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Actor

2016-08-01 · Seoul, South Korea · Female

8 series in the catalog

Blackpink (Korean: 블랙핑크; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of four members: Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. Regarded by various publications as the "biggest girl group in the world", they are recognized as a leading force in the Korean Wave and an ambassador of the "girl crush" concept in K-pop, which explores themes of self-confidence and female empowerment.

Blackpink debuted in August 2016 with their single album Square One, which included "Whistle", their first number-one hit on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart, and "Boombayah", their first number-one on the US Billboard World Digital Songs chart. The group achieved an international breakthrough with "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" (2018), which topped South Korean charts and marked the first song by a Korean female group to enter the UK Singles Chart and receive a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its music video was the first by a Korean group to surpass one and two billion views on YouTube. Their music videos for "Kill This Love" (2019) and "How You Like That" (2020) set records for the most-viewed videos within the first 24 hours of release; the latter topped the Circle Digital Chart and set multiple Guinness World Records.

Blackpink's debut studio album, The Album (2020), was the first album by a Korean girl group to sell one million copies. Their 2022 follow-up, Born Pink, was the first album by a Korean girl group to sell two million copies and to reach number one on the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. The album's lead single "Pink Venom" was the first song by a Korean group to top Australia's ARIA Singles Chart and the first by a girl group to top the Billboard Global 200. Blackpink earned further global number-one singles with "Shut Down" (2022) and "Jump" (2025) and has the most US Billboard Hot 100 entries among Korean female acts. Their Born Pink World Tour (2022–23) was the highest-grossing concert tour by a female group and Asian act in history, while they became the first Asian act to headline Coachella in 2023. Their extended play Deadline (2026) set first-day and first-week sales records for a Korean girl group.

With over 40 billion streams and 20 million records sold worldwide, Blackpink is one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. They are the most-subscribed music act on YouTube and the first to surpass 100 million subscribers, as well as the most-viewed band on the platform. They are also the most-followed and most-streamed female group on Spotify. Blackpink's accolades include a Billboard Music Award, an MTV Europe Music Award, and multiple Golden Disc Awards and MTV Video Music Awards; they were the first girl group to win Group of the Year at the latter awards in the 21st century. Outside of music, they have endorsement deals in various industries and incorporate fashion into their public image. For their work as advocates for climate change awareness, the group was invested as honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2023. Blackpink was the first girl group to enter Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia and was named Time's 2022 Entertainer of the Year. The group has been ranked among the top of the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list and recognized by former South Korean president Moon Jae-in for spreading K-pop and Korean culture worldwide. In addition to their group activities, all four members have also pursued solo careers.

Career

2010–2016: Formation and pre-debut activities

Blackpink began forming in 2010 when YG Entertainment held tryouts worldwide for preteen or teenage recruits to create a new girl group after launching its first major one, 2NE1, the previous year. According to the members, joining the label as trainees was akin to enrolling in a full-time pop-star academy, with Jennie describing the experience as "more strict than school" and Rosé comparing it to The X Factor with dorm rooms. For members who had left their lives outside of South Korea, the pace of training alongside the culture shock was especially difficult. Preparations for Blackpink's debut began as early as 2011, when YG Entertainment revealed on November 14 that their new girl group would debut in the early half of 2012 and feature at least seven members. Consequently, numerous news stories and rumors surfaced surrounding the new girl group's debut being delayed, although there had been no official information. It was until May 18, 2016, that YG Entertainment confirmed the girl group would debut that July, stating that the members were selected through years of stiff competition. The label later confirmed that Jang Hanna and Moon Sua, who were introduced to the public as potential members of the new girl group, were not included in the lineup.

Jennie, the group's main rapper and lead vocalist, was the first member revealed on June 1, 2016. She joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in 2010 after moving back to South Korea from New Zealand. She had been introduced to the public for the first time in 2012 in a photo titled "Who's that girl?" on YG Entertainment's website on April 10. Jennie continued to be promoted as a member of the new girl group through multiple collaborations: she starred in the music video for G-Dragon's "That XX" (2012) from his EP One of a Kind and featured in the songs "Black" (2013), from his album Coup d'Etat, and "Special" (2013), from Lee Hi's album First Love. Lisa, the group's main rapper and main dancer, was revealed as the second member on June 8, 2016. She was the only individual among 4,000 applicants to pass the 2010 YG Entertainment audition in her native country, Thailand, and became the label's first foreign trainee in 2011. She was first introduced in May 2012 in a video that was posted on YG Entertainment's YouTube channel, titled "Who's that girl???". Lisa also appeared in the music video for Taeyang's "Ringa Linga" in 2013. She became a spokesperson for YG's streetwear brand Nona9on in 2015 and its cosmetics brand Moonshot in 2016.

Jisoo, the group's lead vocalist, was revealed as the third member on June 15, 2016. She joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in July 2011 and appeared in several advertisements and music videos in her pre-debut years, including the music videos for Epik High's "Spoiler + Happy Ending" (2014) from their album Shoebox and Hi Suhyun's "I'm Different" (2014). Jisoo also made a cameo appearance in the 2015 drama The Producers. Rosé, the group's main vocalist and lead dancer, was the final member to be revealed, on June 22, 2016. She ranked first among 700 applicants in the 2012 YG Entertainment audition in Australia, after which she signed a trainee contract with the label and moved to Seoul to begin training. She featured in G-Dragon's track "Without You" (2012) from One of a Kind, credited as "? from YG New Girl Group" until her official public introduction.

On June 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that the new girl group would have four members instead of the originally planned nine and revealed its official name as Blackpink. According to a label representative, the group's name meant "pretty isn't everything" and symbolized that "they are a team that encompasses not only beauty, but also great talent". Jisoo later disclosed in a press conference that other group names under consideration included Pink Punk, Baby Monster, and Magnum. Blackpink released their first dance practice video on July 6, which garnered much public attention. On July 29, YG Entertainment confirmed that Blackpink's debut would be on August 8, 2016.

2016–2017: Debut, rising popularity, and commercial success

Promotions for the group's debut began in the first week of August 2016 with the release of teaser images, videos, and advertisements. The first girl group to debut under YG Entertainment in seven years, Blackpink released their debut single album, Square One, on August 8, 2016, consisting of tracks "Boombayah" and…