BLACKPINK's contract with YG Entertainment is set to expire on August 8, 2023. There has been much speculation about whether the group will renew their contract, but no official announcement has been made yet.
Some reports have suggested that Lisa has received offers from other agencies, while others have said that all four members are in talks with YG about a renewal. It is also possible that the group will go their separate ways after their contracts expire.
Only time will tell what the future holds for BLACKPINK, but one thing is for sure: they are one of the most popular and successful K-pop groups in the world.
August 8, 2023 -- BLACKPINK's renewal with YG Entertainment is now a thing of the past. BLACKPINK's "7-year girl group curse" is also a thing of the past.
These were the two statements that came to mind while preparing a story about BLACKPINK on July 31, 2023. There were two possible paths. Officially, it was unclear which path BLACKPINK would choose.
If there was no renewal, the shining title of YG's jewel box would have vanished.
Speculations were rampant. Lisa reportedly received numerous overseas offers, including from her home country, Thailand, amounting to billions of won. (There were rumors that she even declined YG's second contract offer after the first. The other three members seemed positive.) Questions arose if Jennie and Rosé's international activities were obstacles to the renewal. Jisoo, the only native Korean member, seemed to have acting aspirations.
Not all signals were negative. Rosé assured fans at a Singapore concert, saying, "BLACKPINK isn't going anywhere," which was met with cheers. Jennie mentioned "the last" before their finale concert at Gocheok Sky Dome.
YG, as always, did not give a clear answer.
BLACKPINK did not choose either option 1 or 2, at least officially. We'll have to see what the members say at their 'BORN PINK' world tour finale concert at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 17th.
From YG's perspective, will this be the last concert with BLACKPINK? From an IR perspective, BLACKPINK generates billions in revenue, making them a valuable asset and IP.
August 8, 2016, Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, MOOSE STUDIO.
BLACKPINK's debut showcase was different in two ways from other girl group debuts. YG's Yang Hyun-suk personally took the mic, and the voices of the four BLACKPINK members were barely heard. From here, BLACKPINK began building their mystique.
The main topic at the event seemed to be 2NE1 rather than the individual members. Yang Hyun-suk seemed to be aware of the interest in BLACKPINK and almost blocked questions directed at the members, possibly to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings or misinterpretations.
The few comments made by Jisoo and Jennie were also about 2NE1. Jisoo said, "2NE1 are our great seniors, and we want to be like them. Instead of being compared, we think it's better to become like them." Jennie added, "We've lived and practiced together for years, preparing and practicing our dances and songs. We have a lot to show in the future."
While they are global superstars now, back then, there weren't many questions directed at the members. Their skills were still a question mark, so there was a mix of anticipation and pressure.
Then came the debut double title tracks 'Whistle' and 'Boombayah' music video screening. It felt more like a "YG's new girl group debut press conference" led by Yang Hyun-suk.
Three months later, on November 2, 2016, Moonshot Flagship Store, Samcheong-dong, Seoul.
This is remembered as BLACKPINK's first and last face-to-face interview with domestic media.
There were various reactions to this. Some called them the "silver spoon girl group" and criticized the round interview format for a rookie group. Jennie, when asked a question, responded with a shy smile. After the interview, some reporters even asked YG's PR team if they had been too strict with the members.
Even though they had a promising start, the members seemed lost during the interview. This event only added to their mystique.
Major World Records:
- 9 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Best record: 2020's 'Ice Cream' (with Selena Gomez) at #13.
- 4 entries on the Billboard 200 chart. 2022's 'BORN PINK' was the first K-pop girl group to reach #1.
- 2nd most followers on official Instagram in Korea (57.41 million).
- 1st to 4th most followers on personal Instagram accounts (Lisa with 97.40 million, Jennie with 81.25 million, Jisoo with 75.45 million, and Rosé with 73.87 million).
- 2nd most followers on official Spotify in Korea, 1st among global girl groups, and 9th among global female artists (44.83 million).
- Guinness World Record for most cumulative streams on Spotify (as of March, 8.88 billion streams).
- 1st in global artist channel subscribers on official YouTube, 11th in global channel overall (91 million).
- 12 official YouTube music videos with over 300 million views. Most viewed: 2018's 'DDU-DU DDU-DU' (2 billion views).
Dating Rumors and the YG Style
YG Entertainment officially acknowledged the relationship between Jisoo and actor Ahn Bo-hyun on August 3rd. They stated, "They are in the early stages of getting to know each other with good feelings. We would appreciate it if you could watch over them with a warm gaze."
Starting from Jennie, moving on to Rosé and Lisa, and then to Jisoo, the love stories of BLACKPINK members, painted in pink, were unique in themselves.
Jennie is wearing the clothes presumed to be worn at the time of V's dating rumors. /Photo =
Jennie was the only member who was the protagonist of multiple dating rumors. On January 1, 2019, paparazzi photos of her dating EXO's Kai were released, followed by SM Entertainment's confirmation of their relationship and news of their breakup a month later. YG remained silent throughout this period.
In February 2021, it was revealed (according to Star News investigations) that BIGBANG's G-Dragon visited the photoshoot location where Jennie was working as a solo model, indicating a special relationship between them, regardless of whether it was romantic or not.
*Jennie appeared as the female lead in G-Dragon's 2012 solo song 'That XX' music video and featured in his 2013 solo song 'BLACK'. At that time, Jennie was a trainee, yet to debut as a BLACKPINK member. In 2016, a scene of G-Dragon and Jennie having dinner together was revealed when G-Dragon's personal SNS was hacked.
Then there's the famous BTS's V, Kim Taehyung. Amidst the silence from both YG and Big Hit, photos captured at various locations practically hinted at their ongoing relationship. Adding to this, there was significant buzz when Jennie reportedly unfollowed G-Dragon on Instagram. Rumors also circulated when Jennie and V's Instagram IDs matched the initials 'J' and 'V', suggesting a possible relationship.
However, Jennie never spoke about these rumors. In Netflix's 'BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky', Jennie said, "I've always avoided interviews asking about me. I didn't want to talk about myself."
Strictly speaking, Rosé's dating rumor seemed more like a rumor. It was about her relationship with actor Kang Dong-won, 17 years her senior. The rumor started in China and gained traction when a photo of them sitting side by side at a gathering of fashion industry workers was released by Burberry's former creative director, Riccardo Tisci. There were even speculations about them holding hands behind a wooden screen in the photo.
Kang Dong-won and Rosé were seen smiling warmly at the photographer in the aforementioned picture. There were also highlights of them wearing couple necklaces and matching outfits. However, YG immediately responded, "To address the ongoing baseless speculations, we would like to clarify once again," officially denying the dating rumors.
BLACKPINK and YG: The Shining Jewel Box Over the Years
As for Lisa, her rumored partner was none other than 'LVMH family' Frédéric Arnault. Frédéric Arnault is well-known as the CEO of the luxury watch brand TAG Heuer under the LVMH group and is the third son of Bernard Arnault, the world's second-richest person according to Forbes.
Foreign media cited evidence of their relationship, mentioning photos of Lisa spending time with Frédéric Arnault at a restaurant near Paris. They also noted that Frédéric Arnault attended BLACKPINK's LA concert and emphasized his fervent fandom for BLACKPINK. Following Lisa's Instagram update in Paris, there were reports of them being spotted on a dinner date in July. Some media even reported, "Lisa headed to LA on Frédéric Arnault's private jet and will join the concert venue later," but the truth remains uncertain.
And then, Jisoo started her public relationship with Ahn Bo-hyun. After YG's acknowledgment of their relationship, Ahn Bo-hyun's agency, FN Entertainment, also stated, "Ahn Bo-hyun and Jisoo are in the early stages of getting to know each other with good feelings. We hope you watch over them warmly." Both Ahn Bo-hyun and Jisoo attended the VIP screening of the movie 'Smuggling' at Megabox COEX in Gangnam, Seoul on July 20th, once again becoming a hot topic.
