On 2 October 2020, BLACKPINK released its first full-length album, with a very straight-forward name, The Album. With more than 1 million pre-orders, The Album was one of the most anticipated releases of 2020.
Biggest girl group
A quick google search proves that this success isn’t unknown to the band: when Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé were formed as BLACKPINK by YG Entertainment in 2016, they quickly became the world’s biggest girl group. The girls are now between 25 and 23 years old and being under YG Entertainment is huge, as the South Korean music company houses some of the most successful Korean idol groups like iKon and Big Bang. So, there’s already one clue as to why BLACKPINK gained so much momentum before even releasing a full LP.
Rebellious and high-energy
But there’s more to their success formula. The band’s concept was new: while most other K-pop girl groups were trying to be cute, BLACKPINK brought a confident and rebellious sound to the stage. The music is a blend of English and Korean sugary pop, and as Jennie and Lisa are rappers, it’s combined with rap, hip-hop, electronic dance music, and even rock, making it likable for almost anyone.
Over the last four years, BLACKPINK released many singles and mini-albums, and their hits “Boombahyah”, “Whistle”, “DDU-DU DDU-DU”, and TikTok success “How You Like That” flew off the charts worldwide. The band is known for high-energy bangers and a lot of huge collabs: the single “Ice Cream” of The Album features Selena Gomez and “Bet You Wanna” features Cardi B. The girl group also collaborated on “Sour Candy” for Lady Gaga’s new album Chromatica, and Dua Lipa’s song “Kiss & Make Up”, giving them an even bigger audience.
