Blackpink

Blackpink, South Korean K-pop (Korean pop music) vocal quartet whose brand of feminine ferocity made them one of the world’s most-popular girl groups of the 21st century. Blackpink’s lyrics and visual aesthetic are based on the K-pop concept of  “girl crush”—female admiration for confident, empowered women. Their name was chosen in part to convey this idea: the color pink often is associated with softness and femininity, while black suggests power and edge. Blackpink fans are known as Blinks, a portmanteau of “black” and “pink.”

Blackpink’s sound is primarily a combination of electronic dance music, hip-hop, and trap (a subgenre of hip-hop characterized by a percussive sound). Their songs, however, have sampled a wide variety of musical styles, including Arabic rhythms on “How You Like That” (2020) and Niccolò Paganini’s second violin concerto on “Shutdown” (2022).

Formation and training

In South Korea major entertainment companies produce and represent pop stars (or idols), developing their performance skills through in-house training programs. Talented teens and preteens audition to become trainees; those who accepted are instructed for an average of four years before they debut. Blackpink’s members underwent nearly six years of training with the multinational agency YG Entertainment before their group was formed and launched.

In choosing the members of Blackpink YG sought to create a group that would succeed internationally. Consequently, the agency picked trainees from international backgrounds that would give them an advantage in foreign markets. Lisa was born and raised in Thailand; she was YG’s first foreign recruit. Jennie lived in South Korea until she was 10 and later studied for five years in New Zealand, while Rosé was born in that country and raised in Australia. Only Jisoo had spent her entire life in South Korea.

The group’s debut extended play (EP), Square One, was released on August 8, 2016. It featured just two songs—“Boombayah” and “Whistle”—both of which made it onto Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart, where they peaked at number one and two, respectively. The songs hit the top of the chart within a week of their release, a record speed for that achievement. Later that month the quartet performed for the first time, singing both songs on the popular Korean music program Inkigayo.

Rise to stardom

Blackpink quickly followed up their successful debut with a second EP, Square Two, on November 1, 2016. The EP contained two new tracks, “Playing with Fire” and “Stay” (along with an acoustic version of “Whistle”). Both songs on the album debuted in the top 10 on South Korea’s Gaon Digital Chart. “Playing with Fire” became a number-one seller on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart and was the first song by a Korean girl group to chart on Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100.

On June 22, 2017, Blackpink released their first standalone digital single, “As if It’s Your Last.” The song’s music video on YouTube skyrocketed to more than 13.3 million views within 24 hours of its release—a record for a K-pop group. By 2022 it had been viewed more than 1.2 billion times, making it the most-watched video by a Korean girl group at the time. That summer the group also made their Japanese debut with Blackpink, an EP that covered their first five songs in Japanese. The EP immediately hit the top of the Oricon Albums Chart.

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Blackpink’s long-awaited first Korean-language EP, Square Up, came out on June 15, 2018. The mini album consisted of four new tracks: “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” “Forever Young,” “Really,” and “See U Later.” The EP debuted at number one the Gaon Albums Chart and hit the top of the Billboard World Albums chart. The lead single, “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” topped the Gaon Digital Chart within days of its release and debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, a new record for a Korean girl group. The song eventually was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, making Blackpink the first Korean girl group to receive such a certification in the United States. Online the song’s music video on YouTube received 36.2 million views within its first 24 hours. In January 2019, it became the most-viewed music video by a K-pop group, notching 620.9 million views.

First world tour

In November 2018 Blackpink embarked on their first world tour, In Your Area. Beginning November 10 in Seoul the tour ultimately consisted of 36 shows in 26 cities in 18 countries. By the final show, in early 2020, the endeavor had become the highest-grossing tour by a Korean girl group. They broke this record in 2023 with the conclusion of their Born Pink world tour, which brought in more than $331.8 million.

On April 5, 2019, the group introduced its third EP, Kill This Love. The mini album, which included four new songs and a remix of “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” took the foursome to new heights. The single “Kill This Love” made it onto the charts in 27 countries, including the United States, where it peaked at number 41. The following year Blackpink teamed up with Lady Gaga for the promotional single “Sour Candy.” The song debuted at number 33 on the Hot 100, putting the group in the U.S. top 40 for the first time and giving them the highest-charting song in the United States by a Korean girl group. Blackpink repeated the achievement nearly a month later with “How You Like That,” which reached number 33 in the United States without the help of a collaborator. The song also broke multiple Guinness World Records for YouTube views.

Later albums

On October 2, 2020, Blackpink finally released their first Korean studio album. Simply titled The Album the record became the first by a Korean girl group to sell a million copies. The Album also reached number two on both the Billboard 200 and the U.K. Albums Chart, a historic achievement for a Korean female act. A Japanese edition of the record was released in 2021, featuring Japanese-language versions of four of the songs.

Ahead of their second full-length album, Born Pink (2022), Blackpink released two new songs, “Ready for Love” and “Pink Venom.” Shortly after the album’s release Blackpink launched the Born Pink world tour, which included not only new songs from Born Pink but also songs from the solo efforts of all four members. The tour included performances at venues in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia from October 15, 2022, to September 17, 2023.

On December 5, 2023, it was announced that all four members of Blackpink would be renewing their contracts with YG for group activities. However, the members would seek other representation for their individual careers.