Blackpink is undoubtedly one of the most successful K-Pop girl groups of all times, smashing records left and right and making hits wherever they go. But the end of their wildly successful Born Pink World Tour marked a period of doubt for the BLINK fans everywhere.
That’s because the contracts of the four members of Blackpink were set to expire at the end of the summer of 2023, which meant that they would either renew and continue with the entertainment agency under which they debuted—that’s YG Entertainment—or choose a different path. The great specter of K-Pop, disbandment, was kind of hanging around the fandom.
In the end, the group went in a pretty peculiar direction—one that definitely isn’t common in the industry but that also been seen a couple of times before. The four members renewed their contract for their group activities, meaning that Blackpink will continue to promote new group music as they’ve always done, but they have also chosen to each go their separate ways when it comes to individual activities.
It’s not something that really surprised the fandom, not with each of the four members having already had heaps of solo projects from music to acting projects to luxury fashion collaborations. And while we don’t yet know when exactly will Blackpink return as a group, there’s plenty to look forward to from Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa.
Jisoo
The eldest of the group, Jisoo has always been known for her interest in acting, as exemplified by her appearances in several dramas like Arthdal Chronicles and The Producers, as well as her first leading role in the period piece Snowdrop. She’s set to star in two more upcoming projects—the zombie drama Influenza and the fantasy film Omniscient Reader, based on a popular webcomic of the same name.
As for music, Jisoo made her long-awaited solo debut—the last of Blackpink to do so—in 2023 with the single album Me, containing the songs “Flower” and “All Eyes on Me”. Even though she has not yet announced any plans to release new music, Jisoo did introduce to the public her new agency, BLISSOO. So hopefully, music remains on Jisoo’s radar and will happen sooner or later.
And then, of course, there’s the fashion side of things. Luxury fashion has been associated with Blackpink for quite some time, with each member becoming an ambassador for this or that brand. Jisoo in particular has been a Dior global ambassador in 2021 and then added Cartier to her resume in 2022.
Jennie
Blackpink’s solo activities actually began with Jennie and her aptly-named debut single Solo, which was followed in 2022 by another single, “You & Me”. Jennie has also branched out into acting, making her official television debut in HBO’s polarizing show The Idol alongside Lily-Rose Depp—and as a professional singer, she, of course, collaborated to the show’s soundtrack by featuring on the track “One of the Girls”. Like Jisoo, Jennie also founded her own agency, ODD ATELIER—or OA—so hopefully that means we’ll get our hands on some new music one of these days.
Jennie’s biggest solo venture, however, has arguably always been fashion. Jennie has been one of Chanel’s global ambassadors since 2018 and she has been featured in Calvin Klein since 2021—when she was the face of that year’s Spring collection. She also made her runway debut in the summer of 2024 walking for Jacquemus. And then there are the collaborations, like the famous “Jentle Home” and “Jentle Garden” lines for the Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster.
Rosé
So far, Rosé is the only Blackpink member not to have announced the creation of a new label—but to celebrate her latest birthday, back in February of 2024, she did share a snippet of a new song titled “Vampirehollie” with her Instagram followers. Rosé made her solo debut back in 2021 with her debut album R, which included singles “Gone” and “On The Ground”.
In the meantime, Rosé is also particularly busy with fashion collaborations and partnerships. She’s the global ambassador for Yves Saint Laurent—she was named so in 2020, the first ambassador the brand has had in almost sixty years—Tiffany & Co—announced in 2021—and for Puma. Rosé’s partnership with Puma is the most recent one, having been announced only in June 2024.
Lisa
The youngest of the bunch, Lisa’s very successful solo career was launched back in 2021 when she released her debut single album Lalisa, featuring singles “Lalisa” and “Money”. She’s also the first of the group to release new music under her own agency, LLOUD, which she founded in 2024. Her latest single, “Rockstar,” was released at the end of June 2024—with hints that another single could be following soon.
Like her fellow members, Lisa can also boast her fair share of endorsement deals—including Celine and Bulgari, of which she’s been a brand ambassador ever since 2020, and her own collection with MAC Cosmetics released in 2021.
Lisa is also set to make her acting debut in 2025 when she will star in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus—which is taking place in a new resort of the fictional White Lotus chain, located in Lisa’s native Thailand.
Published: Jul 8, 2024 05:19 pm