The Anonymity of Blackpink

As they go solo, the members of the revered K-pop girl group have collaborated with A-list pop artists in a bid for individual stardom. It's made them feel like bystanders to their own careers.

If you don’t know who Blackpink are, I’ll assume that you live under a rock. Over the last decade or so, the girl group consisting of Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa have stood out from the crowd of other K-pop groups in town, and have managed to draw a singularly immense fanbase from across the globe. Their Born Pink tour broke the record for the highest-grossing tour by a girl group (the previous record holder being the Spice Girls). They were recognised by Moon Jae-in, the former president of South Korea, in a New Year’s address to the nation. By all accounts, Blackpink are huge.

But such success creates cracks in the glass, it seems. In particular, the strict contracts bound by YG Entertainment (the agency managing Blackpink) meant that the group’s members were limited in their movements, creatively stifled by drawn-out album rollouts and strict release schedules. Between 2016 and 2023, the group released two full-length albums – each consisting of a slender eight tracks – and each member was allowed to release one ‘single album’ (containing two songs apiece). This, of course, was surrounded by a gruelling performing schedule that somewhat resembles that one Lady Gaga quote. It’s understandable that creative individuals might find their passions hindered in such an environment.

As is the norm with K-pop groups, each individual Blackpink member’s YG contract lasted seven years. So when time came to renew them in August 2023, all four members left the label. (Though the group as a whole still have a contract with YG.) The birds flew the nest, and their prey (apologies for this flawed analogy) was international success. As of writing, Rosé and Lisa have each released an album, Jisoo’s dropped an EP, and Jennie’s album comes out next week.

In order to promote these projects – which, it’s worth noting, have all come out in a span of just over three months – ostensibly to a wider Western audience, the women have adopted a shared strategy: create pop hits with big names. While it’s proved successful in terms of numbers, these tracks nonetheless raise questions about the sustainability of each member’s solo career. It’s often the case that they are outshined by their guest artist.

Take, for example, ‘APT.’, the breakout hit from last year which saw Rosé flirt with Bruno Mars over a ‘Mickey’-esque schoolyard chant. Known hitmaker Mars, hot off the success of the Lady Gaga collab ‘Die With a Smile’, was a logical choice for this song. Maybe even too logical. Both stars’ verses on ‘APT.’ ooze personality, which only serves to highlight the lifelessness of the rest of her album rosie, of which ‘APT.’ is the lead single. The album ranges from milquetoast singer-songwriter pop like ‘toxic till the end’ to… ‘APT.’ There’s a shocking quality disparity when Rosé’s talents aren’t elevated by a collaborator. It feels like, after so long working within a group, she doesn’t know her strengths or trust them enough to carry a song on her own. (And she really should!)

Lisa has a different problem. When she’s going solo, she’s on fire, like on the abrasive, rap-heavy ‘Rockstar’. But when she introduces someone else, she fades away; on ‘Born Again’, she’s up against Doja Cat’s bars and Raye’s silken harmonies, ultimately surrendering to the magnanimous instrumental. She has the same issue on ‘New Woman’, which judders to a halt as soon as Rosalía shows up. Lisa, even within the confines of a Blackpink song, has proven she’s a skilled rapper, and on her solo record Alter Ego, album cuts like the chaotic ‘Elastigirl’ enable her to flex this prowess. But most people won’t listen to the whole album. Most people will just hear the singles, and the singles for Alter Ego – in particular ‘Born Again’ – imply a (frankly misplaced) lack of confidence in her abilities.

Then there’s the curious case of Jennie, who just seems a bit lost. On ‘Love Hangover’, she does her best Selena Gomez impression atop an instrumental ripped straight from Dominic Fike’s newest album; the latter has a guest verse on the song. ‘ExtraL’ suffers from the same symptom, its punishing ‘Pose’-esque beat being dominated by Doechii, who makes poor Jennie feel like an afterthought. Even on ‘Mantra’, the only solo single from her upcoming album Ruby, she flits between the cliché (‘inside glowing like the sun’) and the downright confusing (‘she’s that stunna /make you wanna swing both ways’) on a beat destined for an Asda ad.

Jisoo’s been the only Blackpink member to go it alone; her EP AMORTAGE, a bright slice of summery pop, has no features. It’s also the most intriguing of the four Blackpink solo projects (though note I’m writing this prior to the release of Jennie’s Ruby), purely because – regardless of music quality – it’s Jisoo’s voice we hear on AMORTAGE start to finish. No A-list guest stars, no big names, just her. It’s a shame, then, that the lack of celebrity cosigns has meant that that Jisoo’s project has also been the least commercially successful of the four members’.

Like it or not, the choice of Jennie, Lisa and Rosé to let their featured artists overshadow them on their own songs has meant that the streams are high and the money’s coming in. ‘APT.’ was one of the biggest songs of last year, while ‘Born Again’ and ‘ExtraL’ both had gay Twitter ablaze with excitement on their release. But the desire to create genuine artistic statements seems to have taken a backseat to the pursuit of virality. It’s a tale as old as time: sacrificing artistry for cash.

It’s possible that this strategy could have a positive effect. As we saw with Sabrina Carpenter’s career post-‘Espresso’, just one hit single can change the trajectory of an artist’s career and catapult them into the mainstream. Once these women have more Western visibility, it could open the door for them to unleash their more exciting and experimental work upon us listeners (if such work exists in their vaults).

Then again, this could work against them, based on the conversations I’ve had with friends. These singles all being released in quick succession has meant that it’s been difficult to remember who’s been on who’s song. Consumers remember songs for their collaborations (one friend referred to ‘ExtraL’, the Jennie track, as ‘Doechii’s new song’) rather than for their creators. It speaks volumes about how little we know about them or what their artistry sounds like.

But don’t get it twisted: Blackpink will be fine. Even if each artist’s record flopped tremendously, the quartet are heading back out on a tour later this year (which includes shows at Wembley Stadium), which will make them richer than they already are. Still, it makes one question their longevity as individual artists. It’s ironic, really, that such a huge part of K-pop stan culture is focused on ‘idols’ and adoring one singular member of the band. In their bid for becoming pop stars in their own right, the members of Blackpink are more anonymous than ever.