Biography
BLACKPINK (stylized BLΛƆKPIИK) (블랙핑크) is a South Korean girl group under YG Entertainment. The members are Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. They have a versatile sound, ranging from YG’s signature hardcore hip-hop to slower songs bordering on A-town trap. According to a June 2016 Soompi article:
The meaning of Black Pink aims to contradict the common perception of the color pink. Pink is commonly used to portray prettiness, but Black Pink actually means to say that ‘Pretty isn’t everything.’ It also symbolizes that they are a team that encompasses not only beauty, but also great talent.
BLACKPINK officially debuted on August 8, 2016, releasing a two-track project titled Square One, featuring “BOOMBAYAH” and “Whistle.” The singles charted at #1 and #2 on Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart; and BLACKPINK are by far the fastest act to do so. On November 1, 2016, following the success of Square One, they released their second project, Square Two, which included “Playing with Fire” and “Stay.” On June 22, 2017, the group released their first standalone single, “AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST,” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart a day after its release. The music video amassed the most first-day views of any K-pop video at the time.
A year later, BLACKPINK returned with “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” the lead single of their four-track EP, SQUARE UP. The project performed well on the international charts and BLACKPINK broke another YouTube record with their music video for “DDU-DU DDU-DU”—becoming the most-viewed online video in the first 24 hours by a Korean artist. In October 2018, the group released a collaboration with British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, titled “Kiss And Make Up.” A month later, BLACKPINK started their first world tour and held concerts in 18 countries across Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania. In December, they debuted their first Japanese compilation album, Blackpink in Your Area containing every song they’d released at the time.
The following year, BLACKPINK released their second EP, Kill This Love. They also performed at the 2019 Coachella Festival on April 12 and April 19, becoming the first K-pop girl group to do so. On October 16, they put out the Japanese version of Kill This Love. In May 2020, BLACKPINK was featured on Lady Gaga’s “Sour Candy.” In the following months, the group released the singles “How You Like That” and “Ice Cream,” with Selena Gomez. Both are set to appear on BLACKPINK’s first full-length record. Following THE ALBUM, the girl group released a live album from their virtual concert THE SHOW and Japanese versions of the Korean songs in the record.
