![]() She’s been living in Seoul with her mother for the past year. Twenty-six-year-old Jennie Kim, the group’s main rapper, grew up in Seoul and New Zealand, before joining YG in 2010. She’s the guitar-playing, high-note-hitting main vocalist with the “golden voice,” as fans love to point out. Rosé (Roseanne Chaeyoung Park), also 25, was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia. Lisa (real name: Lalisa Manobal), 25, is from Thailand, a dancer and rapper who spits fierce rhymes in multiple languages. But what we actually love is talking about our cats, dogs, good food, and pretty places.”īlackpink come from diverse backgrounds. “Sure, there are times when we talk about what kind of influence we could have. “More than anyone, we want to be ordinary girls,” says Jennie. My social standing may have changed, but to me, I’m just . . . too me.” “I’m the same person that started training in high school. “My mom and dad are proud of me, but I don’t feel like a world star,” says Jisoo in Korean, chatting in a conference room and wearing a beige mask she occasionally pulls down to slurp on iced coffee. They’re prone to laughter, constantly talking over one another. In person, Blackpink are more down-to-earth. Related: Buy the Collector’s Edition Box Set featuring Blackpink here Like, ‘If you don’t like me, you’ll regret it! I’m lovable and cool, you just don’t know it.’ ” ![]() ![]() “Rather than emphasizing how cute or feminine they are,” Yujung notes, “Blackpink’s confidence seems to stem from a certainty about themselves as individuals. Their videos are filled with bursts of color and inventive dancing, embodying YG’s characteristic dedication to “swag” - a term emblazoned in large letters in one of the company’s bathrooms - and fiercely independent womanhood. They make serious bangers, mixing powerful hip-hop beats with house, EDM, and more. “Who doesn’t want to perform in the States?”īlackpink’s music projects an explosive, larger-than-life force that’s both invigorating and addictive. “From the management and business side, we did have our view and vision to the States and outside of Asia,” says Daniel Hong, the CEO of YG’s U.S. Even the South Korean president has credited the group, among other cultural exports, for “giving hope and happiness to many around the world.” In the U.S., Blackpink have filled arenas and collaborated with stars like Lady Gaga and Cardi B. They’re the most-followed music act on YouTube on the streets of Seoul, you see them everywhere, from tiny screens in elevators to billboards on skyscrapers. Just earlier this year, all four were gallivanting around Paris, with front-row seats at fashion week.īlackpink are one of the most popular artists to ever come out of South Korea. The other three members have similar gigs, for the likes of Celine (Lisa), Saint Laurent (Rosé), Dior (Jisoo), and more. She’s an ambassador for the brand, as well as Chanel. flagship store for the eyewear brand Gentle Monster. After the interview, she’ll hop on a flight to attend Coachella and stop by the L.A. “These days . . . I think every day, ‘OK, how do I prepare myself for my next busy two years?’ ” she says, alternating between Korean and English. Jennie, who like her bandmates on this April afternoon is dressed down and wearing very little makeup, takes a deep breath before describing what’s ahead. Once the album (due sometime later this year) is complete, the flurry of activity will start again, giving the YG employees something new to buzz about and sending the lives of the group’s four members - Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé - into overdrive. And it’s where Blackpink, the world’s most popular girl group, are recording songs for their next album, their first since the early days of the pandemic. The underground floors feel more like a secret den: This is where artists practice in dance studios, record music, and trainees mingle with the stars. There are screens everywhere, showcasing YG’s huge roster. Hundreds of YG employees walk busily about. The upper floors are brightly lit and open: meeting rooms with huge windows, an employee cafeteria, even a pho restaurant. Opened in 2020, its new complex extends nine stories aboveground and five below. YG is one of South Korea’s largest entertainment agencies, producing international K-pop stars, as well as, more recently, actors and models. In an otherwise ordinary Seoul neighborhood, the headquarters of YG Entertainment rise like a giant spaceship above the Han River.
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