“Bang Bang,” the summer smash hit featuring Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, became a staple of female collaboration and empowerment. The unlikely trio teamed up to show that female leaders from different sectors of the music industry could collaborate and create a well-produced, infectious pop number. Ridding themselves of any genre associations and rivalries, the three worked together to create a hit.

The song boasts confidence, and the three mainstream icons reflect their courage, inspiring young women to also strive to show the talent they possess.

“It kind of became this female anthem, like a girl band,” Jessie J told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “[It’s] a moment where all of us can really show off what makes us, us, and do it together.”

In a music scene where celebrity Twitter fights and disses in the form of hit songs have become popular, “Bang Bang” says something else. It is entirely unlike “Sorry Mrs. Carter” — a song by Liv, Jay Z’s alleged mistress, that threw insults at Beyoncé — and other recent songs that have promoted female face-offs. Instead, “Bang Bang” brings to light each pop star’s strengths in a positive collaboration.

A version of this article appeared in the Fall 2014 Arts Issue. Email Alexa Spieler at [email protected].