BLACKPINK charted another milestone after it became the first Kpop girl group to receive a certification from the prestigious Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their hit song DDU DU DDU DU.
BLACKPINK received the certification last August 15 for half a million certified units. According to a report by Billboard, RIAA now recognizes one digital song sale or 150 on-demand audio or video streams. The certification comes at the heels of the Recording Association of America's revamped Gold and Platinum Awards program which now acknowledges tracks and streams in its computation.
It can be recalled that that before the revamp, certifications were only given for pure physical sales.
This is a huge recognition for BLACKPINK since Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, and Jennie are the first Kpop female group to be certified by the RIAA. Among the number of Kpop artists that have breached the international market, the only ones to be certified have been PSY for his Gangnam Style worldwide phenomenon and Big Hit Entertainment's BTS.
DDU DU DDU DU, which is now on track to become the first Kpop group MV to reach the 1 billion mark on youtube streams, entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 55 when it released on June 30, 2018. BLACKPINK's Kill This Love peaked at No. 41 in the Hot 100.
Billboard has also credited BLACKPINK's performances for their Your Area World Tour in the US and Europe as among the best selling concert stages in the year, drawing in millions of revenue for YG Entertainment.
While BLACKPINK is taking a break from their Your Area World Tour, Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo and Rose are gearing to perform for two Private Stage shows at the Olympic Park Olympic Hall in Seoul on September 21.
According to a report by All Kpop, YG Entertainment has already teased the private stage performance with a video. Fan club members can buy the ticket on August 20 at 8 p.m. KST, while the general public can buy the ticket on August 22 and August 23. BLACKPINK is also set to promote their new Japanese album in the following months as a lead up to the Japan Dome leg of their Your Area World Tour.
BLACKPINK is expected to perform Japanese versions of DDU DU DDU DU, As If Its Your Last, Playing with Fire, Stay, Whistle and Boombayah in addition to the upcoming Kill This Love Japanese version included in their new album.
Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, and Rose have also finished filming for their summer special in Hawaii which is expected to chronicle their adventures in the island paradise.
