2025: The Year of BLACKPINK- opinion piece
By: Matthew Landsman
February 17th, 2025
Courtesy of Yui Mok-WPA Pool/Getty Image
This year, BLACKPINK members have been busier than ever, working on solo projects and signing with U.S.-label partnerships. Jennie, Lisa and Jisoo opened their own companies for solo endeavors, leaving behind YG Entertainment for full creative control. Rosé joined YG’s subsidiary THE BLACK LABEL with Atlantic Records leading the promotions.
Rosé was the first to release her new full-length album “Rosie,” in December, detailing a heartbreak and a toxic relationship that took a massive toll on her. She garnered insane success with almost 70 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Bruno Mars was featured on the first upbeat single “APT.” which has taken over the world, becoming the fastest K-pop song to hit 1 billion streams and entering the top 3 on Billboard Hot 100.
“Rosie” as a whole is more melancholy compared to “APT.” This is the most honest music a BLACKPINK member has put out. It is a relatable piece of art that allows Rosé to go through many emotions that come with someone who doesn’t treat you right. Some songs are soaked in sadness, feelings of anger, and feelings of not being able to let go of this person because of the power they hold. “Toxic Till the End” served as the second and main single of the project with an accompanying music video. Model and actor Evan Mock played the ex and toxic lover. This song perfectly captures the main messages of the project and shows a darker side that K-pop usually doesn’t explore. “Rosie” is a unique body of art that feels therapeutic to listen to.
Lisa released three singles, one featuring Rosalià, in 2024 under her company LLOUD. RCA Records partnered with her for global promotions. This year, Lisa will drop a full-length project titled “Alter Ego” on Feb. 28. Ahead of the album release, she is teaming up with Doja Cat and RAYE for an iconic collaboration called “Born Again” which came out on Feb. 6. The anthemic song is her best yet, showcasing vocals that have never been heard from her.
“Born Again” is a continuation of “New Woman” talking about the rebirth of Lisa and how this ex, if he stayed longer, would’ve seen what an empowering woman he missed out on. The best part of her music is that she doesn’t stick to one genre, exploring sounds that would not have happened unless she took control of her solo content. Along with the upcoming album dropping, she will be making her acting debut in the infamous “The White Lotus” for its third season on Feb. 16.
Jennie released her first empowering single “Mantra” last October. She is a girls girl to her core, rapping on the song about uplifting women instead of putting them down. Odd Atelier is Jennie’s independent company that partnered up with Columbia Records for music promotions worldwide. “Ruby” is her middle name and the title of her first full-length record dropping on March 7. Childish Gambino, Doechii, Dominic Fike, FKJ, and Dua Lipa will be featured. Having that many incredible established artists on her first album is very impressive.
On Jan. 31, Jennie dropped “Love Hangover” in collaboration with Dominic Fike. It is a dreamy song that details the feeling of going back to someone after calling it off and still getting with them, falling deep into a “love hangover” when the next day’s reality hits. The music video starred actor Charles Melton as the love interest who mourns the loss of Jennie after she gets into multiple major accidents that “hurt” her. The video is hysterical and very tongue-in-cheek, which is refreshing as you don’t see much comedy in K-pop videos anymore. The best scene was when she was bowling and went with the ball towards the pins. It will be exciting to see what Jennie has in store for “Ruby.”
Jisoo decided to tackle her solo career with her brother, combining forces to create the company BLISSOO. She has been occupied with filming multiple acting projects after having a successful Korean drama “Snowdrop” back in 2021. On top of a very packed shooting schedule, she made a comeback on Valentine’s Day with “AMORTAGE.” This announcement came after her signing with Warner Records for promotions. Two full English-spoken tracks along with two Korean songs comprise “AMORTAGE.” Every song has co-writing and co-producing credits from Jisoo.
The project details the highs and lows of a relationship with a significant other. “earthquake," the title track, is about a blossoming crush. The feeling of this storm is used as a metaphor for falling in deeper to someone romantically. “Your Love” is a standout full English song that sounds similar to an early Zedd track. Her voice glides in a high register against a groovy beat as she sings about how intense the relationship has become. The vibe contrasts from light and dark moments which fits Jisoo’s large register with bassy low notes and her high soulful notes.
BLACKPINK has had an outstanding year as soloists and the good news continues! If you were worried that they wouldn’t come back as a group soon, no need to fret. All the girls had strict timelines for solo releases because they are preparing for a comeback this year! After two years of no music, they are allegedly aiming for a summer release. They will also embark on a world tour after three years. 2025 has already been an incredible time for the girls and I am ready for more to come.
Rosé was the first to release her new full-length album “Rosie,” in December, detailing a heartbreak and a toxic relationship that took a massive toll on her. She garnered insane success with almost 70 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Bruno Mars was featured on the first upbeat single “APT.” which has taken over the world, becoming the fastest K-pop song to hit 1 billion streams and entering the top 3 on Billboard Hot 100.
“Rosie” as a whole is more melancholy compared to “APT.” This is the most honest music a BLACKPINK member has put out. It is a relatable piece of art that allows Rosé to go through many emotions that come with someone who doesn’t treat you right. Some songs are soaked in sadness, feelings of anger, and feelings of not being able to let go of this person because of the power they hold. “Toxic Till the End” served as the second and main single of the project with an accompanying music video. Model and actor Evan Mock played the ex and toxic lover. This song perfectly captures the main messages of the project and shows a darker side that K-pop usually doesn’t explore. “Rosie” is a unique body of art that feels therapeutic to listen to.
Lisa released three singles, one featuring Rosalià, in 2024 under her company LLOUD. RCA Records partnered with her for global promotions. This year, Lisa will drop a full-length project titled “Alter Ego” on Feb. 28. Ahead of the album release, she is teaming up with Doja Cat and RAYE for an iconic collaboration called “Born Again” which came out on Feb. 6. The anthemic song is her best yet, showcasing vocals that have never been heard from her.
“Born Again” is a continuation of “New Woman” talking about the rebirth of Lisa and how this ex, if he stayed longer, would’ve seen what an empowering woman he missed out on. The best part of her music is that she doesn’t stick to one genre, exploring sounds that would not have happened unless she took control of her solo content. Along with the upcoming album dropping, she will be making her acting debut in the infamous “The White Lotus” for its third season on Feb. 16.
Jennie released her first empowering single “Mantra” last October. She is a girls girl to her core, rapping on the song about uplifting women instead of putting them down. Odd Atelier is Jennie’s independent company that partnered up with Columbia Records for music promotions worldwide. “Ruby” is her middle name and the title of her first full-length record dropping on March 7. Childish Gambino, Doechii, Dominic Fike, FKJ, and Dua Lipa will be featured. Having that many incredible established artists on her first album is very impressive.
On Jan. 31, Jennie dropped “Love Hangover” in collaboration with Dominic Fike. It is a dreamy song that details the feeling of going back to someone after calling it off and still getting with them, falling deep into a “love hangover” when the next day’s reality hits. The music video starred actor Charles Melton as the love interest who mourns the loss of Jennie after she gets into multiple major accidents that “hurt” her. The video is hysterical and very tongue-in-cheek, which is refreshing as you don’t see much comedy in K-pop videos anymore. The best scene was when she was bowling and went with the ball towards the pins. It will be exciting to see what Jennie has in store for “Ruby.”
Jisoo decided to tackle her solo career with her brother, combining forces to create the company BLISSOO. She has been occupied with filming multiple acting projects after having a successful Korean drama “Snowdrop” back in 2021. On top of a very packed shooting schedule, she made a comeback on Valentine’s Day with “AMORTAGE.” This announcement came after her signing with Warner Records for promotions. Two full English-spoken tracks along with two Korean songs comprise “AMORTAGE.” Every song has co-writing and co-producing credits from Jisoo.
The project details the highs and lows of a relationship with a significant other. “earthquake," the title track, is about a blossoming crush. The feeling of this storm is used as a metaphor for falling in deeper to someone romantically. “Your Love” is a standout full English song that sounds similar to an early Zedd track. Her voice glides in a high register against a groovy beat as she sings about how intense the relationship has become. The vibe contrasts from light and dark moments which fits Jisoo’s large register with bassy low notes and her high soulful notes.
BLACKPINK has had an outstanding year as soloists and the good news continues! If you were worried that they wouldn’t come back as a group soon, no need to fret. All the girls had strict timelines for solo releases because they are preparing for a comeback this year! After two years of no music, they are allegedly aiming for a summer release. They will also embark on a world tour after three years. 2025 has already been an incredible time for the girls and I am ready for more to come.