BLACKPINK

YG Entertainment spent four years building BLACKPINK before their August 2016 debut, and the investment paid off immediately. The four-member group, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa, became the highest-charting female K-pop act in history within their first two years. "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" (2018) was the first K-pop group music video to reach one billion YouTube views. Born Pink (2022) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, a first for any Korean girl group. Their Born Pink World Tour sold 1.5 million tickets across five continents, and in 2023, they headlined Coachella as the first K-pop act to do so. By February 2026, their YouTube channel became the first music artist to surpass 100 million subscribers. After the group's 2023 YG contract renewal, each member established an independent label: Jisoo's BLISSOO, Jennie's OA, Rosé's THE BLACK LABEL, and Lisa's LLOUD, while the group remains under YG for collective releases and tours. This structure reshaped how the Korean music industry approaches group renewals. Their 2025 single "Jump" previewed a new era, and on February 27, 2026, BLACKPINK released Deadline, their third Korean EP and first project since Born Pink, a five-track record co-produced by Diplo and distributed by The Orchard, marking their first release outside the Interscope Records infrastructure.