{"id":480440,"date":"2019-01-03T13:30:44","date_gmt":"2019-01-03T20:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=774647"},"modified":"2019-01-03T13:30:44","modified_gmt":"2019-01-03T20:30:44","slug":"blackpink-5-things-to-know-about-the-k-pop-girl-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/music-news\/blackpink-5-things-to-know-about-the-k-pop-girl-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackpink: 5 Things to Know About the K-Pop Girl Group"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/blackpink-5-things-to-know.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"\/><\/div>\n<p><span>In today\u2019s Instagram-focused age, festival-poster placement matters. When Blackpink was listed boldly on the second row of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/coachella\/\" id=\"auto-tag_coachella\" data-tag=\"coachella\">Coachella<\/a> Day 1 lineup, alongside Janelle Mon\u00e1e, Diplo and the 1975, it drove home just how much of an impact the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/k-pop\/\" id=\"auto-tag_k-pop\" data-tag=\"k-pop\">K-pop<\/a> girl group has made despite the California fest marking their first-ever U.S. performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The group had a huge 2018. With a Top 40 EP (<\/span><em><span>Square Up<\/span><\/em> <span>broke a four-year-old record for highest-charting Korean release by a female act on the <em>Billboard<\/em> 200<\/span><span>), a hit collaboration with Dua Lipa (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AX3Bsiq-13k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><span>\u201cKiss and Make Up\u201d<\/span><\/a> <span>has 125 million Spotify streams and entered the Hot 100 singles chart) and one of the biggest 24-hour debuts on YouTube ever (<\/span><span>\u201cDdu-Du Ddu-Du\u201d earned more than 36 million views in its first day out<\/span><span>), Blackpink spent the year making significant mainstream inroads that led to signing with a U.S. label in Interscope Records \u2014 all without spending a minute promoting in America or singing in English.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Coachella 2019 will likely mark a pivotal moment for the group, the latest outfit backed by South Korean superlabel YG Entertainment, home to international breakouts like Bigbang and CL, as well as the former home to Psy during his \u201cGangnam Style\u201d breakthrough. Before the revolution gets underway, get to know the quartet and find out why they\u2019re the next international act you ought to be watching.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IHNzOHi8sJs?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>1. The name Blackpink represents a dual-sided identity.<\/strong><br \/><\/span><span>Upon their group reveal, Blackpink\u2019s name was said to represent a twist on what the color pink traditionally represents. Combining the soft, feminine associations of pink with black gives the group an additional edge and mystery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That duality also crops up in the outfit\u2019s imagery: An\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/bp-d263f667-3a75-4b28-8120-557e0c303b13.jpg\"><span>early press image<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0shows the women posing in soft blue and yellow hues with stuffed animals, while one member subtly flaunts a gun. The group\u2019s sound mirrors this blend with its mix of accessible dance-pop and gritty hip-hop,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-lists\/10-new-artists-you-need-to-know-september-2016-101226\/\"><span>described by<\/span> <em><span>Rolling Stone<\/span><\/em> <span>as \u201ca perfect marriage of K-pop and A-town trap\u201d<\/span><\/a> <span>upon the group\u2019s 2016 debut.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>2. They\u2019re based in South Korea, but have a multicultural makeup.<\/strong><br \/><\/span><span>While they operate as a Korean-pop group, the members of Blackpink represent four different countries and multiple languages. Main rapper and vocalist Jennie was born in Korea, but spent five years in New Zealand while main vocalist Ros\u00e9 was born in Auckland, New Zealand, making both fluent in English. Main dancer and youngest member Lisa was born in Bangkok, Thailand, but moved to Korea to train for her K-pop career in middle school. Vocalist and eldest member Jisoo is a Seoul native through and through. Several of the members are also fluent in Japanese and the ladies have released compilation albums in Japan, recording their Korean hits in Japanese.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bwmSjveL3Lc?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>3. Their group identity is especially strong.<\/strong><br \/><\/span><span>From the opening line of their<\/span> <span>debut single \u201cBoombayah\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span>\u2014where Jennie coolly slurs \u201cB<\/span><span>lackpink<\/span> <span>in your area\u201d over zipping synthesizers \u2014 the quartet has committed to making their name a centerpiece of the music. There are hooks like Jisoo\u2019s \u201cBlack to the Pink\u201d on \u201cBoombayah,\u201d multiple shout-outs of their name on \u201cDdu-Du Ddu-Du,\u201d and ferociously feminine lyrics like \u201cWe the only gang to run the game in high heels\u201d on their remix of K-pop classic \u201cSo Hot.\u201d And on<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=n7ukhNJvQ8s\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><em><span>Square Up<\/span><\/em> <span>track<\/span> <span>\u201cForever Young,\u201d<\/span><\/a> <span>the four women come together to declare \u201cBlackpink is the revolution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On the flip side, Jennie released her first single away from the group titled, appropriately,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=b73BI9eUkjM\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span>\u201cSolo\u201d<\/span><\/a> <span>in November. While the song had the same fierce energy as any Blackpink cut, the lyrical message of shining on your own despite setbacks felt apt for the singer-rapper to deliver on her own. This group-versus-individual delivery felt particularly lacking from recent breakouts like Fifth Harmony with their singles sounding equally able to be delivered by a group or soloist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>4. Blackpink\u2019s visuals have included social commentary.<\/strong><br \/><\/span><span>Featuring everything from a cockatoo to a jewel-encrusted army tank accenting the striking choreography, Blackpink\u2019s \u201cDdu-Du Ddu-Du\u201d more than earned its spot as<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-lists\/best-music-videos-2018-768615\/\"><span>one of the best music videos of 2018<\/span><\/a><span>. Crucially, the visual also includes some deeper messages that see the quartet using their platform to comment on society. Most notably around the 1:45 mark, we see fans, with cell phones in hand, fawning over a mural of Jisoo. But when the real-life Jisoo trips and falls, the fans only then take notice and turn their cell phones at her in an intimidating, pistol-like style.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/articles\/columns\/k-town\/8463862\/blackpink-square-up-ddu-du-ddu-du-video-interview\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span>The foursome shared<\/span><\/a> <span>how the scene is a commentary on the pressures of celebrity life and the public\u2019s eagerness to turn on those in the public eye, particularly felt in the notoriously tough K-pop idol life where everything from an artist\u2019s looks to their perceived attitudes gets harshly judged. There are also empowering images of self-love, expression and freedom within the video as the women wield samurai swords, stroke wild animals and wear contrasting colored outfits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>5. You can expect to see more Blackpink appearances in the U.S. soon.<\/strong><br \/><\/span><span>In late 2018 it was announced that YG Entertainment had linked up with Interscope Records and the larger Universal Music Group to represent Blackpink outside of Asia.<\/span> <span>While fellow YG artist Epik High played Coachella in 2016<\/span><span>, Blackpink\u2019s Coachella appearance feels like the start of a promising relationship between the labels and a hint that North American dates might be added on to the In Your Area world tour, which currently has 2019 dates scheduled exclusively in Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/articles\/columns\/pop\/8481273\/blackpink-interscope-records-umg-global-deal-yg-entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><span>At the time of the signing<\/span><\/a><span>, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Sir Lucian Grainge seemed keen to expand the act\u2019s reach. He shared, \u201cWe look forward to building upon Blackpink\u2019s remarkable early success by putting the global resources and expertise of UMG behind them and growing their audience around the world.\u201d YG chairman and founder Yang Hyun Suk added, \u201cWe will work closely with the biggest music company, Universal Music Group, globally for the successful global debut and promotion of Blackpink.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/blackpink-coachella-kpop-things-to-know-774647\/\" target=\"_blank\">via:: Rolling Stone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s Instagram-focused age, festival-poster placement matters. When Blackpink was listed boldly on the second row of the Coachella Day 1 lineup, alongside Janelle Mon\u00e1e, Diplo and the 1975, it drove home just how much of an impact the K-pop girl group has made despite the California fest marking their first-ever U.S. performance. The group [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-480440","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-12 04:38:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KQZR - The Reel","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480440\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kqzr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}