Seven years after launching a popular girl group 2NE1, South Korean entertainment giant YG Entertainment gifted us with K-pop girl gang Blackpink in 2016. Since their debut, Blackpink has been setting the global music scene on fire by breaking records of all K-pop female groups ever. 2019 is witnessing the gang on their global tour till mid-July with international performances lined up right till the end of the year .

Their April 2019 release Kill This Love, a K-pop EP, has broken records by peaking at number one on Billboards World Albums chart, making them the highest-charting K-pop female group under the YG Entertainment banner.

The name ‘Blackpink’ embodies duality, highlighting female power and breaking stereotypical connotations of the colour pink, asking us to look beyond beauty; as do the members of the band who break stereotypes with their powerful lyrics and dynamic choreography.

Meet the members

Jisoo

Kim Ji-soo is the lead vocalist of the group and goes by the name Jisoo. Fluent in Korean, Japanese and Chinese, her attempts at English with another band member has us ‘aww-ing’. We love how Jisoo is not only a great singer but also a passionate drummer. Famous for dozing off at odd hours, their television show, Blackpink House, often sees Jisoo catching a nap while the other members are busy preparing midnight snacks or playing games. She has an adorable,white Maltese dog named Dalgom or Dalgomie.

Jennie

The main rapper and vocalist of the group, Jennie’s real name is Jennie Kim. We love listening to her playing the flute and the piano besides her rapping. Jennie debuted with her single SOLO, which had topped the Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales Chart at number one. She is popularly known by her nickname “Human Gucci” for being the fashionista of the group. We find it really funny how Jenny can’t eat without making sounds and we relate to her fear of flying insects. Jenny’s two furry dogs — Kai and Kuma — have already won our hearts.

Rose

Park Chae-young is one of the main vocalists and lead dancers of the group, who is most popularly known as Rose. Born in New Zealand, we love how she plays her piano and the guitar. Her YouTube videos on food and diet has us in splits.

Lisa

Lalisa Manoban, is the maknae (the youngest member of every K-pop group) of Blackpink. Hailing from Bangkok, Lisa, as she is known, is the main dancer, lead rapper and “sub-vocalist” of the group. She is the mischief-maker of the group with a great sense of humour. Like many of us, Lisa is always ready with her phone capturing the crazy moments the team members share together.

Revisiting a few milestones

Coachella calling...

Blackpink is the first female K-pop group to be invited to perform at the very popular music festival Coachella. The four fierce girls took the stage by storm with their signature dance moves and most loved tracks, like Ddu-Du Ddu-Du and Kill this Love. The audience kept cheering “Blackpink in your area” as the band created history on stage debuting in the US. Rosie at the end of the performance said: “Obviously, we, you guys and us, are totally from different worlds, but tonight, I think music brings us as one.” When YouTube videos of their Coachella performance were released, one could see and feel the energy of the girls reverberating through the screens.

Making global connections...

Blackpink redefined the scene for

K-pop female groups in 2018, when YG Entertainment signed a global partnership with Interscope Records and Universal Music Group for them. This allowed the girl gang to include more places in their “In Your Area World Tour” that began early in 2019. The group’s ability to sing in multiple languages allowed them a far larger audience in countries like US, Europe, Australia and Asia. Their lyrics spell girl power like no other. Their infectious energy on stage and in their videos is undeniable.

Dua Lipa collaboration...

It was pure magic to the ears when Dua Lipa’s husky voice was heard alongside the zesty voices of the Blackpink members back in 2018 on Kiss and Make Up. The girl gang from Seoul collaborated with the British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa for the singer’s super deluxe edition of her album Dua Lipa (Complete Edition) 2018.

Billboards highest-charting K-pop female group

Their song Ddu-Du Ddu-Du hit number 55 on Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboard World Digital Song Sales in 2018. Their debut EP Square Up had hit the top 50 mark on Billboard 200 peaking at No. 40 and at number one on US World Albums chart, breaking previous records of other Korean female pop groups like Wonder Girls in 2009 and 2NE1 in 2014. This year, their hit single Kill This Love hit numero uno on the US World Albums chart and #24 on Billboard 200.

• Priyanka Roy (Currently interning with t2)

Things you must know if you are a Blink:

• Blackpink fans are called Blinks — derived from (Bl)ack P(ink).
• Every K-pop group has a tag or a chant that fans shout out loud when they are on stage. For Blinks, it’s “Blackpink in your area.”
• Are you a new Blink? Catch up on Blankpink’s own television show Blackpink House that’s easily available on the Internet with English subs. You can also watch Blackpink Diaries on YouTube that covers the members during their tours.
• Blackpink took part in designing a fan merchandise — a glowing light stick that comes in the shape of a hammer with two hearts on two sides. It also makes a cute sound.
• In 2019, Blackpink’s Lisa became the most-followed K-pop idol with over 20 million followers on Instagram.