Blackpink is an all-girl K-pop (Korean pop) music group that gained international fame in the late 2010’s. The group became known for its dancing, fashion, vocals, and eye-catching music videos. Blackpink is also known for its base of devoted fans, called “Blinks,” made up primarily of young women all over the world. Blackpink’s music combines elements of rap, hip-hop, pop, and electronic dance music (EDM). The group’s vocals are mainly in Korean, but it also has lyrics in English and Japanese.
Blackpink was formed by the South Korean music executive and record producer Yang Hyun-suk, also known as YG. The four members of the group are Jennie (born Kim Je-ni), Jisoo (Kim Ji-soo), Lisa (Lalisa Manoban), and Rosé (Roseanne Park). The group’s first release was a single titled Square One (2016), which included the songs “Boombayah” and “Whistle.” The group released the mini album Square Up in June 2018. Soon after, Blackpink became the first all-female K-pop group to reach number one on Billboard magazine’s “Emerging Artists” chart.
Blackpink’s popularity spread through the video-sharing website YouTube. In 2018, the group released a music video for the song “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.” It reached 1 billion views on YouTube. The viral video also helped Blackpink become the first K-pop group to reach 20 million YouTube subscribers, in March 2019. In 2020, Blackpink released its first full-length studio album, The Album. It included the collaborations “Ice Cream,” featuring Selena Gomez, and “Bet You Wanna,” featuring Cardi B. The album became a hit. In 2022, Blackpink released its second studio album, Born Pink. It also became a hit. The group has also collaborated on singles with other performers, including Lady Gaga.