2018 emerged as the breakout year for K-pop girl group BLACKPINK.
The K-pop quartet had some huge achievements this year, including their song DDU-DU DDU-DU debuting as one of the most viewed music videos on YouTube, signing up with Interscope Records and Universal Music for their US debut, and working with international artist Dua Lipa.
BLACKPINK, composed of Jennie, Jisoo, Rose and Lisa, said they were happy that the music video for DDU-DU DDU-DU was well-received by the public.
It was an honour, and amazing experience. We were worried because DDU-DU DDU-DU was a concept that we havent tried before, but thankfully we got a lot of love and it was unbelievable. It encouraged all of us to be more confident in trying something new and different, the girl group told Metro.co.uk.
As of writing, the music video has racked up 538 million views on YouTube.
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The success was followed by the collaboration with Dua Lipa for the song Kiss and Make Up, included on the deluxe version of the British popstars self-titled album.
BLACKPINK said working with Dua Lipa was so much fun and meant a lot to us!
It was the first time we collaborated with a British artist, and we are also huge fans of her. Our part was also released in Korean so that was also super meaningful to us, they said.
The group added that they are open to working with other international singers in the future, saying,:If the opportunity comes, we are open to any future collaborations with another artist.
A week after Dua Lipas album was released, it was announced that YG Entertainment had partnered with Interscope Records, a label under Universal Music, for BLACKPINKs US debut.
The band said they are excited to work with the major US label.
We are granted the opportunity to showcase what weve built so far to a bigger audience. Feels like a dream, but we will keep working and doing our best as we have done so far. Please be on the lookout!
Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said: We look forward to building upon BLACKPINKs remarkable early success by putting the global resources and expertise of UMG behind them and growing their audience around the world.
Interscope chairman and CEO John Janick said BLACKPINK are global superstars in the making.
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The music and visuals are so immediately striking and so different from anything else happening in pop music. We are beyond excited to partner with YG in pursuit of their vision for BLACKPINK world domination, he added.
The girl band made their debut in 2016. Their album Square Up, released in June, debuted at No. 40 on Billboard 200 while its lead single DDU-DU DDU-DU peaked at No. 55 on Billboard Hot 100, the highest charting female K-pop group so far.
When asked if they feel pressured to surpass or equal the success of Square Up and DDU-DU DDU-DU, BLACKPINK said: Weve actually felt a lot of weight off our shoulders during DDU-DU DDU-DU/Square Up. Because we are doing what we love, the audience sees that in us. We went into this stage in our lives thinking we and the audience will have fun and thats exactly what happened.
After Square Up, YG Entertainment announced the solo debuts of each BLACKPINK member, with Jennie releasing the single Solo in November, and she admits she felt pressure going first.
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It was a bit of pressure, but I wanted to do my best for the whole group. Regardless of what the end result was, I wanted to just have fun. And now, I feel so thankful to receive such a huge amount of love, she said.
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According to her, Solo is a hip-hop track with the right amount of pop. It is based around the juxtaposition of Jennies emotional evolution as a weak girl to a strong and independent woman.
I wanted to show all sorts of sides to Jennie, and not just one, she added.
BLACKPINK has also been somewhat mentored by Yang Hyun-suk, the founder of YG Entertainment, which has helped them to grow in their careers.
Hes always told us to kill it with confidence. Even though he doesnt say a tonne, we know what he means so we always give our best, confident selves, they said.
For 2019, BLACKPINK will embark on their World Tour [In Your Area] starting in Asia, and the girls credit it all to their fans, the BLINKS.
We always want to say thank you. We believe BLACKPINK and BLINKs are always together and we promise we will never forget the amount of love we have received and will be a better, growing BLACKPINK than we ever were.
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