From the extravagant looks to the coordinated dance moves, there’s nothing like a K-pop music video. BLACKPINK is no exception to the genre as they are one of the many groups that know how to put on an entertaining performance. With their ability to serve an array of looks from ‘grungy cool girl’ in “Kill This Love” to ‘girly chic’ in “Ice Cream” and their talent for creating viral dances, there’s no surprise their fanbase continues to grow with each video release.
The South Korean group includes members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa and debuted in August 2016 with their single album “Square One.” The group have since risen to fame as the highest-charting female Korean act on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13 with “Ice Cream” (2020), and on the Billboard 200, peaking at number two with “The Album” (2020). As K-pop fans gear up for BLACKPINK’s next single, here’s a look at some of their best music videos so far.
Kill This Love
If you’ve ever wondered how many outfit changes a group can make in one music video, BLACKPINK is sure to set the record. Swan princess? Check. Grungy girl at the supermarket? Check. Lara Croft fighter? Check. Fashion influencer? Check. Victorian era princess? Check. You name it, they can do it. “Kill This Love” is the type of music video that looks as if it’s been pulled right out of a blockbuster movie. With a feature for each member of the group, each scene brings a Hollywood-style vibe with its dramatic film angles and creative special effects. The only thing better than the individual movie-like scenes are the group dances that BLACKPINK unsurprisingly performs with ease. There’s no doubt these girls are multi-talented, and you only need to watch “Kill This Love” to see that.
BOOMBAYAH
If you’re looking for some inspo for your next night out, look no further than “BOOMBAYAH.” This catchy track gives us the ultimate girl’s night-out feel and is accompanied by a music video with outfits that serves ‘cooler older sister’ vibes. Along with their trend-setting fashion, BLACKPINK shares with us the kind of dance moves that will have you racing to the club to show off, or just at home for those shy fans out there. Whether it’s a night out at the club or a dance party for one in your bedroom, “BOOMBAYAH” is the music video to chuck on your TV that will get you in the mood to party.
DDU-DU DDU-DU
This next music video is the definition of “go hard or go home” with BLACKPINK taking the cake for the coolest style. From their bright outfits to their flashy props (um hello bejewelled tank), the group did not hold back in the video to this catchy track. True BLACKPINK fans will know you simply cannot listen to one of their songs without watching the exciting music videos that accompany it, and with its creative sets and fun props, you won’t want to miss this one.
Ready For Love
BLACKPINK change things up with their track “Ready For Love” when they switch from the signature dance videos to a virtual reality-styled clip. The music video features avatars of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa exploring a fantastical world, where they ride motorcycles amongst the landscapes, from icy lands to sandy deserts. The effects that are used give us the impression of a video game with its animated characters and creative backdrops in which each member is featured in their version of the fantasy world. Despite the change from their usual video direction, there’s no need to worry BLACKPINK fans as we are still rewarded with the classic dance moves that the group are known for – which are still just as good in animated form.
Ice Cream
If you were a fan of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” era, then you’ll love the vibes of this sweet collab between BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez (pun intended). Released in 2020, “Ice Cream” was a smash hit thanks to both BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez stans, leading to the track rising in the Billboard ranks. The music video itself looks like the ultimate summer’s day with your friends – who wouldn’t want to spend summer riding around on bikes and eating ice cream?! The fun food-like props and colourful outfits give a sense of nostalgia when comparing it to Perry’s 2010 hit “California Gurls.” Not only do we get to enjoy the fun summer food theme and looks, but we are also blessed with a few more dance scenes from BLACKPINK showing us they can pull off a synchronised dance to any track.
How You Like That
You know we couldn’t leave out the classic hit “How You Like That.” As the most streamed music video premiere on YouTube at the time with 1.66 million concurrent viewers, it is also the platform’s most viewed video in its first 24 hours with 86.3 million views and has since become the fastest video in the platform’s history to hit 100 million views, doing so in 32 hours, and 200 million views, doing so in seven days – in other words, the video was a massive success. Directed by Seo Hyun-Seung, who previously directed “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” and “Kill This Love”, the video is another testament to the group’s ability to perform, so much so that BLACKPINK released a dance video to the track which has surpassed 1.2 billion views on YouTube alone.
Pink Venom
The brand new track from the girls is a mix of genres and sounds and the music video reflects that perfectly. A hodgepodge of fan favourites, both the song and video capture the essence of BLACKPINK and seems to combine all their eras into one. From Jisoo playing the traditional Korean string instrument “gayageum” in the intro to Rosé playing the electric guitar and Lisa’s show-stopping duo rap, fans are already hailing this as a video to go down in history.
Whether you’re a fan of BLACKPINK or not, there’s no denying the girls are an incredibly talented group who put a lot of effort into their music sound and videos. As the girls gear up for the release of their new album plus mentions of an up-and-coming world tour, we can’t wait to see what they have in store for fans next.
