Can Blackpink Become the Next K-Pop Group to Break America? Fans Have Mixed Feelings About Their Prospect
In the past several years, K-pop has exploded from being a niche genre to now attracting countless fans around the world. BTS is currently the biggest K-pop act at the moment, and the group could be leading the way for other artists to soon follow.
But which K-pop artist could become the next household name in America? Some fans believe girl group Blackpink has the most potential to become mainstream after BTS. However, others are not too convinced.
Blackpink is gaining a huge following all over the world
Blackpink debuted in 2016 and quickly gained massive success in South Korea. All of their singles have charted at high positions in their home country, and it did not take long for international fans to also notice Blackpink.
Additionally, Blackpink is currently touted as one of most popular K-pop girl groups around. They recently surpassed Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift to become the female artist with the most subscribers on YouTube.
Blackpink’s popularity has caught the attention of American celebrities as well. As reported by Billboard, among Blackpink’s long list of fans are celebrities like Harry Styles, Diplo, Halsey, and the Smith family.
Some fans think Blackpink could become extremely popular in America
It’s clear Blackpink’s talent is being appreciated by even people who are not known to be K-pop fans. As a result, some fans on Reddit believe the girl group has the best chance of becoming mainstream in America.
Blackpink already has a few characteristics that set them apart from other K-pop artists vying for American fame. For example, they only have four members, which is a familiar amount to fans of Western music. Additionally, three out of four members can speak English, which is a higher percentage than BTS, who only has one English-speaking member out of seven people.
Fans believe Blackpink’s “tough” image combined with their rapping skills can also help them appeal to American audiences.
“Blackpink is already doing extremely well in America despite having such a small discography and very few appearances there,” one fan said. “Blackpink has everything America wants in a girl group.”
Other fans do not think Blackpink will become mainstream anytime soon
While Blackpink seems to have many things going for them, some fans believe there are still other factors keeping the American public from accepting the group.
For example, Blackpink’s “tough” image and rap talents might be impressive in the context of K-pop idols, but the standards for artists in America are usually higher.
One Reddit user pointed out, “Let’s just say America–the birthplace of Hip Hop, R&B and extremely good choreographers of those styles of music–is not looking for a pretty Korean girl group with singers, rappers and decent dancing skill. There’s more than enough native talent already. It’s just not a popular concept.”
Another person also noted, “Problem is that the image they portray just won’t work here. Nobody is gonna look at these girls that stand like 5’4 that weigh less than a 100 pounds and go ‘Wow how bad***.’”
A few fans also noted that girl groups generally have a hard time finding success in the American music industry, which would add more challenges for Blackpink to overcome. At the end of the day, whether Blackpink becomes mainstream in America or not, there’s no denying all the accomplishments the group has achieved so far.
