Since the drop of their single ‘Boombayah’ in June 2016, the four-member South Korean girl band Blackpink has become a global superstar. The biggest Korean girl group gets its name from the combination of black and flirty pink of their music.
Blackpink is the highest-charting female K-pop act on the Billboard Hot 100 who peaked at the number 55 with the song ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’ and on Billboard 200; the group peaked at number 40 with ‘Square Up’.
They are the ever first and the only K-pop girl group to have entered and also topped Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart.
So who is Blackpink?
Formed in South Korea by YG Entertainment under the famous K-pop trainee system, the members had auditioned with the popular entertainment agency to become the trainees or the students with the hope to make their debut as recording artists someday. Finally, when Blackpink made its debut under the label YG Entertainment, the label said that the name intends to convey that the all-girl-led group embodies more than just beauty, there’s toughness too.
The meaning of the word BLACKPINK intends to contradict the popular notion attached to the color pink. Pink is a color that is often used to symbolize or portray prettiness but the band Blackpink aims to say that pretty isn’t everything.
The name also reflects that they are a team that encompasses so much more than just beauty. They have abundant talent.
A common question: How is Blackpink unique amongst the other K-pop groups?
Between their hit debut in 2016 and the year 2020, the band has released some less than 22 songs, all of which are singles. Despite the small discography, Blackpink’s glam look and fun process of choreography was quickly copied by the other K-pop groups and the fans in their respective social media videos.
Well, the major part of Blackpink’s popularity lies in their compositions, which talk about vulnerability and independence, comprises bilingual lyrics, and of course their undeniable stage presence. The famous K-pop girl’s group is also popular for the unique styling of their videos which is otherwise referred to as amazing concepts for each song.
In most cases, Blackpink is shown to offer five or six completely different and unique concepts, with completely different clothing and colors, being featured in the videos.
Want to know the real identity of the K-pop girls?
Unless you have been completely detached from the social media cover, there’s a fair chance that you’ve stumbled upon the names of the girls. The band comprises of girls namely Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rose.
Let’s get to know them in person.
- Jisoo
Kim Jisoo is a K-pop singer who is most popularly referred to as adorable by the BLINKs. Well, BLINKs in the official name given to the Blackpink fans. The singer is known for her composure and steadiness, as she balances random objects on her shoulders or head.
Kim Jisoo has acted in various commercials before her Blackpink debut and has recently been announced as the star of the new drama titled Snowdrop. The singer is fluent in languages like Korean, Chinese, and Japanese, but not in English.
During an appearance in 2019 on The Late Show with James Corden, Jisoo’s undeniable calm had impressed the host.
- Jennie
Kim Jennie remained as a trainee for over six years, which is the longest in the group. She lived in New Zealand before she finally moved back to South Korea in 2010 and speaks fluent English, Japanese, and Korean. Moreover, Jennie was the first amongst the girl’s group to have released an individual track named ‘SOLO’.
- Rose
Park Chaeyoung, popular with the stage name Rose was born in New Zealand and was raised in Australia where she had auditioned for the YG Entertainment. Rose is fluent in English and learned Korean after she moved to South Korea to participate in the trainee program.
She is Blackpink’s lead singer and BLINKs claims that her voice is pretty easy to recognize. During a promotional appearance for The Album, Rose had impressed the fan with her unique take on Shakira’s popular track Waka Waka.
- Lisa
Lalisa Pranpriya Manoban aka Lisa is popular for her dance and rap skills. Born and raised in Thailand, Lisa just like the other members learned Korean after she moved to South Korea in 2011. She also speaks Japanese, English, and Chinese.
During the promotional appearances, Lisa impresses the audience with her dancing skills which surely go viral within a short span.
How long has Blackpink been together?
After making their debut in 2016 with the mini-album ‘Square One’ which comprised of just two songs namely Boombayah and Whistle, the group was heavily promoted in the K-pop scene. Blackpink was the first girl group to have been released by YG Entertainment in over seven years.
The song ‘Boombayah’ straight away went to hot the Number one rank on Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart and the popularity of the group kept increasing with their additional releases in the following years.
In the year 2018, Blackpink made significant headlines with the single ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’ that came from the EP Square Up. And, only a couple of months later the band branched out to work with Dua Lipa on the song ‘Kiss and Makeup’.
YG Entertainment marked Blackpink for a global market by pairing them with Universal Music Group and Interscope Records in October 2018. It was then that the group focused on the U.S. market and gave performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the 2019 Coachella music festival, and Good Morning America.
How amazing are the Blackpink songs?
Let’s start from the beginning and most specifically with their song ‘Boombayah’. The video for the song has a catchy, upbeat, and fun all-girls night out that ended in a party at a retro roller-skating rink. The video gives a glimpse of the group’s unmatched stardom with a flair for impressive visuals and a sharp choreography.
Their next song ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du’ in 2018 seemed to be a hit comeback single. The song had a rapid whirlwind of strong-girl cool and was quickly followed up with As If It’s Your Last, Whistle, Lovesick Girls, and Playing With Fire. Each song offered introspective melodies with verses full of eagerness, love, and passion.
On the other hand, the song Ice Cream is a kind of sensual track from the group that showcased double-meaning lyrics against an impressive hypnotic beat. In the video, the girls transformed themselves into animated characters.
The tracks Crazy Over You and Pretty Savage from their new album highlight Blackpink’s vocal prowess intertwined with ever-smooth lyrics against an unbeatable melody line. The sing Bet You Wanna features Cardi B and is a comparatively fun release from the group.
The track encompasses catchy pop lyrics that are meant for a summertime pool party or dancing in the kitchen while you cook for food.
Lastly, the two most favorite songs of the fans are How You Like That and Kill This Love. Both the songs highlight girl power, openness, and hitting optimism, everything mixed with fantastic sick beats.
What does Blackpink aim to gift its fans?
Blackpink’s signature phrase which was first uttered in their debut track Boombayah announces the girl group’s global domination strategy. With every new release, the K-pop group teases intriguing concepts, attractive hair colors, and of course some amazing clothing line. And, without fail, the publicity has paid off!
Blackpink now has over $54 million subscribers on the YouTube channel with the video for Kill This Love having garnered over 1.1 billion views.
The fans count on everything starting from who keeps at the center position in the choreography to each group member’s line distribution in the songs. Blackpink aims to give their loyal fans whatever they want and upload musical pieces that stick to their mind.
Fans never fail to flock to the group’s concert videos that mostly focus on one member of the group’s performance. The popularity of Blackpink reflects the new business ventures of its members. Jisoo has signed for as a Dior ambassador, Rose for Saint Laurent, Jennie for Chanel, and Lisa for Celine.
Moreover, Netflix has paired with Blackpink to air their documentary named Light Up The Sky that gives the first look from behind the scenes of the inner workings of the band.
Some key achievements of Blackpink:
The group made its Japanese debut on August 30, 2017, with the release of its self-titled Japanese play.
- Blackpink has ranked amongst YouTube’s Global Top 25 songs of the Summer in the year 2017 with their single As If It’s Your Last.
- In 2018, Blackpink announced to launch of their repackaged album named Re: Blackpink which contained all of their previous songs, both in Korean and Japanese.
- On July 28, 2018, Blackpink ranked first for its brand reputation based on the analysis made by The Korea Reputation Research Institute, after they outranked Wanna One, BTS, and Twice.
- In May 2017, Blackpink became the ambassador for Incheon Main Customs. Snd, so far the band has collaborated with numerous high-end brands like Louis Vuitton, Puma, Reebok, Moonshot, Dior Cosmetics, Tokyo Girls Collection x CECIL McBee, St. Scott London, and many others.
- As of the 2020 records, Blackpink is the most-subscribed female musician group on YouTube and also the second-most subscribed overall music act that has over 53 million followers.
- Only after a month, post their debut in 2016, Blackpink got their first reality TV show offer named Blackpink Reality. However, it was not aired until 2018 January 6, having 1 season with 12 episodes.
- Blackpink bagged their first award which is The Rookie Singer Award at the Asian Artist Awards in 2016. They also went on to achieve the Style Icon Award at the Busan One Asia Festival in 2017.
- In 2018, band members Rose and Jisoo became models for a renowned South Korean makeup brand known as Kiss Me.
- In 2018, Blackpink won the K-style Icon award from Elle magazine’s Elle Style Awards Competition.
- On June 26, 2020 Blackpink made a breakthrough record for being the biggest premiere on YouTube. The group has a total of 1.65 million fans who viewed their new music video How You Like That.