Top 10 Seminal Male-Female Duos of the 21st Century

Blurring genre lines, building cult followings, and earning critical praise, the 21st-century male-female duos on this list have proven that the duo format is anything but static. We are proud to present Funktasy’s curated list of the most essential male-female duos redefining modern music.

Courtesy of Elizabeth Miranda

SOFI TUKKER

SOFI TUKKER is a chart-topping Grammy-nominated dance-pop act. One of the greatest misconceptions is that it refers to a solo female artist called Sofi Tukker. Rather, it is a duo that comprises Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, who are uniquely different but complementary personas. Born in Frankfurt, Hawley-Weld grew up between Canada and Atlanta and studied in Italy at the United World College of the Adriatic, where she nurtured her passion for music. Halpern, from Massachusetts, was a talented basketball player at Brown University until a health problem ended his sports career and he began music production. The two met at Brown in 2014 when Hawley-Weld performed with a Portuguese jazz trio. Halpern approached her and complimented her performance, marking the beginning of their musical journey.

The core of SOFI TUKKER’s artistic identity stems from Brazil. Hawley-Weld lived in Rio de Janeiro and often sings in Portuguese, and infuses their tracks with the rhythms and sounds of bossa nova and the Brazilian electronic scene. This is clearly evident in such songs as “Drinkee” (which earned the duo a 2017 Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording) and “Jacaré.” Their collaborations with Amadou & Mariam from Mali, Mahmut Orhan from Turkey, and Bomba Estéreo from Colombia have added even more value to their global, multi-cultural musical style. 

The Pandemic Solution

During the pandemic lockdown in 2020, SOFI TUKKER transformed their home into a virtual club, live-streaming DJ sets every day. This enabled them to reach a worldwide fan base, known as the “Freak Fam,” a loving community that has continued to passionately follow their music even after the pandemic. 

SOFI TUKKER shows are energetic, immersive, and daringly dynamic, allowing them to showcase their talents at some of the world’s most major festivals, such as Coachella and Lollapalooza. SOFI TUKKER continues to bravely map out a special space for artists with varied cultural identities who are attempting to break into the often challenging music industry.

Eddie Whelan / Press

Jockstrap

Jockstrap is an English duo that was formed by Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye after they met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2016. This formation was induced by both artists’ love of bouncing their contrasting creative ideas off each other. 

The duo released their debut EP Love is the Key to the City in 2018, receiving praise for their daring in fusing different musical genres, Ellery’s voice, and Skye’s production. In 2022, they dropped their debut album I Love You Jennifer B, which garnered them immense appreciation and a nomination for the 2023 Mercury Prize.

Jockstrap has conceptualized mind-bending music videos, which are marked by tightly-framed close-up shots seamlessly arranged in eclectic scenarios (courtrooms and even brothels); just check out the celestial-heavy video for “Concrete Over Water.” In all their songs, the duo masterfully pairs Ellery’s delicate and controlled vocals with Skye’s heart-thumping production. Even a slight mismatch in tonality could cause their songs to tumble like dominos; Jockstrap expertly skirts the line between bringing listeners right to the edge of the cliff before reeling them back in.

With just a few years of experience under their belt, Jockstrap has already carved a special niche for themselves in the music industry. They inspire other artists who may be scared to mix different genres or play around with their musical tastes. Additionally, they have bravely put themselves out there with each musical project that they fashion with care and love from their creative hearts.

Tehillah De Castro

DOMi and JD BECK

The dynamic duo of DOMi and JD BECK are prodigies in the world of jazz. The pair met in 2018 during an unexpected jam at the NAMM music fair, which marked the beginning of their artistic collaboration.

Domi Louna, born Domitille Degalle in Metz, France, began playing piano and drums at the age of three and was already a gifted performer by her teens. After a brief period at the Conservatoire de Paris, she moved to Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship, where she focused on jazz. Her online videos quickly caught the attention of artists such as Anderson .Paak, Louis Cole, and Thundercat, welcoming her into their creative circle. 

JD Beck, a Dallas native, started playing drums at eight and was mentored by local percussion stars, including Snarky Puppy’s Robert “Sput” Searight and Stanley Clarke Band’s Mike Mitchell. He gained early experience gigging with producer Jah-Born’s band, immersing himself in a mix of hip-hop, electronic, and DJ-driven grooves, which shaped his dynamic drumming style. 

In 2022, the duo released their debut album Not Tight, featuring artists such as Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Anderson .Paak, Mac DeMarco, Snoop Dogg, and Busta Rhymes; these collaborations were not flukes. Their album bowled over both critics and audiences, topping Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart and earning the duo a 2022 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

DOMi & JD BECK’s music moves smoothly between progressive jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. The duo has struck an impressive balance between technical mastery and playful innovation, reshaping jazz for a whole new generation of listeners and artists. 

100 gecs

Dylan Brady and Lauren Lez came together to form the hyperpop trailblazer 100 gecs in 2015. If you are wondering about the origins of this duo’s name, you are not alone. The answer to this is still unclear owing to the contrasting origin stories given by Brady and Lez. Interestingly, this lack of concreteness goes hand-in-hand with the duo’s multifaceted and label-defying musical style.

Living just a stone’s throw away from each other in St Louis, USA, Brady and Lez’s paths crossed while they were still students at school. They chose to creatively collaborate in 2015, before releasing their first EP, the self-titled 100 gecs, in 2016. International fame came knocking at their door with the release of 1000 gecs in 2019, a hyper-pop masterpiece filled with pulsating zingers that keep you glued to your living room dance floor.  Furthermore, the album highlights the duo’s playful sense of humor and love for Internet culture, especially in songs like “Stupid Horse” and “Money Machine.”

The duo has attracted widespread attention for their collaboration style, which is based on the exquisite corpse style. The artists send Logic Pro files to each other and make iterations accordingly without prior consultations. By doing this, they add fresh flavors to each track and continue this process till they create songs that are complex, chaotic, and in some cases, almost indescribable. Some may think that 100 gecs are just fooling around with their choices, but actually, they are smartly reinventing the rules of pop music by unabashedly creating music that is true to who they are.

Brutalismus 3000

“Be angry, be vocal, be hardcore where it matters, and soft with your friends” is the manifesto that encapsulates the essence of Brutalismus 3000. This Berlin-based duo fuses disparate elements into an unconventional style they describe as “nu gabber post-techno punk.” 

The paths of Theo Zeitner, a native German, and Victoria Vassiliki Daldas, raised in Bavaria by Greek and Slovak parents, crossed in 2018 when they decided to meet after right-swiping each other on Tinder. That night, they discovered they shared many affinities, from their love for horror movies to a passion for hard dance music. 

Frustrated with the contemporary music scene, Zeitner and Daldas set out to create something entirely new, merging punk energy with the aesthetics of rave culture. Their music combines the relentless intensity of gabber with the eclecticism of modern electronic music, drawing elements from traditional rave, EDM, and punk. Zeitner crafts powerful, piercing beats, while Daldas sings through a distorted microphone, blending English, German, and Slovak.

Brutalismus 3000’s radical and distinctive sound quickly resonated across Europe after their appearances at many prestigious festivals. By 2023, they had taken the stage at London Fashion Week, catching the attention of major fashion icons like Rick Owens and Pharrell Williams. 

Their performances are unconventional and unforgettable, characterized by rapid tempos, raw kicks, synthesizers, and the signature sounds of the 909 drum machine. This duo has left an indelible mark on the music scene with their explosive tracks and high-energy live sets, elevating punk and rave culture into a new dimension.

Lissyelle

Magdalena Bay

Magdalena Bay is an American duo consisting of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin. They met in Miami during a school music program, where they began playing together in a classic rock cover band. Their shared passion for progressive rock led them to form Tabula Rasa, a band that disbanded when the two split up to attend college. 

Tenenbaum enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in Communications and performed with an all-female sketch comedy troupe, while Matt headed to Northeastern University to study Music Business, despite his disinterest in pursuing a traditional career in the music industry. During a summer break from college in 2016, they decided to reinvent themselves, experimenting with electronic music and founding Magdalena Bay – a name taken from “Maggie Bay”, an administrator from Lewin’s former workplace.

Together

The duo released their debut, Mercurial World (2021), which merged ethereal soundscapes with immersive synthesizers and introspective dancey rhythms. The world was introduced to their early roots in prog-rock and love for cutting-edge electronica, with the album achieving critical acclaim and rising to #18 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Their sophomore album, Imaginal Disk (2024), was a more ambitious project that continued to build on their signature sound while venturing into new sonic territories. Led by songs like “Image” and “Death & Romance,” the album centers on True, a protagonist navigating a mystical universe in search of “humanity’s essence.” This trippy sonic journey was an apt ode to their constantly evolving creative spirits.

Throughout their career, Magdalena Bay has proudly embraced an artistic journey filled with a mix of both experimentation and nostalgia. They have innovatively combined psychedelic synth-pop, catchy melodies, and futuristic atmospheres that are all wrapped in an aesthetic deeply influenced by pop culture in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Their music connects deeply with millennials who both ache to return to the golden days of their youth and those who actively welcome the new pop sound of the Internet. Without a doubt, Magdalena Bay has left an undeniable impact on the experimental pop music scene.

Broods

Broods is a brother-sister musical duo comprising Georgia Josiena Nott and Caleb Allan Joseph Nott from Nelson, New Zealand. These talented siblings were nurtured by supportive parents, who would let them accompany them to their own musical gigs. Before Broods was formally created, the siblings informally participated in music competitions and were even part of another band. They briefly went their separate ways to pursue higher education and reunited to form their duo in 2013.

The release of their 2014 indie pop hit “Bridges” from their self-titled EP shot them to fame. The song highlighted Georgia’s hushed, emotionally deep voice and Caleb’s subdued, crystal-clear electronic production. Shortly after, the duo toured with artists such as Haim, Ellie Goulding, and Sam Smith, which further enriched their musical profile.

Broods collaborated with Lorde’s producer Joel Little on their debut album Evergreen, released in August 2014. The album fetched them Album of the Year and numerous other accolades at the 2015 New Zealand Music Awards, solidifying them as one of the country’s most talented and successful musical artists.

Since then, the duo has released 3 other albums and even worked on their own solo projects. Not resting on their laurels, they have continued to experiment musically, featuring more live instrumentation and unique arrangements on their tracks. Furthermore, they have completely flipped the script on addressing topics like heartbreak, juxtaposing heavy topics, such as divorce, with showy sonic settings and futuristic visuals in their music videos. 

Broods continue to impressively redefine the constructs of electropop music and storytelling with each of their releases, cementing them as one of the brightest musical duos of their generation.

Boy Harsher 

Boy Harsher is composed of the talented duo of Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller. The two met in film school and started their first collaboration with the name Teen Dreamz; Matthews would perform spoken word while Muller would accompany her. With the evolution of their musical sensibilities, they changed their name to Boy Harsher, which they believed more suitably encapsulated their new creative direction.The duo released their first and second EPs Lesser Man and Pain in 2014 and 2015, respectively, before following it up with their first album Yr Body is Nothing in 2016. The album was characterized by Matthews’ hauntingly textured vocals and Muller’s use of pulsating electronic landscapes.

Over their career, the duo have refined their sound and created more cohesive and well-defined tracks, while strengthening the shadowy undercurrents of their music. Tracks like “Tears” and “Keep Driving” from their critically acclaimed album Careful highlight their growth, with the rippling electronic beats and subdued vocal performances giving listeners a gentle, cathartic release from the shackles of their depression and loneliness.

Matthews and Muller have beautifully visualized their unique blend of darkwave, synth-pop, and industrial music through their meticulously cut music videos, which can both prickle your skin and keep you engrossed for minutes on end. They have even directed a horror short called The Runner with an accompanying soundtrack, showing how their love for dark electronic music extends beyond the recording studio to small and silver screens as well. Boy Harsher’s seasoned ability to convey complex human emotions through sound is truly one-of-a-kind.

Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso comprises singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn. Interestingly, each artist was part of another group when they met each other. A meeting between the two at the Cactus Club in Milwaukee spurred their first collaboration, following which they banded together. In 2014, Sylvan Esso released their debut self-titled album, which was deemed Album of the Week by Stereogum and deemed a promising start for the duo by critics.

Sylvan Esso’s sound is characterized by a fusion between Meath’s melodic, dulcet folk-style vocals and Sanborn’s skillful electronic production. Although it would seem that these artists’ styles would not mesh smoothly, their music repertoire provides the opposite.

One of their biggest hits, “Coffee,” beautifully illustrates how these artists combine their gifts to create stunning, soul-stirring music. Their talents have not just been recognized by their ardent group of fans but also by the music industry, with the duo’s sophomore and third albums receiving Grammy nominations for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 60th and 64th ceremonies, respectively. The duo has courageously experimented with tone and structure, which was especially evident on their 4th album, No Rules Sandy; impressively, it was completed in an astoundingly short three weeks!

Interestingly, across all their different albums, the duo has consistently maintained their core artistic essence of creating emotionally resonant music punctuated by soothing electronic production. Sylvan Esso will be remembered for creating electric earworms that can simultaneously make you spin around in your chair while calming your nerves like a warm cup of tea would. This band has beautifully restructured so many unwritten rules in music and done it all with astounding skill and grace.

Olga De La Iglesia

Oh Wonder

Formed in London by Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West, the alt-pop duo Oh Wonder has achieved international success with their smooth, laid-back sound. The duo’s sound is rich in R&B influences, and they are renowned for their distinctive vocal unison.

In 2014, what started in their home studio in South-East London as a songwriting exercise slowly transformed into a routine of writing, recording, and releasing one song on the first of every month for a year. According to them, they made their music with one keyboard, one microphone, and with barely any idea of what they were doing.

This experiment translated into their successful self-titled debut album in September 2015, with thirteen of the fifteen tracks available online before the album’s release. Oh Wonder reached the Top 30 on the United Kingdom and Canadian charts, and the band became a viral sensation, gathering millions of streams. Then, Oh Wonder signed with Republic Records and immersed themselves into an almost relentless stream of live appearances, performing sold-out shows in London, Paris, New York, and other cities worldwide.

The duo’s follow-ups Ultralife (2017) and No One Else Can Wear Your Crown (2020) expanded their instrumentation set to include analog synths, strings, and live drums. Following this, they landed on the U.K. Album Chart consecutively for the fourth time with the conflict-themed 22 Break in 2021. A surprise companion piece, 22 Make, arrived the following year, further sealing their international success. 

Oh Wonder has touched millions with their emotionally deep and avant-garde approach to music, cementing them as true auteurs in the alt-pop space.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 

The musical tastes, sensibilities, and styles of the duos in this list may differ from those in previous generations. However, one thing is consistent: their commitment to constantly raising the bar and reinventing themselves while staying true to their musical core. These artists have masterfully adapted their styles to leverage the possibilities of music production in the digital age while staying rooted in their storytelling. Creating music on your own is challenging enough, but doing it with someone with different musical sensibilities is a whole different ball game. Here is to all these incredible duos who have made a powerful impact on the music scene and continue to inspire future generations of musicians who are excitedly waiting at their heels.