Unlocking the BLACKPINK Expansion Pack
It's March 2025, and Blackpink's members as soloists now have more songs than Blackpink as a group.
BLACKPINK as a team have 32 original songs (some were recorded again in Japanese, or re-released in live or remix versions).
Between solo albums and singles where they're the lead artist, according to Apple Music (and my count) the members have a combined 55 songs: Lisa-17, Jisoo-6, Rosé-14, Jennie-18. (If I miscounted or am off on any of these numbers, please do let me know in the comments or via email.)
All four of the members released new albums over the past few months: rosie by Rosé kicked off BLACKPINK Solo Season on December 6, then Jisoo's Amortage on February 14 and Lisa's Alter Ego on February 28. Jennie's Ruby on March 7 rounded things out.
These albums are all a representation of the new era of BLACKPINK: each album was released by an American music label, and it is each members' first album beyond their foundational company YG Entertainment. As of 2025, all but Rosé have set up their own management companies, and Rosé is now under YG's subsidiary The Black Label.
Although they are still tied to YG Entertainment, and BLACKPINK will be touring later this year, it's a new moment where it feels like each woman gets to put a define how she wants to be firmly identified not as An Idol but An Artist.
How well that was pulled off really varies, though Jennie's album is seen by most critics as the clear winner from the bunch thanks to its dynamism and depth, with each track presenting something that feels like it pushes forward the idea of who Jennie is as a performer and creative. The other three each present up some solid tracks, but they aren't quite as solid as Ruby. Jisoo's (the only EP from the bunch) is sleek pop but perhaps not as catchy as her previous "Flower"; Rosé's album has her trying her hand at singer-songwriter but things come about a bit basic, while Lisa attempts to showcase who she is without really showing us who she really is. Ultimately, critical (and personal) opinions aside, there are good tracks on each, and it does breathe life into BLACKPINK's discography, expanding and reinvigorating it with a much-needed musical boost.
A tour which will bring these four women back together, and these albums. As I was writing this, a friend asked in one of our group chats (though not the one planning military attacks) why people are pitting the four members of BLACKPINK against one another, and when women will stop being pitted against each other for the sake of Media Discourse. I, of course, would love to see the end of one of pop culture's most beloved narratives, but I think part of it here is simple marketing: the four members of BLACKPINK have positioned themselves as one another's rivals, competitors, and we're not talking about them in the context of anyone else.
BLACKPINK's solos being the talk of the musical town is a win-win, even if in the moment one (or two or three), seem like they're losing critically, commercially, or on the charts. K-pop companies often do this, but it's the first time I can remember seeing it among groupmates to this degree.
As much as they're all going their own way, BLACKPINK are still a unit act, and these releases add to their grandeur, and more than doubled their discography while paving their own individual paths. They're expanding their brand and their personal identities. It's a masterstroke, in a way, to create entertainment and discourse simultaneously, all based on the idea that these women work together and alongside one another but can also be apart and do great things.
What I'm working on
I shared it last week in the mini note, but in case you missed it, I spoke with Yeji for NME about her excellent debut album Air.
What I'm reading
Joshua Minsoo Kim reviews Lisa and Jennie's albums for Pitchfork
"NewJeans Had Planned a Rebirth. The Performance Ended in Tears" by Jon Caramnica for The New York Times
What I'm listening to
Along with the BLACKPINK albums, I've been playing Ten's "Stunner" is dynamic in a way that harkens back to his first song "Dream in a Dream", which is still a solid top bar track.
What I'm watching
The world is bleak and I'm coping with it by being very nostalgic for the days of my youth aka the days of the WB and UPN, and so I'm rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I will be watching When Life Gives You Tangerines once I finish this rewatch.
