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Many people are aware of BTS’s global dominance, but there is another K-pop group trailing not far behind: BLACKPINK. Since BLACKPINK’s debut in 2016, they have attracted much attention in South Korea and around the world, with numerous American celebrities calling themselves fans of the four-piece.

Member Rosé recently reflected on her group’s international success and shared one reason behind this phenomenon.

How BLACKPINK became one of the most popular K-pop girl groups around

BLACKPINK debuted in 2016 under YG Entertainment, one of the biggest labels in K-pop. Right away, Korean and international K-pop fans became enamored by the girl band.

The two lead singles from their debut album — “Boombayah” and “Whistle” — charted in the top 10 in both Korea and the U.S. world chart. In particular, “Whistle” climbed up to number 1 in Korea just 13 days after their debut, which led BLACKPINK the become the fastest girl group to achieve such a feat.

Since then, BLACKPINK’s singles have consistently done well in both Korea and the U.S. world chart. Starting in 2018, they also began making appearances on the Billboard Hot 100.

BLACKPINK has caught the attention of many international celebrities as well. Stars like James Corden, Harry Styles, Halsey, and the Smith family have all shown support for BLACKPINK.

BLACKPINK’s singles have gone viral this past year

These days, social media fame can do a lot to help an artist’s career, and BLACKPINK is showing they have what it takes to go viral online.

They have released two singles in 2020 so far—“How You Like That” and “Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez)”—and both songs have become well-known on the app TikTok. Aside from dance challenges being created with them, many TikTok users enjoy using the tracks as background music for their videos.

Additionally, these songs have done well on the Billboard Hot 100 as well. “How You Like That” charted at number 33 while “Ice Cream” charted at number 13. Both of them are BLACKPINK’s two highest positions yet on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rosé discusses BLACKPINK’s international success and shares 1 reason behind it

Blackpink Lisa Rose
BLACKPINK’s Lisa and Rosé | Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images
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BLACKPINK seems to be aware of their international success, and member Rosé recently sat down with W Korea to discuss this.

First, she shared her thoughts on BLACKPINK’s Coachella performance in 2019, which was a huge accomplishment for the group.

“Until the performance, I was really nervous. It was a stage I had a dreamed of standing on, so I wanted to do well,” she said, as reported by Soompi. “But once I actually stepped on stage and saw the crowd that had come to see BLACKPINK, all of the thoughts about doing well or working hard disappeared. I just enjoyed it with everyone and expressed [my feelings] in each moment. The energy I received from the crowd was greater than the energy I was giving them, so all I did was follow them. That was what it meant to become one with the audience.”

As for why she believes people are becoming more receptive to K-pop artists like BLACKPINK, Rosé shared, “When we’re interviewed by foreign media outlets, we’re often asked things like, ‘Why do you think BLACKPINK is popular internationally?’ I think it’s because in this generation, more people are accepting new music with an open mind, and that’s why we’re able to receive so much love. I’m so thankful for this.”

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