Crazy over Blackpink
From Square One to headlining Coachella and becoming luxury brand ambassadors, the K-pop group Blackpink has become a global phenomenon. What makes this quartet so bankable? Let’s take a Deep Dive.
💃🏻 In just eight years, Blackpink, comprising Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo and Rosé, has taken the world by storm. Their fandom, Blink, is said to have 50 million members.
🖤 The name Blackpink alludes to the fact that they can be “girly but savage”, and they’ve since become figureheads of the female empowerment movement and K-pop’s “girl crush” concept.
👩🏻🎤 Blackpink’s branding identity has been curated to the finest detail, from their brand collaborations to their individual personas.
🌎 Their diverse backgrounds and fluency in multiple languages have amplified their international presence amid the global K-pop phenomenon.
QUOTABLE
“Another key component I think of for Blackpink’s international expansion [is that] they have done a great job of always incorporating English elements into their music. It’s really accessible, really easy for Western listeners to get into, but also something that isn’t so foreign to Korean listeners.”
— Jeff Benjamin, Billboard’s K-pop columnist
BY THE NUMBERS
US$14.6 million A Blackpink concert in Malaysia brought an economic return of over US$14.6 million to the country.
US$6.6 million An Instagram post of Rosé wearing a Saint Laurent dress on the Cannes red carpet had an estimated media value of US$6.6 million.
US$623,000 Lisa charges more than US$623,000 for one Instagram post on her account, which has over 100 million followers.
QUIZ
What Guinness World Record does Blackpink hold?
A. The longest dance marathon by a K-pop group
B. The most streamed female group on Spotify
C. The largest attendance at a K-pop group concert
Scroll to the bottom for the answer.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lisa was the first K-pop idol to perform the cabaret at Crazy Horse in France, which sparked a debate on sexualisation and female liberation in China.
THE EDIT
♟️ Checkmate. Blackpink’s management company YG Entertainment rigorously trains its artists for years and strategises their every move, including their private lives.
🤑 Sales guarantee. Blackpink has staggering selling power: tour tickets sell out in seconds while anything they promote flies off the shelves instantly.
💅🏼 Star cred. The returns are quantifiable: luxury brands like Tiffany & Co, Chanel and Dior have generated millions of dollars thanks to their association with the Blackpink members.
THE FULL PICTURE
Indonesia accounts for the most views on Blackpink’s YouTube account, closely followed by India and Thailand.
KEY PLAYER
Teddy Park
Park Hong-jun, better known as Teddy Park, is a Korean-American record producer who established record label The Black Label in 2016. He has been the creative force behind numerous hit songs for iconic groups like Big Bang and Blackpink, solidifying his reputation in the music industry.
HONOUREE TO KNOW
JY Kwak
Contents Technologies, co-founded by JY Kwak, is one of Asia’s most prominent music IP companies. The company focuses on the South Korean market. Its business interests lie in music production and technology, visual effects, Web3 and gaming. Its CT Investments subsidiary launched Kpop and Korean entertainment ETF Kpop in 2022.
ONE FINAL THING
The four members didn’t renew their solo contracts with YG Entertainment. Instead, they have set up their own companies and are now releasing music in collaboration with renowned labels.
