BLACKPINK, the renowned girl group, has painted the global music scene pink, proving their world-class stature with their tour titled "BORN PINK."
According to YG Entertainment on September 20, the 'BORN PINK' tour, which spanned over a year from last October, covered 34 cities with 66 performances. The tour attracted an audience of about 1.8 million: 55,000 in Seoul, 540,000 in North America, 215,000 in Europe, 900,000 in Asia, 50,000 in Oceania, and 40,000 in the Middle East. Adding the 250,000 from the Coachella Festival in the US, where they were the first Asian artist headliners, and 65,000 from the UK's Hyde Park, the total audience reached an impressive 2,115,000.
BLACKPINK's Unprecedented Global Tour: Lighting Up the World with Over 2.1 Million Fans
BLACKPINK's Trail of Firsts
Since their debut, BLACKPINK has consistently achieved firsts, and this tour was no exception. In North America, they were the first global girl group to perform in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, San Francisco's Oracle Park, and LA's Dodger Stadium. They were also the only Korean girl group to perform in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium and Mexico City's Foro Sol. In Europe, they planted their flag as the first K-pop girl group to perform an encore at Paris' Stade de France.
In Asia and the Middle East, they set significant milestones. They were the first K-pop idols to hold stadium concerts in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In Thailand, they were the first female artists globally to hold concerts at Bangkok's Supachalasai Stadium and Rajamangala National Stadium. In Singapore, they set a record for the most attendees for a K-pop artist.
In the United Arab Emirates' Abu Dhabi's Etihad Park and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh BLVD International Festival Site, they were the first K-pop artists and global girl group, respectively, to hold solo concerts. In Korea, they confidently entered the country's largest indoor venue, Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, writing a new chapter in both girl group history and the K-pop market.
A Global Festival: 'BORN PINK' Beyond Just Concerts
'BORN PINK' wasn't just a concert series but a festival where fans worldwide exchanged and enjoyed cultural trends through BLACKPINK's music. Various pop-up stores set up in major cities worldwide drew massive crowds, and spontaneous random play dances by local fans became a common sight.
Major city centers were adorned with banners welcoming BLACKPINK and bathed in pink lights. Notably, London's O2 Arena lit up its exterior for the first time in honor of the group, and special events in Las Vegas and Riyadh saw city landmarks illuminated in pink.
Focused Essence: The Synergy between YG and the Artists
The success of this tour was attributed to the combined efforts of BLACKPINK, YG staff, and top-tier staff from both Korea and abroad. YG stated, "Considering the diverse environments and variables of each country, we focused on the essence of the performance, spending over a month on pre-production and rehearsals alone." They also emphasized that the artists actively provided feedback, with many of their ideas being incorporated.
This multifaceted effort resulted in flawless performances, rich band sounds, and grand-scale productions synergizing to create the best stages at every moment. This led to praises from major international media outlets, with comments like "Evidence that the barriers of pop music's language and culture are increasingly breaking down" (The Guardian), "From the dazzling stage production to the excellent ensemble of the live band, everything provided the audience with the best musical moments" (Billboard), and "A performance of higher completion than ever, showing growth in both the team and individuals" (Grammy).
