Two members of K-pop group Blackpink go solo at Coachella festival
Signaling the rising US interest in K-pop in recent years, Blackpink has made history at Coachella twice.
It’s comeback season in the world of K-Pop and Blackpink is finally in the area. On Friday, the band released Deadline, their first mini-album since the girl group took a break to focus on their solo careers in 2022.
The five-track album, the third extended play (EP) from the group so far, includes last year’s summer bop ‘Jump’ and ‘Go’, an EDM-heavy piece with a music video that released alongside the album.
Other songs include the girls’ anthems ‘Me and My’, ‘Fxxxboy’ and the uplifting ‘Champion’ which carries distinct 2000s vibes. The album shares its name with Blackpink’s recent Deadline tour, which wrapped up in January and made them the first K-Pop girl group to headline London’s famous Wembley Stadium.
The group’s label, YG Entertainment, issued a statement saying, “Even amid the intense schedule of a large-scale world tour, the members devoted significant time and effort to perfecting this album. We are confident it is a body of work that encapsulates both the individual musical capabilities of the four members and their synergy as a team. We ask for your continued support as Blackpink once again leaves a meaningful mark on the global music industry.”
Blinks — fans of Blackpink — were obviously psyched in the lead-up to release day, and many carried that enthusiasm into the customary streaming sessions.
Not everyone was feeling it, though.
Some fans took issue with the songs’ lyrics, which were largely in English. This follows similar trends in recent times with K-pop groups trying to capture a more global audience with songs in English.
The rivalry between YG and Hybe — the label for groups like BTS, TXT and Katseye — seeped into the comments. Someone even said the album peaked in July with ‘Jump’.
The last album from Blackpink was Born Pink in 2022 after which the group’s four members — Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé — pursued a number of solo projects and collaborations with other artists. Rapper Jennie and singer Jisoo released their albums Ruby and Amortage respectively. Jisoo also collaborated with Zayn Malik on ‘Eyes Closed’ in October.
Rapper Lisa released Alter Ego and went on to act in the most recent season of The White Lotus and singer Rosé released Rosie, which included ‘Apt.’, her chart-topping collaboration with Bruno Mars.