Girl groups and boy bands have been a staple in the music industry for decades. With its eccentricities, upbeat sound and vibrant colours K-Pop has become a prominent part of modern music culture.
Comprised of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa, one of the biggest K-Pop girl-groups currently is BLACKPINK. Acquiring accolades for the 2020 Song of the Summer at the MTV Video Music Awards, a platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association, and peaking at number 2 on the billboard 200 only attests to their strength as collaborative performers. Having performed alongside artists like Dua Lipa and Selena Gomez has not only solidified their place in the western market, but also added to their vast following.
Now, Rosé has debuted her solo album R via YG Entertainment Inc. and Interscope. The album includes the tracks “Gone” and “On the Ground”.
“On the Ground” acts as the album’s lead single. Unlike previous songs by the group such as “How You Like That” and “Ice Cream”, the track starts off at a slower pace. The inclusion of synthetic accompaniment remains, and Rosé displays an amazing range of vocals as the song progresses.
A music video uploaded to the group’s official artist channel on YouTube has garnered more than 84 million views. Its initial release amassed 41.6 million of those in under 24 hours. This makes it the most viewed South Korean music video by a solo artist under that time frame. This record was previously achieved 8 years prior by Psy for his song “Gentleman”.
Does this mean the group is splitting up?!
Don’t fret. This isn’t the first time a member of the band has gone solo temporarily. Back in 2018, on November 11, member Jennie performed aptly named single “Solo” as a standalone piece. The company YG Entertainment Inc., who formed BLACKPINK intends for each member to release individual content.
Though each member of the band can sing, some have additional roles within the group. Jennie is a rapper, Rosé is a dancer and Lisa can both rap and dance. YG Entertainment representatives have stated that the band’s biggest strength is the artists’ ability to work cohesively as well as on their own. By allowing each member to perform solo projects, their individual strengths can shine through.
