In an interview recently conducted on March 9, titled Jennie’s Story That Has Never Been Told, BLACKPINK member Jennie gave open-hearted revelations about the group’s success in becoming a global phenomenon. The interview, conducted by singer-songwriter Jung Jaehyung on the Fairy Jaehyung YouTube channel, revealed Jennie’s own take on their success.
The Debut Didn’t Feel Monumental
When questioned about her life-altering experience after BLACKPINK’s debut in 2016, Jennie admitted that she didn’t realize the scale of their success initially. Although a member of one of the largest K-pop girl groups, she said that their debut didn’t seem like a turning point. “Immediately after debut, BLACKPINK had not many promotional schedules,” Jennie said. Group activities were “restricted,” and their timelines didn’t significantly alter, so it was difficult for her to grasp the extent of their worldwide stardom.
DDU-DU DDU-DU: The Turning Point
It wasn’t until 2018’s release of DDU-DU DDU-DU that Jennie actually understood the group’s worldwide fame. The song introduced a drastic turning point in their career, as international fans began to pay attention. Jennie described how with their schedules becoming fuller, they could feel the effects of their success. The music video of the song raked in more than 2.2 billion views on YouTube, making them the first K-pop group MV and only the second K-pop artist—following soloist PSY—to have reached the 2 billion views mark.
Empowering Music and Unstoppable Success
DDU-DU DDU-DU also cemented BLACKPINK as icons of empowerment and the ‘girl crush’ phenomenon. The success of the song was only the start, with the group going on to drop hits such as Kill This Love, How You Like That, and Lovesick Girls, making them one of the biggest acts in international music.
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