Member Rosé recently reflected on her group’s international success and shared one reason behind BLACKPINK popularity
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Many people are aware of BTS’s global dominance, but there is another K-pop group trailing not far behind: BLACKPINK. Since BLACKPINK’s debut in 2016, they have attracted much attention in South Korea and around the world, with numerous American celebrities calling themselves fans of the four-piece.
Member Rosé recently reflected on her group’s international success and shared one reason behind this phenomenon.
How BLACKPINK became one of the most popular K-pop girl groups around
BLACKPINK debuted in 2016 under YG Entertainment, one of the biggest labels in K-pop. Right away, Korean and international K-pop fans became enamored by the girl band.
The two lead singles from their debut album — “Boombayah” and “Whistle” — charted in the top 10 in both Korea and the U.S. world chart. In particular, “Whistle” climbed up to number 1 in Korea just 13 days after their debut, which led BLACKPINK the become the fastest girl group to achieve such a feat.
Since then, BLACKPINK’s singles have consistently done well in both Korea and the U.S. world chart. Starting in 2018, they also began making appearances on the Billboard Hot 100.
BLACKPINK has caught the attention of many international celebrities as well. Stars like James Corden, Harry Styles, Halsey, and the Smith family have all shown support for BLACKPINK.
BLACKPINK’s singles have gone viral this past year
These days, social media fame can do a lot to help an artist’s career, and BLACKPINK is showing they have what it takes to go viral online.
They have released two singles in 2020 so far—“How You Like That” and “Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez)”—and both songs have become well-known on the app TikTok. Aside from dance challenges being created with them, many TikTok users enjoy using the tracks as background music for their videos.
Additionally, these songs have done well on the Billboard Hot 100 as well. “How You Like That” charted at number 33 while “Ice Cream” charted at number 13. Both of them are BLACKPINK’s two highest positions yet on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rosé discusses BLACKPINK’s international success and shares a reason behind it
BLACKPINK seems to be aware of their international success, and member Rosé recently sat down with W Korea to discuss this.
First, she shared her thoughts on BLACKPINK’s Coachella performance in 2019, which was a huge accomplishment for the group.
“Until the performance, I was really nervous. It was a stage I had a dreamed of standing on, so I wanted to do well,” she said, as reported by Soompi. “But once I actually stepped on stage and saw the crowd that had come to see BLACKPINK, all of the thoughts about doing well or working hard disappeared. I just enjoyed it with everyone and expressed [my feelings] in each moment. The energy I received from the crowd was greater than the energy I was giving them, so all I did was follow them. That was what it meant to become one with the audience.”
As for why she believes people are becoming more receptive to K-pop artists like BLACKPINK, Rosé shared, “When we’re interviewed by foreign media outlets, we’re often asked things like, ‘Why do you think BLACKPINK is popular internationally?’ I think it’s because in this generation, more people are accepting new music with an open mind, and that’s why we’re able to receive so much love. I’m so thankful for this.”
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Where Did BLACKPINK’s Name Come From and Why Did They Choose These 2 Colors Specifically?
K-pop has been attracting a lot of attention these days, with BLACKPINK being one of the artists to watch. The girl group debuted in 2016 and has since exploded in popularity all over the world. While there are a lot of people who enjoy BLACKPINK’s music, not everyone knows where the group’s name came from. So what is the meaning behind ‘BLACKPINK’ and why were these two colors chosen?
BLACKPINK originally had a different name
Before BLACKPINK debuted, their company, YG Entertainment, originally had a different name in mind for the group: PINK PUNK.
In 2017, the group shared in an interview that their CEO, Yang Hyun-suk, eventually had a different idea in mind. “One of our tentative names was PINK PUNK, but he made the ‘Pink’ part cooler and made it BLACKPINK,” the members said, according to Soompi.
In fact, PINK PUNK also was supposed to have nine members. However, five of those trainees later left YG Entertainment.
Why were the colors black and pink chosen for ‘BLACKPINK’?
In a recent interview with Access, BLACKPINK went into detail about the origin of their name. First, Jennie and Rosé explained that they wanted a one-word name that would describe who they are.
Jennie, then, elaborated that they wanted to find a color that was a combination of black and pink. She said, “If there was a color mixed with black and pink, like in the right amount, then we would have gone with that color. But we couldn’t find that.”
“We just put [the words ‘black’ and ‘pink’] together and made one word with it,” Rosé added.
As for why the two colors specifically, Jennie shared that they represent the members’ diverse array of talents. “We wanted to express the diversity of the group… and the different genres we could do and show you guys,” she said.
In 2016, a rep from YG Entertainment also reveals that the group’s name is also a way to contrast black with pink. According to Allkpop, the message read, “The meaning of Black Pink aims to contradict the common perception of the color pink. Pink is commonly used to portray prettiness, but Black Pink actually means to say that ‘Pretty isn’t everything’. It also symbolizes that they are a team that encompasses not only beauty, but also great talent.”
BLACKPINK has proven themselves to be different than other groups
The members of BLACKPINK have lived up to their name by constantly showcasing different sides of themselves. On stage, they can be fierce and tough, but off stage, they are cute and fashionable.
Perhaps it is this contrast that has made fans fall in love with BLACKPINK. The group has proven themselves to be one of the most popular K-pop artists at the moment. Most of their singles have done extremely well in South Korea and on the U.S. World Chart, with their recent releases getting even more international attention. In 2019, BLACKPINK also performed at Coachella, becoming the first K-pop girl group to have accomplished the feat.
It seems BLACKPINK’s world domination is only getting started, and there are more things for fans to be excited about in the future.
