Countless male-female duos have collaborated to create spellbinding music for generations. The male and female duos from the 60s to early 2000s were particularly renowned for breaking away from the confines of specific genres and pioneering music that was limitless in its reach. Considering that, Funktasy is honored to present you with our list of the top 10 male-female duos of the last 6 decades!
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The Carpenters
A true testament to the power of sibling collaboration, The Carpenters, comprising Karen and Richard Carpenter attracted tons of ardent fans owing to Karen’s soulful and seasoned contralto voice and Richard’s genre-defying musical compositions. The duo was famous for numerous hits such as “Close to You,” “Top of the World,” “Superstar,” “(They Long to be) Close to You,” and “Rainy Days and Mondays,” earworms that wrapped around listeners’ hearts like cozy blankets.
In an era dominated by rock music, The Carpenters made an indelible mark on the music scene with their easily accessible and unique style of music. They were the duo that brought (and still bring) people of all generations under the same roof to dance and smile with ineffable glee.
Their incredible musical journey was cut short when Karen sadly passed away due to heart failure. Cut to the present, their musical legacy still endures strongly and rings true with the same hopeful messaging it carried all those years ago.
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Roxette
Sweden’s Roxette, which comprises Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, once reigned as the ruler of pop power ballads. At the suggestion of the CEO of their record label, these two already successful solo artists united, reaching unprecedented heights.
Their timeless song “It Must Have Been Love,” which featured on the classic “Pretty Woman,” and their 1991 album Joyride solidified their status as pop titans. In 2002, the duo briefly disbanded and pursued solo projects due to Fredriksson’s cancer diagnosis. She bravely battled the beast, and the two returned to record albums and tour until 2016, after which they disbanded for good.
Many Swedish artists cite Roxette as their biggest inspiration. If you are unfamiliar with them, just play one of their songs and let their music’s energy course through your veins and leave a powerful mark.
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Sonny & Cher
Cher was just a teenager when she met Sonny and married him, a relationship that paved the path for the duo’s shining career. They seamlessly incorporated rock elements into pop, synthesizing a sound and crafting an identity that was completely their own. They achieved worldwide fame for hits such as “I Got You, Babe,” “Baby Don’t Go,” and “The Beat Goes On”, songs that capitalized on their charm, impeccable melodic timing, and tight harmonies.
Sadly, this musical duo’s reign over the charts came to an end when they split following their divorce. Sonny joined politics, becoming the U.S. representative for California while Cher focused on churning out numerous hits that led to her being called the “Goddess of Pop.” Years later, prior to his untimely demise in a skiing accident, Sonny apologized profusely to Cher for not having been a better husband. Despite their rocky marriage, their incomparable musical legacy and contributions to rock-infused pop music continue to strongly stand the test of time.
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Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner changed the music game with their inimitable blend of rock, R&B, blues, soul, and gospel music. Each of their singles was charged with Ike’s crisp compositions and Tina’s unrivaled vocals; their perfectly matched yin-yang energy was the reason behind their seismic success.
Their career was marked by hits such as “I Idolize You,” “Poor Fool,” and “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine.” They were catapulted right to the center stage after opening for the Rolling Stones and releasing their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary,” which cemented their stardom.
Unfortunately, they disbanded owing to the insidious demise of their marriage. Tina overcame numerous struggles before finding renewed success as a solo artist. Concerning Ike, his reputation was marred by the public disclosure of his drug addictions and mistreatment of Tina; she eventually forgave Ike, ascribing her early success to his support. Today, Ike & Tina Turner are credited for reshaping the very fabric of popular music with their path-breaking and singular brand of music.
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Everything but the Girl
Tracy Thorn and Ben Wyatt met at university and were solo artists before forming the duo Everything but the Girl. They played an instrumental role in popularizing sophisti-pop, a unique genre of pop music that incorporates jazz and soul.
The duo achieved huge success when their song “Missing” was remixed by Todd Terry; this inspired them to transition from sophisti-pop to electronic music and combine different styles in their recordings. Their ninth studio album, Walking Wounded, was particularly acclaimed for its selection of cohesive and carefully constructed tracts.
In 1999, Thorn and Wyatt, now parents, chose to disband the duo because they struggled to manage both their familial responsibilities and music careers. Twenty years later, they made a triumphant return with the release of their album Fuse in 2023. They had clearly not lost any of their magic, as evidenced by the glowing reviews from both critics and the public. This duo has proven that true talent and partnerships never die, as long as the desire to create amazing music stays passionately alive.
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Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance was formed in Melbourne, Australia, by Lisa Gerard and Brendan Perry in 1981. The duo has long been known for its unique style, ranging from darkwave to avant-garde pop and Gaelic folk, Furthermore, they are highly regarded for how they combined Middle Age and Renaissance European traditional music with worldbeat and ambient influences.
Alongside traditional arrangements and their majestic voices (Perry’s deep, poetic crooning and Gerrard’s ethereal voice, often sung in a language of her invention), they gradually started introducing rarer and more exotic instruments such as the ondes Martenot, yangqin, cimbalom, and hurdy-gurdy (not exactly everyday names).
Impressively, Dead Can Dance’s style has evolved — over four decades — to a mystical, global chamber music sound, leading them to be branded as a cult favourite among a broad, cross-cultural audience.
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The White Stripes
Born in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan, The White Stripes consisted of the husband-and-wife duo Meg and Jack White. The couple tied the knot in 1996 with Jack, contrary to convention, taking Meg’s surname. Despite their divorce in 2000, their musical chemistry remained untouched; their dynamic created a captivating tension that flowed through every performance.
More than just a band, The White Stripes were a cultural phenomenon that helped revitalize the power duo format: Jack’s singular guitar style, Meg’s raw drumming, and their red, white, and black aesthetic became emblematic of the garage rock revival in the early 2000s. With songs like “Seven Nation Army,” “Fell in Love with a Girl,” and “Icky Thump,” plus three Grammy-winners for Best Alternative Albums (Elephant, Get Behind Me Satan, and Icky Thump), they left an indelible mark on the music scene.
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Eurythmics
Blending the creative talents of musician Dave Stewart and singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, Eurythmics emerged as a new-wave pop duo from the UK. Following a Krautrock-tinged debut album, Eurythmics’ career skyrocketed with the commercial breakthrough “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and the chart-topper title track, which was driven by a dark, mesmerizing synth bass line and the now iconic music video that introduced the world to Lennox’s jarring, orange crew cut.
They released seven more albums, including Be Yourself Tonight, which reached double platinum and expanded the duo’s beyond pure synth-pop. Since early times, their style has explored dance, new wave, electropop, and occasionally aggressive rock. Although they disbanded in 1990, the duo reunites now and then to perform together. Owing to their enduring influence on the music scene and having sold over 75 million albums worldwide, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
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Angus and Julia Stone
The story of this sibling duo began in Sydney’s Northern Beaches region. Raised by folk musician parents, Angus and Julia grew up in a vibrant and nurturing environment, where they started composing songs as teenagers.
Their first 2007 album rose to the Top 10 in Australia, while two years later, they returned with Down the Way, a number-one Australian debut that earned them five ARIA Music Awards. The duo and producer extraordinaire Rick Rubin teamed up in 2014 to record their third, self-titled studio album.
Backed by their poetic storytelling and smoothly blended vocal harmonies, Angus and Julia Stone have created a sound that feels both cohesive and personal. With their mix of folk intimacy and dreamy indie pop, the brother-sister duo have been charming listeners worldwide for almost two decades.
Via Rollingstone
Beach House
Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally started Beach House in 2004 inside Baltimore’s indie-rock scene. Both musicians brought a dense musical pedigree to the team: Victoria received classical piano instruction at seven and formal voice training at fourteen, while Alex began playing the piano in elementary school and was experimenting with other instruments by high school.
Less than a year after their formation, Beach House gained fervent attention from music bloggers owing to their music’s distinguished, drowsy tone. Their song “Apple Orchard,” which highlighted how Legrand’s hypnotic vocals and keyboards merged flawlessly with Scally’s guitar lines, earned a feature by Pitchfork on its Infinite Mixtape MP3 series in August 2006.
Over time, their style evolved from the lo-fi charm of their 2006 self-titled debut to the magnificent production of Bloom; they eventually added more complex layers and textures to their sound in later albums. With each subsequent release, Beach House has continued to redefine dream pop, casting a spell on listeners with their ever-changing and magical soundscapes.
In a World Where Big Bands and Successful Solo Artists Often Take the Lead…
Male-female duos are a rare commodity. Yet, their stories remind us that some of the greatest, most influential collaborations come from a simple connection: the bond between two people. Be it the otherworldly voices of Dead Can Dance, the raw energy of Ike & Tina Turner, or the dreamy atmospheres of Beach House, each duo listed here has left a memorable print on global music through their creative collaborations. As the musical landscape continues to evolve, the magic of music-making by dynamic duos will continue to grip and surprise us, adding extraordinary new chapters to the world’s growing legacy of music.
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