front man Christ Martin gleefully confirmed the duet to the press in May 2008.
Martin says, "Kylie is awesome. She's like Girls Aloud rolled into one. I took apart the song she did with us, like a Corby trouser press."
However it was later revealed the track would be scrapped from the album release, and fans everywhere seemed slighted that the expected duet would not be surfacing after so much hype. When Martin was asked why the track didn't make it on to latest record 'Viva La Vida', he said: 'Well, its just too sexy. At this point, we cannot be that sexy, also we haven't quite finished it."
However, while the decision to not feature the track on Coldplay's album may have confused fans, it turns out there was a method to the pop stars madness. Yesterday, the enigmatic track surfaced online and it was announced via Kylie and Colplay's official website that the single would be a charity release for World AIDS Day to raise money. Fans around the world went into overdrive and it wasn't long before video sharing website youtube.com had several unofficial videos streaming of which gained thousands of hits in just a matter of hours.
'Lhuna' is a distant yet intimately eerie return to Coldplay's original melancholy sound featured in their early material (think 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head').
Kylie's typical helium vocals are softened, acting as a whimsical counterpart to Chris Martins drowsy oral depths. The contrasted tones dance intimately as the track becomes more and more hypnotically profound.
A perfect alternative piece, but perhaps not the commercial banger you might expect from the two power pop acts. Usually known for their big orchestrated 'Bono' approach, it's been a long time since Coldplay dipped their toes in the alternative pond. We're predicting that the 'charity' aspect may attract buyers to the piece regardless.
For Kylie it's been nothing but funky pop ballads since her smash hit 'Light Years' conquered the charts world wide, however 'Lhuna' might remind Kylie fans of the sexy 'Where The Wild Roses Grow', an unlikely duet with the dark horse of Australian rock Nick Cave. The track is available from www.redwire.com with proceeds going to AIDS victims.
Copyright : MTV Australia
