When we say “K-pop,” the names of a few legendary artists immediately come to our minds. Artists like Psy, BTS, Blackpink, and more are not only a hit in South Korea but also overseas. When we think of pop beats and banger chores, Blackpink is definitely one of the names that are also thought of.
Blackpink is one of the most famous girl groups in the world. They debuted in the year of 2016 and have only seen wins since then. Here is a quick look at the girl group from their debut to now.
Overview
Blackpink is a four-membered group under one of the big 3 entertainment companies in K-pop, YG Entertainment. They are currently one of the biggest K-pop groups in the industry, with over 80 million fans all over the world. They are known for their mind-blowing performances, eye-catching visuals, and stunning choreographies. The main reason for the success of Blackpink is the group’s members: Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and their maknae Lisa.
The group has taken the world by storm ever since its debut in 2016. Their debut single album, “Square One,” quickly reached the first two positions on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. Blackpink was the first ever act to do so and the fastest too. Their success continued as their first performance aired just a week after their debut on SBS’s Inkigayo. They also went on to break the record of the shortest time for a girl group to win a music program since debut by winning first place on Inkigayo, just two weeks after their debut.
They continued their successful streak with their comeback. Blackpink’s second single album, “Square Two,” also not only topped the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart but also charted on the Canadian Hot 100 chart as well. This album leads them to many rookie awards at the Melon Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards, and more. After their continuous success, the group came up with a name for their fan club at the beginning of 2017.
They called their fan club “Blink,” which is a shortened version of the group’s name “Blackpink”. They defined it as the fans starting and ending with Blackpink. In mid-2018, The group released “Square Up” which consisted of their most popular song, “Ddu-Du Ddu-du”. “Ddu-du Ddu-du” and “Forever Young” charted in the top two positions in the Gaon charts.
With more and more wins on their way with their single “As If It’s Your Last” followed by their Japanese debut in mid-2017 and their Korean- EP, “Square Up”, the girls began their first overseas tour in Japan – Blackpink Arena Tour in 2018. The tour kicked off in Osaka with seven more around Japan.
The group later announced their first concert in Seoul, South Korea, under their 2018 tour, “In Your Area World Tour”. The tour got its name from the group’s popular phrase – “Blackpink in your area”. This tour continued till the beginning of 2020, not only in Asia but also in other continents like North America and Europe.
In between the tour, Jennie made her solo debut by performing the single “Solo” in one of the concerts. Blackpink also collaborated with Dua Lipa on her debut album with the track “Kiss and Makeup” in mid-2018.
Later the group signed with Interscope Records and was represented by them outside of Asia. The group also attended many American shows like Good Morning America etc. Even amidst the tour Blackpink released another EP, Kill This Love which charted on Billboard 200 and Hot 100 and also in the Gaon charts too. Later in 2019, Blackpink performed at the Coachella festival and left not only the blinks but also the Coachella attendees speechless with their set.
The group’s fame tremendously grew and led to the release of the first single of their first album, “The Album,” “How You Like That,” in the month of June 2020. Just like their other singles, “How You Like That” also charted on the Billboard Top 100. Following this, the group also announced their second single, “Ice Cream,” featuring the American singer Selena Gomez. “Ice Cream” ended up being Blackpink’s highest-charting song.
They officially released “The Album” on the 2nd of October. Almost 600K physical copies of the album were sold on the first day after the release. Following their first studio album, Blackpink also released their first documentary, Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, featuring various footage from pre-debut to the making of “The Album”.
In late 2020, the group collaborated with YouTube Music for a live-stream concert titled “The Show”. This served as a platform for Rosé to perform her solo song “Gone” from her first solo album.
They also released a Japanese version of “The Album,” which charted at number 3 on the Oricon Albums Chart. Later the documentary film Blackpink: The Movie was released worldwide, featuring some interviews and live performances from the group’s concerts.
In 2021, Lisa had her solo debut with her single album “Lalisa.” “Lalisa” consisted of two singles, “Lalisa” and “Money.” Although the members continued to work on their solos, they did not have a comeback as a group for 2 years. This disappointed a lot of fans, but they still looked forward to another comeback someday.
After a long break of 2 years, Blackpink came back with another album, Born Pink. Blink all over the world was ecstatic over the fact that their faves are having another comeback. The pre-release single, “Pink Venom,” was released in month of August. “Pink Venom,” like other Blackpink songs, also topped the Billboard charts and brought more wins in their direction. On September 16, 2022, their second album, “Born Pink,” was released.
The group’s oldest member Jisoo also released her solo album “Me” in the month of March 2023. The album consisted of two songs, “Flower” and “All Eyes on Me.” This brought out Jisoo’s talent, and she shines bright in the official music video too.
Blackpink headlined festivals like BST Hyde Park in London and Coachella. Their second Coachella appearance was just as magnificent as their first one. The performances truly created a mind-blowing impact.
Debut
The group’s existence came about when YG Entertainment first announced that a girl group was going to debut under its label in 2012. But it was not until 2016 that all the members were revealed one by one through their YouTube channel. Introduction videos for each of the members, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa, were released weekly leading up to the final announcement about the group.
Their name, “BLACKPINK,” was also revealed along with their group pictures in late June. They were given the name Blackpink as they are very girly yet savage, Rosé explained in one of their later interviews.
Also read: Blackpink Lisa seen mingling with Billie Ellish and Dominic Fike at Coachella 2023
The group officially debuted on August 8th, 2016, with their first single album, “Square One.” It consisted of two songs, “Whistle” and “Boombayah.” The songs were both released with an official music video. Right now, they hold more than 2 billion views together. “Boombayah” charted on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales at number for an entire week.
The song received Gold and Silver certifications in Japan too. Blackpink performed “Boombayah” on their first performance at SBS’s Inkigayo, where they also had their first-ever win. The group’s composer Teddy Park and Bekuh Boom have also been credited on the track along with Blackpink.
The second track in the single album is “Whistle.” “Whistle” was also released on the same day as “Boombayah.” “Whistle” topped the Gaon Digital charts for two weeks and also garnered more than ten million views in the first week of its release.
The girls performed the song along with “Boombayah” on Inkigayo too. “Whistle” won the Mnet Asian Music Awards for Best Music Video in 2016 and the Gaon Chart Music Awards for the Song of the Year.
Albums
From the beginning of their career to now, Blackpink has released two studio albums, “The Album” and “Born Pink”
The Album
“The Album” is Blackpink’s first full-length album since its debut. It consisted of 8 songs, with “How You Like That” as the opening song.
It also consisted of other songs like “Ice Cream,” “Pretty Savage,” “Lovesick Girls,” and more. “The Album” was released on October 2, 2020. It made it to a lot of year-end lists, such as the Top 50 Albums of 2020, The 70 Best Pop Albums of 2020, and more.
It was also nominated for many awards, including the Album of the Year at the 2020 Melon Music Awards and also at the 2020 Mnet Music Awards. The songs won several accolades too.
Born Pink
After a break of two years, Blackpink announced its next comeback with the album “Born Pink” on July 2022. The album was officially released on September 16, 2022.
The album consisted of 8 tracks, just like their previous studio album. The opening track of the album was “Pink Venom,” which was also the pre-release single. Later “Shut Down” was released as the lead single of the album.
Other songs in the album are “Typa Girl,” “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah,” and more. The album made it to the list of The 50 Best Albums of 2022 and 15 Best Pop Albums of 2022. It won the Best Album and was nominated for numerous Album of the Year.
Songs
Ever since their debut, Blackpink has only come up with bangers. Starting from their debut tracks “Whistle” and “Boombayah” to their most recent release, “Shut Down,” they have songs in different genres such as pop, EDM, and more.
In total, the group has more than 30 songs. Compared to other artists who have been active just as long as Blackpink, their discography is fairly short. But it’s clear that Blackpink prefers quality over quantity. Although the number of tracks the blinks get from Blackpink during their comeback is very few, almost all their songs chart really high on the Billboard charts, Gaon charts, and more.
Some of the group’s most popular songs include:
Pink Venom
“Pink Venom” is the pre-release single of Blackpink’s most recent come back, “Born Pink”. The song was announced on July 31st, 2022, when the group’s album release date and tour dates were also announced. Later, on August 7th, 2022, the name of the pre-release single was revealed as “Pink Venom”. The song and its official music video were released on August 19th, 2022.
The official music video of “Pink Venom” currently has more than 650 million views on YouTube. Along with the release of the song, a YouTube shorts challenge titled “#PinkVenomChallenge features the choreography of the song’s chorus. Not only the blinks but also the netizens received the challenge well and enjoyed filming YouTube Shorts to the song.
Shut Down
“Shut Down” is the lead single of Blackpink’s recent comeback, “Born Pink.” The song was first announced along with the pre-release single “Pink Venom.” The title of the song was announced much later on September 6th, 2022, and the song, along with the music video, was released on September 16th, 2022.
Also read:BLACKPINK’s Rise To Fame: The Journey From 2016 to 2022
“Shut Down” was sampled from the third movement of Italian composer Niccolò Paganini’s second violin concerto, also known as “La Campanella.” The music video refers back to a lot of Blackpink’s older music video sets like the ones from “Ddu-du Ddu-du,” “Boombayah,” “Kill This Love,” and more.
The song was nominated for many awards, such as the Asian Pop Music Awards, Circle Chart Music Awards, Show Champion, M Countdown, and more. “Shut Down” also charted on the Billboard Global 200, Billboard Hot 100, and more.
Ice Cream
“Ice Cream” was the group’s third official collaboration with a western artist. The popular American singer Selena Gomez was featured not only in the song but also in its music video. Before the confirmation of the collab, it was first announced as a song with a mystery artist.
Many blinks believed that the artist would be Ariana Grande, but it was later revealed that Selena was the mystery artist. On August 24, 2020, the title of the collaboration, “Ice Cream,” was released.
“Ice Cream” is a bubblegum pop song with many ice cream-related references, such as the ice cream truck and the lyrics with a lot of ice cream references as well. The song charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for several awards like The Nickelodean Kids’ Choice Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and more.
Pretty Savage
“Pretty Savage” is one of the lead tracks of Blackpink’s first studio album, “The Album.” The song was first announced on September 28, 2020, along with the release of the tracklist. The song does not have an official music video but has been performed by the girls in many shows.
It was performed in Show! Music Core, Inkigayo, and was also performed overseas on the Late Late Show with James Corden. Later a Japanese version of the track was also released in the Japanese version of “The Album,” which was released on August 3rd, 2020.
“Pretty Savage,” just like Blackpink’s other songs, also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Gold certification in Australia.
How You Like That
“How You Like That” is the pre-release single of Blackpink’s first studio album, “The Album.” The song was first teased on June 21, 2020, through their official YouTube channel. The music video and the song were released on June 26, 2020.
“How You Like That” quickly rose to fame and became usual in everyone’s playlist. It topped the Billboard US World Digital Song Sales and Gaon South Korean Album charts. “How You Like That” also made it to many year-end lists, such as The 100 Best Songs of the Year by Billboard, Best Music Video Fashion of 2020 by Vogue, and more.
It also broke the then records for most views for a music video within 24 hours and for the fastest music video to surpass 200 million views.
The music video sparked up a controversy over the placement of the Hindu God Ganesha in one of the scenes. The idol of Ganesha was soon edited out of the video.
Lovesick Girls
“Lovesick Girls” is one of the most popular songs of Blackpink. It is the lead single off their first studio album, “The Album.” The song was teased by the members on their social media accounts from September 22, 2020. The song was officially released on October 2, 2020.
It was the third single that was released from “The Album.” “Lovesick Girls” is a dance-pop that “sends a hopeful message revolving around girls who are constantly hurt in relationships but again set out for a new love,” says Jisoo. Insider’s Senior Music Reporter, Callie Ahlgrim, called the song a “Heartbreak Anthem.”
“Lovesick Girls” topped the Billboard Global Excluding US chart and peaked at number two on Billboard Global 200 and the Gaon Digital Chart. The song currently has over 680 million views on YouTube.
Kill This Love
“Kill This Love” is Blackpink’s lead single for the group’s second Korean EP. The song was announced on March 25, 2019, and was released on April 4, 2019. “Kill This Love” also has a Japanese version which was released later on October 16, 2019.
The song received mixed reviews from critics as some found the song amazing while some found it to be similar to “Ddu-du Ddu-du.” “Kill This Love” charted on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and peaked at 41. The song also won a lot of accolades, such as The Music Video of 2019 in People’s Choice Awards and Favourite Music Choreography in iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Ddu-du Ddu-du
“Ddu-du Ddu-du” is the title track of Blackpink’s mini album “Square Up.” “Ddu-du Ddu-du” is currently Blackpink’s most-watched music video, with a total of more than 2 billion views. It is the first K-pop group music video to achieve this feat.
It was released on June 15, 2018, and the Japanese version of the song was released on August 22, 2018. “Ddu-du Ddu-du” charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at 55. The song was also provided a Gold certification by RIAA, making Blackpink the third K-pop artist to receive it after Psy and BTS.
The song also won numerous awards like Best Dance Video, Best Digital Song, etc.
Boombayah
“Boombayah” was Blackpink’s debut song from their debut album “Square One.” It was the origin of Blackpink’s famous catchphrase, “Blackpink in Your Area.” The song was released on August 8, 2016, along with “Whistle.”
“Boombayah” is the third most watched music video by Blackpink after “Ddu-du Ddu-du” and “Kill This Love.” It currently has more than 1.5 billion views on YouTube. “Boombayah” was the first debut music video to cross 1 billion views on YouTube.
“Boombayah” topped the Billboard US World Digital Song Sales charts and peaked at 15 on Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart.
Other popular songs by Blackpink are
- As If It’s Your Last
- Typa Girl
- Sour Candy
- Playing with Fire
- Forever Young
- Ready for Love
- Tally
- Kiss and Make Up
- Don’t Know What to Do
Members
Blackpink has four members in the group. Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa. All four members actively work towards the group and also their solo careers. The members are multi-talented. They aren’t only singers, rappers, and dancers but also actors and models.
Jisoo
Kim Jisoo, also known as Jisoo on stage, is the lead vocalist and visual of the Blackpink. She is not only a singer but also an actress too. She was born on January 3, 1995, in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
Also read: Jisoo’s Net Worth: What is the Total Earning of the Blackpink Starlet?
Jisoo joined YG Entertainment in the year of 2011 as a trainee. As a trainee, she appeared in many music videos along with her labelmates. She debuted in YG Entertainment’s girl group “Blackpink” on August 8, 2016, with the single album “Square One.”
Jisoo is also a very talented songwriter. She has been credited as a songwriter on “Lovesick Girls” from “The Album” and “Yeah Yeah Yeah” from “Born Pink.” She started her acting career with a lead role in 2021 with the K-drama “Snowdrop.” Jisoo played Eun Yeong-ro, a college freshman in the series. Her role in “Snowdrop” earned her the Outstanding Korean Actress Award at the Seoul International Drama Awards.
Jisoo is the brand ambassador for Dior Beauty, a French luxury fashion house, and Cartier, a French brand that designs and sells jewelry.
Jisoo made her solo debut recently with her debut album “Me.” “Me” consisted of two tracks, “Flower” and “All Eyes on Me.” Jisoo’s solo was released on March 31, 2023. The lead track, “Flower,” was released alongside the music video. The song currently has over 290 million views on YouTube. “Flower” peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. It also added 8 music show wins to Jisoo.
Jennie
Kim Jennie, professionally known as Jennie, is the rapper and vocalist of Blackpink. Jennie was born on January 16, 1996, in Seoul, South Korea.
Jennie was the first one to be revealed as a member of Blackpink in 2016. Jennie joined YG Entertainment in the year 2010 and was revealed as an unnamed trainee in 2012. Later in that year, she was introduced as Jennie Kim through their YouTube Channel.
On September 1st, 2012, Jennie appeared in G-Dragon’s music video as the lead actress. In 2013, another video of Jennie, but this time as YG’s new artist, was released. She covered “Lotus Flower Bomb” by Wale in the video. In March of 2012, Jennie was featured on Lee Hi’s B-side track “Special” from her album “First Love.”
Later in September, she also featured on another B-side track, “Black” by G-Dragon, and also made her first-ever appearance on SBS Inkigayo with G-Dragon. She then debuted as a part of Blackpink in 2016. Jennie has had the longest training period in Blackpink.
Also read:Jennie Blackpink’s Net Worth
In 2018, during the group’s tour “In Your Area” in Seoul, her solo title “Solo” was performed by her. She was the first one in Blackpink to have her own solo track after her debut. Solo topped the Gaon Music Chart. She also performed “Solo” at Coachella, making her the first Korean solo artist to perform at Coachella. Jennie also has an unreleased song, “You and Me,” which she performed in one of their concerts
Jennie was the face of Hera in 2019 and became their global ambassador in 2021. She was also the endorser for Samsung Galaxy S20 in Aura Red. Jennie is also the global ambassador of Chanel and attended her first fashion show as a representative of Korea.
Later, Jennie also became the face of Calvin Klein for their Spring Collection in 2021 and 2022. In 2023 Jennie launched her own collection, Calvin Klein’s first capsule collection.
Jennie is a part of “The Idol” TV series. She plays “Dyanne,” a friend of the main lead. The show is currently airing on HBO every Sunday.
Rosé
Park Chaeyoung, professionally known as Roseanne Park and mononymously as Rosé, is the vocalist and dancer of Blackpink. Rosé was born on January 11, 1997, in Aukland, New Zealand.
She joined YG Entertainment in 2012. As soon as she joined, she was featured on G-Dragon’s “Without You.” The proper credits for the song were only given to her after the debut. After being a trainee for 4 years, Rosé debuted in Blackpink. She was the last member to be revealed.
Also read: Blackpink Rosé Net Worth: Where Does She Spend Her Earnings?
She made her solo debut in 2021 with her single album titled “R.” The album consisted of two songs, “On the Ground” and “Gone.” Both songs were nominated for numerous awards, such as the Best Music Video-Overseas in Asian Pop Music Awards, Song of the Year in Mnet Asian Music Awards, and more.
Rosé endorses Yves Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co. She signed as YSL’s global ambassador in 2020. In 2021, she collaborated with Tiffany & Co.
Lisa
Lalisa Manobal, also known as Lisa, is the main dancer and lead rapper of Blackpink. She was born on March 27, 1997, in Buriram, Thailand. She is the maknae of the group.
Lisa joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in 2011. She was the first non-ethnical Korean trainee in the label. In 2013, she featured in Taeyang’s “Ringa Linga” as a background dancer. In 2016, after being a trainee for 5 years, Lisa debuted in Blackpink.
Also read: Blackpink Lisa Net Worth
Lisa made her solo debut with her single album “Lalisa,” which consisted of two tracks, “Lalisa” and “Money.” It was released on September 10, 2021.
More than 700 thousand copies of “Lalisa” was sold in the first week, just in South Korea. “Money” peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 2 on the Global 200. Lisa has also been a part of many collaborations, such as “SG” by DJ Snake, Ozuna, and Megan Thee Stallion, and recently Taeyang’s “Shooting.”
Lisa endorses Bulgari, Mac, Celine, and Prada. Lisa launched her own collection under the name “MAC x L” in November 2021. Bulgari also launched a special edition “Bulgari x Lisa” watch in January 2023.
