Image: YG Entertainment
Black Pink came back with more power than ever before breaking some records recently.
Their first ever EP “Square Up” landed at number one on iTunes charts in 38 countries around the world, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Lead track “DDU-DU DDU-DU” topped Korea’s most prominent music charts, including Naver Music, Genie Music and Soribada.
It also became the fastest girl group music video to hit 10 million and 20 million views in Youtube, breaking their own record of six hours and 15 minutes with “As If It’s Your Last”. and the 35-and-a-half hours previously set by TWICE’s “What is Love?” in April, respectively.
Meeting the press a few hours before the release of their first-ever EP, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa and Rosé highlighted that the new EP is all about “power,” K-Pop Herald reports.
“The lead track’s title resembles the sound of a gunshot. But it is also like a spell, a spell to make us strong. It has elements of hip-hop, stronger and tougher than our previous songs,” Jennie said in a press conference, where she and her bandmates talked about their goals and preparations for the record.
“When we first listened to the lead track ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du,’ we all thought, ‘This is it.’” Jennie added.
The EP also consists of “Forever Young”, one of the two double lead tracks, along with “Really” and “See U Later”. Like other records of Black Pink, all the tracks were produced by hit producer Teddy, widely known for his previous works with 2NE1.
The latest release is the band’s first record since its latest single was dropped in June 2017. The break was longer than expected, as rookie girl bands usually release new records in six to seven months.
“It was a long time for us too. But taking a break for a year, we were able to shoot our first reality show,” Jennie said, referring to the band’s reality show “Black Pink House” which aired earlier this year. The break also gave the group some more time to prepare for the new work.
“We prepared a lot for the new EP. ‘Square Up’ has four songs, but there were originally more tracks. The preparation took a while, as we wanted to show fans better performance on stage,” Jennie added.
During the break, the band also performed at university festivals and in Japan. Through the experience, the girls shared that they came to understand more about stage performance. They are now more confident that they can perform better on stage.
Since its debut in 2016, Black Pink has earned the spotlight in the K-pop scene, dropping hit tracks such as “Boombayah”, “As If It’s Your Last” and “Whistle”. Though “Ddu-du Ddu-du” is anticipated to bring good results, the members showed off their humble side.
“Coming back after a year, we should be thankful for people just listening to our songs. If they like them, we should be grateful,” Jennie said. JB
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