Artist Spotlight : Blackpink

BlackPink+during+2020.+During+a+promotional+photo+shoot.

PUBG Mobile / Blue Hole Studio.

BlackPink during 2020. During a promotional photo shoot.

Currently, in 2023, Blackpink has made their comeback after a 2-year hiatus and are absolutely killing the competition. From their great performances at the front of Chochella to their sold-out world tour, BlackPink has proven themselves to be one of the most popular and successful K-pop groups in history. But many still wonder, how did they get to this point? 

On August 8, 2016, YG Entertainment debuted a group of four girls. Jisoo, Jennie, Rose, and Lisa. A relatively small group, completely different from others that were supposed to revolutionize the industry. They started with their album “Square One,” containing two songs, and tried to build up their reputation from there. The problem was, they were very unsure of their success with the albums considering they were trying to experiment with a genre-defying type of music. To their surprise, those two songs held the number 1 and number 2 spot on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart, becoming only the third K-pop group ever to do so. After this, there was no doubt that this group could be something great. 

Starting from “Square One,” led to “Square Two,” and after that, led to a whole new world of success. They were ranging from song collabs with other celebrity artists such as Selena Gomez and Cardi B to their very own Netflix Documentary. BlackPink was taking the world by storm year by year. Attracting more fans with every selling album. BlackPink’s fan base grew so large that members had to come up with a name for them, the “Blinks.” Falling in love with not just their music, but also their charisma and personality as well. 

With so many devoted fans all around the world, it had to be sooner or later that they had their first tour, the BlackPink Area Tour 2018. Detailed only in Japan, they performed for a short period of time, spanning from July to August. It was clear how much everyone loved BlackPink as people from other countries decided to take a vacation in order to witness their live performance. Of course, the members themselves knew this fact, because,  as soon as it was a new year, they reappeared on stage in January. However this time, not only in one country, but rather 17 instead. 

The result of the tour, The Blackpink World Tour 2019, was just the ever-increasing fanbase. One of the most noticeable locations that they had grown was actually the United States. Many people in this country didn’t like K-pop at the time. Once again, the famed group made history according to Teen Vogue. In the same year as their tour, they also appeared as the first K-pop group to ever perform at Coachella. Proving their influence in Western countries. Even today, BlackPink still appears at the festival. The one difference is since then, they have gone from a Sahara Tent to the main stage and a main attraction. 

After one of their most successful years came the pandemic and a 2-year absence from the world. This leads to today. In 2023, and still making waves. One of the best ways to come out of a hiatus is giving what the fans wanted, and that is a whole new album. The album was immediately followed by their second world tour. “Born Pink”  which, Billboard is saying even broke the Guinness world record for most streamed. The Born Pink Tour has been so popular that there is now an encore to revisit locations. A major concern that the fans had was that their contract was coming up, and such a major performance may be their way of a final send-off. Thankfully, The Independent Singapore reports that it is expected that they will be able to renew their contract, and in fact, won’t be disbanded. Coming with this update is even more new surprises in the future and more fun for the fans. Blinks can’t wait for the next step in their historical career, so be sure to stay tuned in and be prepared for the revolutionary group in all of music.