2020 was a year like no other for Blackpink, with their biggest moment in October with the release of The Album, their first LP
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2020 was the year of BLACKPINK. The K-pop quartet reaffirmed their identity as an act that resonates with millions globally, and their music reached new ears around the world – no small feat given they were unable to leave South Korea amid the global pandemic.
Whether you were singing along to the tantalizing Ice Cream with Selena Gomez, flipping through the pages of a fashion magazine, scrolling through your Instagram feed, or looking for a new music documentary to watch on Netflix, the power of BLACKPINK was felt in full.
The group is famously brief when it comes to musical releases, only dropping a handful of songs in any given calendar year since their debut in 2016 with their first singles Whistle, and Boombayah. But their slow-paced release style hasn’t stopped them from becoming the sort of girl group that every generation needs: they’re fierce in their femininity, empowered and forthright in their performances, expressive and charismatic in their fashion choices, and their songs never fail to be addictive.
The quartet blends together like the elements that go into perfume: there’s a distinct spice and style that Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé each bring into the mix, creating a complimentary whole while still maintaining each of their own distinct identities and essences.
BLACKPINK feel very modern as pop divas, but also timeless. They hail from different parts of the world (Lisa is Thai, Rosé was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia, while Jisoo and Jennie are South Korean, but the latter spent time in New Zealand), offering up a 2020s girl group that is globalised in nature.
The year saw two major boosts in BLACKPINK’s popularity. The first was Netflix documentary Light Up the Sky, which explored the members’ lives and careers, including their performance at the Coachella music festival in California in 2019.
But the biggest moment of the year, on the musical scale of things, was clearly in October, when The Album, their first LP, arrived.
Featuring not only Gomez but also Cardi B on the B-side Bet You Wanna, The Album’s release followed the group being featured on Lady Gaga’s Chromatica B-side Sour Candy alongside the American singer in May.
The group previously worked with Dua Lipa on Kiss and Make Up last year, and this year solidified them as a go-to collaborator for dominating female pop acts, as much for their presence as performers as for being fashion icons.
The music of BLACKPINK is typically seen as either supremely confident or overly romantic, but they’ve also come to encapsulate a specific stressor of this generation: the girl group is first and foremost a musical act, but they’re also brand ambassadors for some of the biggest names around with their millions of followers on Instagram.
On The Album, B-side You Never Know tackles the emotions of others not knowing what life for the narrator – ostensibly the members of BLACKPINK themselves – is like, but passing judgment regardless. In an age when social media usage and increases in depression and anxiety worldwide can be correlated, tackling a subject matter like this, especially with the members being some of the biggest influencers around right now, make this song all the more relevant.
Every few years, a different girl group rises to become the biggest player on the global girl group scene. While there are many exciting female-fronted acts coming out of the K-pop scene, none have resonated half as much worldwide as BLACKPINK, and it feels like it’s going to stay that way for a while.
They sing “BLACKPINK is the revolution”, and as an act totally in tune with the time we live in while seeming larger than life and aspirational, they truly feel it.
