BLACKPINK Was Included on Rolling Stone’s “10 New Artists You Need to Know”
Once again, we talked to 10 of the hottest artists who are climbing the charts, breaking the Internet or just dominating our office stereos. This month: Chance the Rapper cohort Noname, K-pop trap crew Blackpink, “Ooouuu” hitmaker Young M.A and more.
BLACKPINK
Sounds Like: A perfect marriage of K-pop and A-town trap
For Fans of: CL, 2NE1, Ariana Grande and Fifth Harmony’s harder moments
Why You Should Pay Attention: “K-trap” may not be an actual genre but Blackpink, YG Entertainment’s new girl group, are on the verge of breaking with a unique fusion of bubblegum pop and hard-hitting hip-hop. Each member of the group underwent a rigorous training process anywhere from four to six years before the group debuted this summer. The group had been teased over the years before finally releasing the two-song Square One EP. “I couldn’t believe it; it was such a long awaited debut that it was hard to tell if it was all a dream or not,” says member Jisoo. “However, once we did debut I also felt a sort of emptiness in my heart thinking that I’ve reached my goals. But now I have even bigger dreams to fill that emptiness. We’ve accomplished the first step by debuting, but I’d also like to achieve other bigger goals soon.”
Singing and rapping in both English and Korean, the bilingual group each grew up on as much of a fusion of genres as their music displays, with each member citing everyone from Lianne La Havas to Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande as influences. “I feel like we are well-prepared for any music style and dancing,” Jennie says of their eclectic backgrounds. “We have a strong color as a group, which we will reveal through our music.”
They Say: Blackpink credits their executive producer Yang with their name. “We considered so many different names just like any other group,” Jisoo explains. “Most of those names were created by Yang and Blackpink was also created by him. He always wanted us to show our different colors at all times, which is why Blackpink was chosen.”
“We had many names over the years until we officially became Blackpink,” Jennie adds. “I feel like Yang wanted to make a name that represents our two strong features, which is being a strong performer on stage but also our natural selves off stage, just like how black and pink are two opposite, contrasting colors.”
Hear for Yourself: All low-end boom and high-end tweets, the infectious “Whistle” feels like perfect pop update of the similarly chirpy Ying Yang Twins classic “Whistle While You Twurk.”
cr. Rolling Stone
