Even if you are not in the K-pop world, you have heard a song or two at least in passing by this sensational girl group. BLACKPINK has broken multiple records, broken multiple ceilings, and continues to serve the BLINKS absolute K-pop gold. Keep reading to find out everything BLACKPINK.

• Formation

             The girl group is comprised of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. Formed in 2011, the group did not debut until 2016. When it did, BLACKPINK became the first girl group to debut under YG Entertainment in seven years.

• The Meaning of « BLACKPINK »

“I may look sweet, but I do not act like it,” Jennie sings in the song “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du”. BLACKPINK represents the mixed perception of femininity and the group’s view of what they have to offer. The color pink is associated with feelings of being flirty and playful while the color black is used in this contrast to offset pink and symbolize the “more” the group offers. Label representatives have stated the name means “pretty is not everything” and symbolizes that as a group of women, they offer more than just beauty – BLACKPINK offers an insane amount of talent and uniqueness.

• Meet the Members

Jennie

Jennie was the first to be signed on as a trainee when she was only 14, the first confirmedmember of this girl group. The trainee program refers to a strict school-like environment where young entertainers learn how to become the biggest K-pop stars with lessons in singing, dancing, and acting. The idol was a trainee for almost six years, the longest of the members.

According to her fellow group members, Jennie is a natural leader when it comes to general duties and decision making for the group. Idols, fans, and people in general have recounted this star as very sweet and loving. People cannot help but be drawn to this Capricorn.

The South Korean star is the main rapper of the girl group and demonstrated her versatility as both a singer and a rapper in her debut as a solo artist with the single “Solo”. The pop-riddled hip-hop track demonstrated both the delicate and independent sides of Jennie, winning both Gaon’s Song of the Year and the Golden Disc Awards’ Best Digital Song. 

Lisa

Lisa was the second to be signed on as a trainee at YG Entertainment in 2011 at just 14 years old. She was the only person accepted to YG at the 2010 Thailand audition. The youngest star secured her spot with pure confidence, an amazing attitude, and a dedication to her skills. Lisa’s training lasted five years and she officially joined the label as their first non-ethnically Korean trainee.

The beloved idol Lisa is recounted as a bold, free spirit who is incredibly hard working. The 24-year-old Thailand native has won multiple solo awards including the 2018 and 2019 Person of the Year award from The Standard. The star also was nominated for and won the 2021 Popular Artist of the Year and Starlight Hall of Fame – both from Weibo Starlight Awards.

Being the main dancer in BLACKPINK, Lisa has served as a mentor on Youth With You. YG Entertainment has plans for Lisa to debut at the third soloist from her group. It has been confirmed the filming of her music video is already underway.

Jisoo

Jisoo, the oldest member of BLACKPINK, is only 26 and is originally from South Korea. The lead vocalist trained for 5 years before the debut of the group. She was the third member to become a trainee before landing her spot in the band.

The quirky idol has an amazing sense of humor and loves to break out in song to pull a laugh out of those she is surrounded by. Jisoo was known for having a “4D personality” which is Korean slang for acting a bit out of the box and the BLINKS always refer to Jisoo as adorable and love her shenanigans. The gorgeous idol has continued to serve as a fashion icon despite her quirky reputation and even became the ambassador for the luxury brand Dior. The idol is the only member who does not speak English fluently, but the singer speaks Korean, Chinese, and Japanese.

Acting as one of the lead vocalists, it is confirmed Jisoo has her own individual projects in the works much like her group members. Jisoo co-wrote the group’s lead single “Lovesick Girls” for The Album, the group’s first Korean studio album.

Rosé

At only 15 years old, Rose auditioned for YG Entertainment and became a trainee of the agency, moving from Sydney to Seoul. The 24-year-old was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia. She trained for a little over 4 years before becoming the official fourth member of BLACKPINK.

The young member has a reputation of being fun, energetic, and full of laughs. With her distinct voice, Rose has said artists like Taeyang, and Tori Kelly are her artistic influences. This idol incredibly caring and empathetic with her fans.

In March of 2021, Rose’s solo album, entitled R, debuted, and began to break multiple industry records. The debut reached 41.6 million views in 24 hours with her single “On the Ground”. This song peaked at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest charting song by a Korean female soloist in the United States. “On the Ground” also took the No. 1 spots on both the Global 200 chart and Global Exclusive U.S. chart. This made Rose the first Korean solo artists to achieve this in the charts’ histories. The record for the highest first week sales was broken with this K-pop album as well.

• History of BLACKPINK

BLACKPINK has collaborated with powerhouses in the industry including Selena Gomez, Cardi B, Lady Gaga, and Due Lipa. Two of those collaborations boosted the girl group like never before. This K-pop girl group shattered ceilings with their collaboration with Lady Gaga on her track “Sour Candy”. The song debuted at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it BLACKPINK’s first Top 40 Hit. This became the group’s highest charting song in the United States at the time ad by a K-pop girl group. “Ice Cream” featuring Selena Gomez debuted and peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it BLACKPINK’s highest-charting song on the chart yet.

A Netflix documentary named ‘BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky’ came out in October of 2020, giving us BLINKS a sneak peak inside the idol’s stories. The movie gives us more of a look inside the girl’s childhoods and fans even get to see rare audition footage of the group. At one time, the group had their own show called the Blackpink House. This show aired in 2018, depicting our favorite diols and their life, living together.

• Awards & Achievements

The record-breaking girl group has cleaned up when it comes to awards over the years. BLACKPINK has earned and been rewarded “three People's Choice Awards, a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Video Music Award, nine Gaon Chart Music Awards, six Golden Disc Awards, five Melon Music Awards, eight Mnet Asian Music Awards, and two Seoul Music Awards”.

BLACKPINK’s fifth song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 was “How You Like That” which has also brokenthree Guinness World Records so far. These records were for the most-viewed YouTube video in the first 24 hours of release and the most viewers for a video premiere on YouTube which the group broke twice. By 2021, BLACKPINK was awarded with their sixth Guinness World Record for being the most subscribed to band on YouTube.

BLACKPINK also became the first ever female K-pop group to preform at Coachella in 2019. “We still can’t forget the very moment we went on stage and saw the audience for the first time. That’s when we really felt that people were really listening...” said Jennie when talking to Entertainment Weekly about the historic festival.

• How is BLACKPINK special?

BLACKPINK released fewer than twenty-two songs before their first official album was released. The group’s glam aesthetic and energetic choreography was quickly replicated by other K-pop groups despite the group’s small discography. The “early” singles were also carried far due to their feel of independence, vulnerability, and their reach to multiple languages.

Another reason BLACKPINK is different is due to the fact that this girl group has completely thrown out the book on mainstream concepts. Standard K-pop music videos stick to two to three concepts at the most and steer clear of dark and edgy concepts. So naturally, BLACPINK has done the opposite. The group mixes five to six concepts at the least in each video and has repeatedly doubled down on edgy concepts.

• Conclusion

“How You Like Me Now” has been ringing through people’s minds since it went viral, even those who are not enthralled in the K-pop world. BLACKPINK has broken multiple records, achieved some insane firsts, and continues to impress and serve the BLINKS every day. Thankfully, the girl group has no plan of jumping off of this train anytime soon.