Blackpink. Image: YG Entertainment via The Korea Herald
K-pop sensation Blackpink came into the world in 2016 under much pressure as they were expected to follow the lead of YG’s most successful girl group until that point, 2NE1.
The quartet of Rose, Jisoo, Lisa and Jennie made its debut with its first single album, “Square One,” which consists of two songs: “Whistle” and “Boombayah.”
The debut single album successfully captured the hearts of many, topping major music charts including Melon and Circle Chart in the month of its release.
Blackpink won recognition for its undeniably ferocious appeal, discovered in its music and performances.
The group, the members of which are of diverse nationalities, tried to accentuate the independence and vulnerability of women to contrast with existing stereotypes of femininity.
READ: Will Blackpink survive the 7-year curse?
This was just the beginning of the growth of YG’s girl group as Blackpink soon bloomed into the most successful K-pop girl group in history.
With “Playing With Fire,” one of the two title tracks of its second single album, Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to debut on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.
In 2018, they started gaining more recognition overseas by debuting at No. 55 on Billboard’s Hot 100 with single “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.”
The group also debuted at No. 40 on Billboard 200 with its first EP, “Square Up.”
The music video of “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” became the most-viewed Korean music video of 2018 as it amassed 36.2 million views on YouTube in just 24 hours since its official release.
By 2019, Blackpink attracted 20 million subscribers to its official YouTube channel, making them the first female K-pop group to do so.
The group’s music video for “Kill This Love” made the biggest music video debut in YouTube’s history at the time as it garnered 56.7 million views in its first 24 hours, hitting 100 million views in less than three days.
The popularity of the group was apparent as they became the first K-pop girl group to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, one of the largest and most famous music festivals in the US.
Blackpink soon became the first female K-pop group to be certified gold by the Record Industry Association of America thanks to the success of “Ddu-Du Ddu-du.”
The single also gave the group the title of the first K-pop group to have a music video with more than 1 billion views on YouTube.
The group also holds various Guinness World Records including: Guinness’ most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours, the most viewed music video on YouTube in 24 hours, and the most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a K-pop group for their single “How You Like That.”
The single also led the group to become the first female K-pop group to win an MTV Video Music Award.
Their worldwide fame has been proven by the skyrocketing number of subscribers to their YouTube channel.
In 2021, Blackpink became the artist with the highest number of subscribers on YouTube with more than 65.6 million.
They broke their own record the next year by amassing more than 75 million YouTube subscribers.
They currently have more than 90.5 million subscribers.
Last year, Blackpink’s “Venom,” the title track of its latest album “Born Pink,” took the throne on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart and Australia’s singles chart.
The latest album, “Born Pink,” topped the Billboard 200, making Blackpink the third K-pop group to conquer the chart.
This year, Blackpink became the first K-pop act to headline Coachella and the British Summer Time Festival.
They are currently on world tour “Born Pink” which has attracted around 1.5 million concertgoers worldwide so far.
Blackpink celebrated its seventh anniversary on Tuesday by sharing messages on social media commemorating the occasion.
“I have really been able to experience everything and more than what I have ever dreamed of growing up as an aspiring artist. Thank you a thousand times. My heart is so full. I cannot express my gratitude for every single person who has been a part of this seven-year journey with us four,” said Rose.
“Seven is one of my favorite numbers and I hope this year will be a lucky one for us. Love you girls and blinks so much,” said Lisa, referring to the group’s fan club members.
“Seven years with Blackpink. I love us. I love Blackpink. I love Blinks,” said Jennie.
“Blink Blackpink Forever. Happy seventh anniversary Blink and Blackpink. Blackpink is always in your area. Love you,” said Jisoo. HM