Entertainment
TL;DR
- Friday, April 28, 2023 06:00 (GMT+7)
- 06:00 April 28, 2023
Compared to other groups, BlackPink releases fewer new music products. Experts say there are many reasons for them to operate that way.
Every K-pop fan community hopes that their idol's next song will top the charts. But for Blink - fans of girl group BlackPink - their hopes are much more modest. All they wish for is for their idol to release the next song soon.
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BlackPink's confusing direction
Since their debut in 2016, every product BlackPink released has set records or achieved good results. They won the title of "the most famous girl group in the world " from Grammy, TIME magazine, Rolling Stone , Forbes ...
In September 2022, BlackPink became the first K-pop girl group to top the Billboard 200 chart with their second full-length album Born Pink . Earlier this month, the group's music video for Ddu-Du Ddu-Du (released in 2018) surpassed 2 billion views. The first time a K-pop group has achieved this feat.
However, along with the rain of awards, the album Born Pink also received a lot of criticism, Korea JoongAng Daily commented. The reason is that fans are upset that BlackPink has been quiet for too long. Many viewers even think that BlackPink and the management company YG Entertainment are too lazy. Born Pink is the group's first album after two years of absence since the full album called The Album .
Since their successful debut with Whistle (2016), BlackPink has been known as a group that takes a long time to release new products. Except for 2016 with Square One (August 2016), Square Two (November 2016) and 2020 with The Album and two collaborations with world-famous pop artists - Sour Candy with Lady Gaga, Ice Cream with Selena Gomez - BlackPink only releases new products once a year.
In 2021 alone, the group has no new songs, the Korea JoongAng Daily pointed out.
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BlackPink's comeback time is usually longer than other groups. Photo: YG Entertainment. |
Meanwhile, other Korean groups are actively releasing music products in various markets. Red Velvet released three new products last year. Meanwhile, TWICE released a Korean album, two Japanese albums, and a solo product by member Nayeon. (G)I-DLE will also release two albums in 2022.
New girl groups like aespa, Le Sserafim, and IVE all had two releases this year. Billie had three releases introduced to the public.
The reason BlackPink rarely releases new products
However, according to Korea JoongAng Daily , when compared to other YG Entertainment artists, BlackPink's "laziness" has a reason.
Last year, the company's boy bands Winner, iKON, and Big Bang released just one album, while ballad duo AKMU released no albums. Singer Lee Hi even went silent for three years from 2013 to 2016 while she was an artist under YG Entertainment.
Industry insiders say YG founder and chief producer Yang Hyun Suk is obsessed with perfectionism, which is what has slowed down the release of music by the company's groups and artists.
Yang is said to have the final say on all the songs of the artists under this company and he does not make decisions lightly. Yang Hyun Suk debuted as a dancer and producer as well as a member of Seo Taiji and Boys. Yang has composed songs for popular artists such as Big Bang, 2NE1 and SE7EN.
“No song gets the go-ahead the first time,” former YG artist Bobby said in an interview with local media, introducing his collaboration album with Winner’s Mino.
“Both iKON and Winner's songs fall into that category. He (PV: referring to Yang Hyun Suk) tends to be such a perfectionist that he changes at least one word in the song when we present them to him."
According to Korea JoongAng Daily , the legal turmoil YG Entertainment has faced since 2019 has also made it difficult for the company to produce music. YG has been struggling since the Burning Sun scandal involving former Big Bang member Seungri in January 2019 and then a series of accusations against Yang Hyun Suk - such as threatening former trainees and some YG artists using drugs.
“YG Entertainment has never been quick to release new albums, but the past few years have been particularly difficult for the company,” said pop music critic Kim Youn Ha. “It’s natural for consumers to want to see more content from a group they like. But from BlackPink’s case, we can’t conclude that a quick comeback is good and a slow release is bad.”
Another reason why YG artists can make a good living without releasing music is because of their endorsement deals and other projects. While smaller companies often rely on one group to make enough money for the entire company, YG Entertainment is the opposite. The company is backed by a strong roster of artists who have made a name for themselves worldwide and can make money from projects outside of music.
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BlackPink just performed at Coachella. Photo: @jennierubyjane. |
For example, all of the members of BlackPink are ambassadors or models for the world's biggest luxury fashion brands. Jisoo is signed with Cartier, Jennie with Chanel, Lisa with Celine, Bvlgari and MAC Cosmetics. Meanwhile, Rosé has collaborated with Yves Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co.
Those agreements, along with countless advertisements, TV shows, and magazines of not only BlackPink but also other artists in the company, help YG Entertainment be more comfortable with the time to release music products.
“As a K-pop artist, BlackPink takes a long time to release new music. But as a pop artist, it doesn’t take that long,” said music critic Kim Do Heon. He explained that BlackPink has become as globally popular as pop stars Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, who also take a year or two, or even three, to release new albums.
“In the past, BlackPink used to release singles and at a faster pace. Now they are releasing full albums. Therefore, they take more time to prepare. Simply put, BlackPink is now a global pop star, not just a local K-pop group. That is quite a feat,” the critic emphasized.
BlackPink is currently on their Born Pink world tour. This year, BlackPink became the first K-pop artist to headline the Coachella music festival.
Debuting in August 2016, the members of the group are about to decide whether or not to renew their contracts with YG. The members’ exclusive contracts with the company are up to seven years. If they decide to go their separate ways, it could be a major blow to YG Entertainment.
BlackPink Jisoo's Favorite Books
Jisoo (BlackPink) is known by fans as a true book lover. In many schedules, especially trips abroad, Jisoo always brings a book with her.
During her interactions with fans, The Great Gatsby is the book that Jisoo often mentions. Jisoo often shows excitement when telling the story of the mysterious tycoon named Gatsby pursuing the muse Daisy Buchanan. At the same time, according to some readers, the impressive point of the book is also the way Fitzgerald opened up a vibrant and colorful world of Jazz music.
Minh Hao
BlackPink Selena Lady Gaga Seungri Jennie Big Bang Chanel Red Velvet Winner iKon Kpop YG Entertainment
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