Top 10 Things You Need to Know About BLACKPINK

What better place to make your US debut than at one of the biggest music festivals in the west? Coachella is known to have some powerful headliners and 2019 was no different, with both Ariane Grande and Tame Impala leading the charge. BLACKPINK’s participation in the festival shocked fans around the world. Not only was this their first performance in the US, but they were also the very first all-girl K-pop group to perform at the festival. Their set was definitely history-in-the-making. Now that’s impressive!

It’s always fun to find out the meaning behind a group’s name even if you’re not necessarily a big fan. To the average joe, the name BLACKPINK means little more than the combination of two colors that look good together, but there’s actually a deeper meaning to the color choice. In 2016, YG Entertainment revealed that the reason BLACKPINK was chosen was to dismantle the idea that the color “pink” is only used to portray prettiness or cuteness. With this new group of girls, they wanted to show that pink doesn’t just mean “pretty,” but also incredible talent and hard work.

No one can deny the global brand power that the Pokémon franchise has. Several of the characters, like Charizard and Jigglypuff, are insanely popular, but all of them pale in comparison to the king, Pikachu. Not even famous idols are immune to the creature’s electrifying charm as it seems that BLACKPINK’s Jisoo is a huge fan. She reportedly has several pieces of merchandise of the character and has even done some imitations on a few variety shows, which, we have to say - are as adorable as the little Pokémon itself!

Every member of BLACKPINK is eye-catching and amazing in her own way, but there’s little doubt as to why Lisa is one of the more popular girls. The Thai artist’s badass style and hardcore raps keep us wanting more with each and every comeback. But was she always this good? It turns out that yes, yes she was. She was so good that when she auditioned for YG in Thailand in 2010, she not only won first place but also beat out all of the competition. She ended up being the only candidate selected by the label at the time, as well as the first non-Korean artist to work at YG. Keep killing it, girl!

It’s not uncommon for Kpop groups to appear on television programs. Usually you see them on variety shows, especially during a comeback promotion period, doing fun and silly things with hosts. Sometimes a really popular group will get a show that focuses on them alone, like BIGBANG TV. So given BLACKPINK’s massive success, it shouldn’t come as a shock that they have their own reality TV show called BLACKPINK House, which follows the daily lives of the girls with a little bit of YG spice thrown in. It aired in 2018 and currently only has one season, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it got renewed. BLACKPINK could be watching paint dry for all we care and it would still be entertaining.

If there’s one thing that can be said about K-pop, it’s that their various fan bases are some of the most dedicated fans we have ever seen. Each group, even the rookie ones, has a fanbase that they name and interact with. BTS has their ARMY, Twice has their ONCEs, and BLACKPINK has BLINKS. A clever combination of Black and Pink, BLINKs are responsible for continually helping the girl group break records, especially on YouTube. For example, their smash hit Ddu-Du Ddu-Du garnered 36.2 million views in its first 24 hours, and you can bet that their fans played a huge part in that. BLINKS, we salute you!

Did you know that BLACKPINK was originally supposed to have 9 members? Yep, though just as they were getting ready to debut back in 2016, YG’s Yang Hyun-Suk decided to scale the group back to just the 4 members we now know and love. Interestingly enough, one of those cut trainees was none other than (G)I-DLE’s Miyeon! No one really knows why she was cut, though rumors suggest that it was because she broke the “no dating rule” while on a trip to Japan. We might never know for sure, but thankfully Miyeon had her own successful debut as part of (G)I-DLE.

With the massive success of groups like Girls Generation and, more recently, BTS we’re seeing more and more K-pop groups extend out of South Korea to break into the global market. BLACKPINK has also been able to make big moves on the global stage, thanks to the unique background of each member. For example, Rosé was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia, while Jennie went to school in New Zealand for a number of years. Lisa grew up in Thailand, and Jisoo was raised in South Korea. Between the 4 members, they can speak a number of languages besides Korean, like Japanese, English, Thai, and Mandarin. These language skills allow them to interact with more fans in more countries; way to go, girls!

Let’s be honest here, BLACKPINK is massive. Huge. Since their debut in 2016, they have charted on iTunes worldwide multiple times, performed at Coachella, toured all over Asia (with the US soon), and smashed YouTube records left and right. All that and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Not to mention that their new single Kill This Love just casually beat out Ariana Grande’s thank u, next for the most views for a music video debut on YouTube within 24 hours, which was 56.7 MILLION VIEWS. They are primed to become a legendary group and we couldn’t be happier for them!

Before we unveil our number 1 pick, here are a few honorable mentions!

They Helped Design Their Own Lightstick

They Have a Special Song for YG’s CEO, Yang Hyun-suk

Jennie Was Featured in a Documentary When She Was 10

Jisoo Was an “Inkigayo” MC in 2017

It turns out that Lisa is not the only famous person in her family. Her step-father is none other than Marco Bruschweiler, a Master Chef and member of The World Association of Chefs’ Societies… meaning he’s a damn good chef. He currently runs a culinary school in Bangkok, while helping to organize Thai and Swiss food festivals around the world. He seems to be very supportive of Lisa, and has even made an appearance on BLACKPINK House, which moved Lisa to tears. What a talented family.