Let’s admit that a large number of us were first introduced to Korean music with “Gangnam Style.” Right? Right now, K-pop music is a sensation in the music industry. BLACKPINK has turned into the most famous music girl group in the world and made history. And, today, we’re going to dive into their success story!
Early days
BLACKPINK is a music band with four members that was formed by YG Entertainment, one of the leading entertainment companies in Korea. Before their debut in 2016, all four members, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa had to go through rigorous training to sharpen their skills in singing, dancing, and live performance.
On top of that, they all are not from Korea, (Rosé is from New Zealand while Lisa is from Thailand). So, leaving their homeland and building careers in a completely new place in their initial days was difficult.
Their debut song “Boombayah” and “Whistle”, immediately caught the audience’s attention. Their unique style of singing, rapping, dancing, fashion style, among others made them different from other groups.
Global sensation
Stunning music videos, choreography, and mixed languages (English and Korean) started to attract international audiences. They first got an international break with the “DDU-DU DDU-DU” song in 2018. After releasing the music video, within just 24 hours it became the most-viewed K-pop video on YouTube. One by one it started breaking international records.
Their success was not limited to Korea only, they became the first girl group to perform at Coachella.
Blink connection
Every band’s success mostly comes from their fandom, and BLACKPINK’s fandom is called “Blink.” The four members actively use social media platforms to connect with their fans, by sharing music videos, photos, behind-the-scenes shoots, and much more. Each one of them launched a solo music album to connect more with the audience, they also expand their reach beyond music, showcasing their versatility to their fanbase.
Expanding horizons
BLACKPINK is not bound to music, they have become a fashion icon too. They are collaborating with luxury brands such as Chanel, Dior, and so on.
Another strategy of getting international limelight is collaboration with stars. BLACKPINK collaborated with big celebs like Dua Lipa on “Kiss and Make Up”, Lady Gaga on “Sour Candy,” and Selena Gomez on “Ice Cream”. In addition to that the entire team has a strong media presence, they appeared in several international TV shows, interviews, reality shows, and so on.
Success strategy
There is speculation that “Teddy Park” is the main reason behind BLACKPINK’s success. His innovative production style makes the band unique and attractive. Teddy joined YG Entertainment in 1995, and since then he has been contributing to the company as a is a songwriter, producer, and composer. Though this is not the first music band he has been involved with, he was previously with the most successful K-pop groups Big Bang and 2NE1.
A bright future
The combination of talent, hard work, strategic moves, marketing, etc. has made them global stars. Since their debut, they have constantly broken records and pushed boundaries which serves as an inspiration for aspiring K-pop artists.
With the help of their global fanbase BLACKPINK, the world’s most famous girl group is set to reach greater heights.