K-pop’s decadelong ascent in the U.S. will crest with one sure bet this year: “Born Pink,” the new album from Blackpink.
Lisa, Rose, Jennie and Jisoo made history with their 2019 Coachella set, hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 2020’s debut “The Album” and racked up fans from pop’s A-list (most recently Taylor Swift, who was filmed dancing to “Pink Venom” at the VMAs this year).
But while the group has a U.S. arena tour lined up this fall, some Blackpink fans fret that the eight-song “Born Pink” could be the end of an era for the group responsible for some of the genre’s all-time finest tracks, “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” and “How You Like That” among them.
Here are four takeaways from the new LP.
1. Is this the end for Blackpink?
In the 2020 Netflix documentary “Blackpink: Light up the Sky,” Lisa said, “It doesn’t matter if we grow old and get replaced by a new younger generation … because they will still remember how we shone so bright.” They had just walked offstage from their 2019 Coachella performance as the first female Korean group to play there — a highlight of anyone’s career. However she meant it — capturing a peak achievement, or acknowledging that her genre churns quickly — Blackpink seemed to have an end in sight.