When BLACKPINK made its debut in the summer of 2016, the four-piece act garnered much attention as K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment’s first girl group in seven years since 2NE1.
Setting astonishing milestones along the way, the group will celebrate the eighth anniversary of its record-breaking career on Aug. 8.
In celebration of the anniversary, the group released the concert film “BLACKPINK WORLD TOUR [BORN PINK] IN CINEMAS” on July 31. The film brings to the screen the group’s concert in Seoul last year, a finale performance of its record-breaking world tour “BORN PINK.” The group traveled to 34 different countries for about 66 concerts in front of over 1.8 million fans, becoming the K-pop girl group to have the largest audience on its world tour.
The four members, Lisa, Jennie, Rose and Jisoo, are set to reunite for the film’s special event on Friday, walking down the pink carpet, which is the group’s signature color, to meet the fans.
The group stormed onto the K-pop scene right after its debut, instantly shooting to stardom with its single album “SQUARE ONE,” released on 추천 Aug. 8, 2016. The album’s two tracks, “Boombayah” and “Whistle,” landed on first and second on Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart, becoming the first rookie girl group to take the spots with debut songs.
Pop culture critic Kim Do-heon noted that BLACKPINK changed the perceptions of K-pop artists in the global music scene.
“In the past, when K-pop groups made their way into the global music market, they were viewed as challengers trying to compete with their music … But BLACKPINK has been garnering attention, showing the images and appearances that live up to the reputation of true pop stars,” he said.
“They’ve created an image that many people aspire to as iconic figures, being on the same footing as Western pop stars, which makes them noteworthy.”