Blackpink
Blackpink (Hangul: 블랙핑크; commonly stylized as BLACKPINK or BLΛƆKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa.
2016
On June 15, the group released their first EP titled Square Up. The single "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" from the EP debuted at number 17 on the Official Trending Chart in the United Kingdom, making them the first female K-pop group to enter the chart since its launch in 2016. The single also debuted as the highest-charting Hot 100 hit ever by an all-female K-pop act, opening at number 55 with 12.4 million U.S. streams and 7,000 downloads in the tracking week ending June 21, 2018. The single also debuted at number 39 on the US Streaming Songs tally, where Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to chart a title. Square Up also brought the group their first entry and the highest-charting to date (2018) by an all-female K-pop group on the US Billboard 200, debuting at number 40 with 14,000 album-equivalent units, surpassing label mate 2NE1's 2014 record with their last album Crush which peaked at number 61. The EP also topped the Billboard World Albums chart. In South Korea, Square Up debuted at number one on Gaon Albums Chart. The single "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" peaked at number one on the Digital, Download, Streaming and Mobile charts on Gaon in its second week, while "Forever Young" managed to peak under top five. YouTube's official tally saw the music video for "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" garner a total of 36.2 million views within 24 hours after its release and became the most viewed online video in the first 24 hours by a Korean act and the second most watched music video of all time as at June 2018.
June 29, 2016
Promotional preparations began in August 2016 with the release of teaser images and their participation in songs and advertisements. YG Entertainment revealed the final line-up and name of the group on June 29, 2016.
August 2016
Blackpink was the first girl group to debut under YG Entertainment in six years after 2NE1, with their debut single album Square One, which was released on August 8, 2016. The two lead singles charted at number one and two on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart, and Blackpink is the fastest act to do so and the third Korean artist or group to hold the top two positions after label mates Psy and Big Bang. "Whistle" topped the digital, download, streaming, and mobile charts on Gaon in August 2016. They also reached number one on the weekly, popularity, music video, and K-pop music video charts of China's biggest music-streaming website QQ Music. Blackpink's first music show performance was aired on August 14, 2016 on SBS' Inkigayo. They won first place on Inkigayo 13 days after their debut, and broke the record for the shortest time for a girl group to win on a music program after their debut. They wrapped up their promotions for Square One on September 11, 2016 with another win on Inkigayo.
November 01, 2016
Blackpink released their second single album Square Two with the lead singles "Playing with Fire" and "Stay" on November 1, 2016. The songs were produced by Teddy Park with R. Tee and Seo Won Jin. They performed their comeback stage on Inkigayo on November 6 and on Mnet's M Countdown on November 10, 2016. "Playing with Fire" was their second single to hit number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. In South Korea, "Playing with Fire" peaked at number three while "Stay" managed to reach the tenth spot.
May 2017
In May 2017, Blackpink became ambassadors for Incheon Main Customs. The group has endorsed and collaborated with several high-end brands including Puma, Reebok, Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Dior Cosmetics, Moonshot, St. Scott London, Shibuya 109, Tokyo Girls Collection x CECIL McBEE, and Sprite Korea.
July 20, 2017
On July 20, 2017, Blackpink held a showcase at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. It had an attendance of more than 14,000 people and it was reported that around 200,000 people tried to get tickets for it.
August 30, 2017
The group made their Japanese debut on August 30, 2017, with the release of their self-titled Japanese extended play.
January 2018
In January 2018, it was announced that the debut Japanese EP of the group would be re-released under the name Re:Blackpink. The digital version included the same songs as the original release, while the physical version included a DVD containing all music videos and six songs in the Korean language.
July 28, 2018
On July 28, 2018, the group ranked first for brand reputation based on analysis by The Korea Reputation Research Institute.
September 2018
In September 2018, English singer Dua Lipa announced "Kiss and Make Up", a collaboration with Blackpink for the re-released Complete Edition of her self-titled debut album in October 19, 2018. "Kiss and Make Up" debuted at number 93 at the Billboard Hot 100, marking the Blackpink's second entry in the chart, and making them the only Korean girl group as at October 2018 to score multiple entries on the chart. The song is also their second song in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 36. It is also their first Top 40 entry, thus, making them the first female K-pop group and third Korean act overall to reach the chart's Top 40.
October 2018
In October 2018, YG CEO Yang Hyun-suk announced that each Blackpink member would have solo projects, with Jennie debuting first and Rosé next. On the same month, the group signed with Interscope Records for a global partnership with YG Entertainment; they would be represented by Interscope and Universal Music Group outside of Asia. In November 2018, Blackpink announced additional tour dates for their In Your Area World Tour, which covers thirteen dates around Asia from January through March 2019.
November 2018
In November 2018, Blackpink became a regional brand ambassador for a Singaporean e-commerce platform, Shopee.
2019
Forbes Korea Power Celebrity has named them the most influential celebrities of Korea in 2019.
January 2019
In January 2019, the music video for "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" became the most-watched music video by a South Korean group, surpassing BTS' "DNA". In November 2019, the video surpassed one billion views. In September 2019, Blackpink became the music group with the highest number of subscribers on YouTube after surpassing British boy band One Direction.
February 2019
Blackpink made their American debut at Universal Music Group's 2019 Grammy Artist Showcase, which was invite-only and took place at ROW in Downtown Los Angeles on February 9. The group has since appeared in several American television shows in February 2019. Billboard's March issue had with five covers, a group cover and four with each individual member. They are the first K-pop girl group to be on the magazine's cover.
April 2019
In April 2019, Blackpink made a donation of 40 million won to the Hope Bridge Association of the National Disaster Relief for the victims of the Sokcho wildfire in South Korea.
April 05, 2019
Blackpink's second EP, Kill This Love, was released on April 5, 2019. Blackpink performed at the 2019 Coachella Festival on April 12 and 19, 2019, being the first female K-pop group to perform at Coachella. The EP debuted at no. 24 on the Billboard 200, while the single reached no. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.
November 22, 2019
On November 22, 2019, Blackpink reached 9,604,061 followers on Spotify, surpassing Fifth Harmony and Little Mix, breaking the record as the most followed girl group.
