“Our North American tour is finally happening,” said an excited Jennie, one of the four members of the K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, while appearing on the American television show Good Morning America in February to huge cheers from the audience. Jennie, 23, whose real name is Jennie Kim, and her fellow members. Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa, have enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame since the release of their hit debut single, Boombayah , in August 2016. The success they have achieved up to now was unimaginable at the time. Last Friday the band, which just released its latest single, Kill This Love , made history as the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella 2019, the annual arts and music festival in Indio, California. K-pop group BLACKPINK rise and shine for a K-pop ‘Good Morning America’ TV show On Wednesday the group started their “In Your Area” North American tour with a concert in Los Angeles, before they return to perform at Coachella 2019 during the event’s final weekend. The group will then play a further five concerts in Chicago, Hamilton, Newark, Atlanta and Fort Worth. The four stars were originally signed up by the record label and talent agency, YG Entertainment, in the early 2010s and spent several years training in dance and singing before the group was launched. BLACKPINK experienced immediate popularity and success. Thanks to the catchy lyrics of their songs, such as the debut release Boombayah (Click-clack-Badda-bing-badda-boom) and the chart-topping follow-up single Whistle (Whistle like a missile, boom boom) – both written by YG producer Teddy Park – their beauty and polished choreography, the group had the makings of a top-tier group right from the start. BLACKPINK tops 500 million YouTube views again with ‘As If It’s Your Last’ BLACKPINK would go on to be named “rookie of the year” at nearly all of the Korean music awards shows. Instantaneous success saw the band ranked among the nation’s most popular K-pop groups in only five months and gain millions of BLACKPINK fans around the world, called “Blinks”. The group’s popularity also served to fill a major void left by YG Entertainment’s previously popular girl group, 2NE1. Ever since 2NE1 broke up in 2016, fans had been looking for a group with members that embodied the characteristics of strong, independent girls. Just like BLACKPINK, 2NE1 had also featured four members, with three of them studying overseas. 2NE1’s reign – lasting from its 2009 debut until a belated, final, farewell single release, Goodbye , in January 2017 – saw the band become one of the most popular female groups in K-pop history. They shattered records, were beloved by many fans and were one of the groups that helped to popularise K-pop. View this post on Instagram #BLACKPINK #블랙핑크 #LISA #리사 #KILLTHISLOVE #FOCUSED_CAMERA #INKIGAYO #인기가요 #YG A post shared by BLΛƆKPIИK (@blackpinkofficial) on Apr 10, 2019 at 5:01pm PDT <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> K-pop girl group BLACKPINK to make US debut at Coachella 2019 “Blinks” found that same strong, dynamic all-girl appeal in BLACKPINK, who effortlessly filled the void left by 2NE1 while, at the same time, following their own path. Today BLACKPINK enjoys immense influence on Korea’s fashion scene. They are ranked first for brand reputation by the Korea Reputation Research Institute and, like many popular groups, endorse the products of a number of different companies, including Shibuya 109, Tokyo Girls Collection, Puma and Dior Cosmetics. BLACKPINK also act as a brand representative in many Asian countries. However, the group’s biggest impact is through their fashion effect on K-pop fans around the world. When the four members are spotted wearing new clothes in public, or in one of the group’s music videos, their attire quickly becomes a trending topic on social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram. View this post on Instagram #BLACKPINK #블랙핑크 #DontKnowWhatToDo #DANCE_PRACTICE #MOVING_VERSION #안무영상 #YG A post shared by BLΛƆKPIИK (@blackpinkofficial) on Apr 15, 2019 at 5:06pm PDT <!--//--><![CDATA[// ><!-- //--><!]]> Make-up and fashion YouTubers frequently upload videos of their favourite BLACKPINK fashions. Clothing-label sponsors often see an increase in sales after their clothes are wore by BLACKPINK. The group’s success has also led the four members to consider pursuing careers on their own. Happy birthday Jennie of BLACKPINK! How the fiercest K-pop girl left Lady Gaga in the dust Jennie is the first to have launched a solo career and the reception to her first single has already been encouraging. Aptly named Solo , her debut track became the most viewed music video by a female K-pop soloist in the first 24 hours after its appearance on the video-sharing website, YouTube. Jennie’s solo success will also pave the way for her bandmates’ solo careers in future. The North American tour and Coachella 2019 appearances – just three short years after their debut – show that BLACKPINK are one of the most powerful, sought-after female groups in K-pop today. If its huge success is any indication, then this year will prove to be another stepping stone to even grander things. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter
