Blackpink

Blackpink is one of South Korea’s most successful music exports. The K-pop girl group has become one of the most followed music acts on YouTube and its four members, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa and Rosé, have become celebrity style icons with growing influence in the fashion industry as they don designer outfits at big events, attend runway shows and appear in campaigns for an impressive roster of brands. 

Debuting in 2016, Blackpink was formed by South Korea’s biggest talent agent YG Entertainment, bringing together four women from different backgrounds across the Asia-Pacific region. Lisa — born Pranpriya Manobal in Thailand and known as Lalisa Manobal in Korea — is a dancer and rapper; Rosé — born Roseanne Park in New Zealand, raised in Australia and known as Park Chae-young in Korea — is a lead vocalist and guitar player; Jennie — who grew up between Korea and New Zealand as Kim Jennie — is the group’s main rapper. Jisoo — born Kim Ji-soo in Korea — is a lead vocalist and harmoniser.

Blackpink’s music is said to have an addictive quality, marked by hip-hop beats and pop-meets-house influences, while the group’s performances are lively and heavily choreographed. Each member has a unique personal style that has evolved as the women gained greater mainstream popularity and more intimate access to global fashion brands.  Collaborations with Lady Gaga and Cardi B in 2020 gave the group even more international appeal. As their fans inside the fashion industry also grew, the band members were invited to sit front row at high-profile luxury brand shows such as Chanel, Prada and Dior, often attracting throngs of fervent fans outside. By 2022, the band had amassed over 49 million followers on their official Instagram account; Jisoo had made headlines as an ambassador for Dior; Lisa had fronted campaigns for Celine and Bulgari, Rosé had partnered with Saint Laurent and Tiffany, and Jennie had worked with Chanel.