Square Up! BLACKPINK’s Back
After a nearly year-long hiatus, YG Entertainment girl group BLACKPINK is set to make their return to the K-Pop scene with Square Up on June 15.
Square Up will contain four new tracks, including the comeback single “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” which is produced by Teddy. Members Rosé, Lisa, Jennie, and Jisoo shared that they filmed the track’s music video last month. On June 4, BLACKPINK released the titles of the other three songs on the album: “Really,” “Forever Young,” and “See U Later.”
Square Up will be BLACKPINK’s first mini-album, and follows their first two singles Square One and Square Two, and the group’s digital single “As If It’s Your Last.”
But that’s not all the fun that was announced this month; BLACKPINK also unveiled their official fanlight—and it’s got a surprising twist! It is not only a fanlight, but also a squeaky hammer for bonking people on the head as seen on popular Korean variety programs—sound included!
For those who are just breaking into the K-Pop scene, BLACKPINK is a group that is easy to fall in love with due to their sweet yet cheeky sound, solid rapping, and impressive choreography. There’s a reason why each of the group’s five songs has reached over 100 million views on YouTube—they’re ridiculously good.
Let’s have a look at a few of their past releases to get caught up before they make their long-awaited return!
“Whistle”
Released simultaneously with fellow debut single “Boombayah,” “Whistle” caught on like wildfire in Korea when it was released on August 8, 2016, and it’s easy to see why: the song sucks the listener in instantly with its quick, cheeky whistle and English lyrics. The juxtaposition of such a light, flirty whistle with such a heavy club beat creates this fun, bright sound that is impossible not to want to dance along to. The song’s chorus is repetitive but doesn’t become boring; instead, the track’s “휘파람” becomes a line that fans can quickly pick up and sing along to. Members Jennie and Rosé’s voices provide this cool, smoky facet to the track as well.
“Whistle” is seriously a testament to the power of BLACKPINK from the get-go; the group received their first win on a music show for “Whistle” just 13 days after debut at Inkigayo, breaking the record for fastest win after debut for a girl group.
“Playing With Fire”
BLACKPINK brought the flames with them when they made their first comeback with two new tracks in November 2016: the melancholy ballad “Stay,” and tropical house track “Playing With Fire.” The song’s lyrics are about a love that feels as dangerous and thrilling as playing with fire, which ultimately spreads to an uncontrollable level. Member Lisa’s strong rapping skills are prominently on display in her verses, while Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosé carry the chorus with their melodious voices.
Each of BLACKPINK’s songs has this insane, natural ability to get stuck in the listener’s head long after the first listen. The addictive quality to “Playing With Fire” is the track’s use of synthesizer mixed with the members powerfully declaring: “my love is on fire, so don’t play with me boy.”
“As If It’s Your Last”
Another extra added facet to what makes BLACKPINK such an influential girl group is that three of the members speak English fluently. Their ability to speak other languages helps to appeal to worldwide K-Pop fans, who can easily understand a large portion of the group’s lyrics in all of their songs. That trend continued in “As If It’s Your Last,” a digital single released by the group in June 2017.
“As If It’s Your Last” followed the trend at the time in K-Pop of a mixture of moombahton and house influences, but, most noticeably, the track features Lisa rapping in all English. The song’s music video combines her flirtatious lyrics with a bubbly, neon color scheme and cotton candy; a perfect blend of sugar and spice.
BLACKPINK has this magnetic factor to them; they draw fans in with their effortless choreography, addictive choruses, and down-to-earth personalities. It will be exciting to see what the girls come back with next on June 15—be ready for it to dominate the charts!