“Composed and Written by JENNIE・JISOO”, BLACKPINK Begins to Conquer the World with ‘THE ALBUM’… Country+Power, ‘Lovesick Girls’

[OSEN=김은애 기자] BLACKPINK has begun conquering the world with their official debut album, ‘THE ALBUM’.

On October 2, BLACKPINK will release their official debut album ‘THE ALBUM’ and the MV for its title track, ‘Lovesick Girls’. They will be released at 12 AM US EST, which is 1 PM KST on the same date.

‘THE ALBUM’ received heated attention from global fans, since it is the first official debut album being released by BLACKPINK in 4 years since making debut. Pre-orders for this album have reached over 800 thousand in just 6 days, a month ago. It is the biggest initial sales record in K-Pop girl group history.

As of October 2, ‘THE ALBUM’ pre-order volume has surpassed a total of a million. The figure adds sales from all countries of the world. Sales from Korea add up to approximately 670 thousand, and 340 thousand from the US and Europe combined. YG has previously revealed, “The 18,888 limited edition LPs have been already sold out”. Adding these together, total sales surpass 1 million. Considering that physical copies will be officially released on October 6, 4 days after the release of the album, total sales are expected to increase.

BLACKPINK’s ‘THE ALBUM’ will have a high level of completion. Not only with the members’ participation in music production, but also the world-famous producer lineup and the participation of Pop stars Cardi B and Selena Gomez hint that the album will be a masterpiece.

The title track ‘Lovesick Girls’ has a sophisticated melody on top of country guitar sounds which lead the overall mood of the song. Furthermore, BLACKPINK’s powerful vocals on top of the retro sound raises tension of the song.

The song’s lyrics ask why people get hurt and wounded by love, and yet they go out looking for different love. Members JISOO and JENNIE participated in the composing and writing of the song for the first time.

BLACKPINK reveals their girl crush charms by singing, “We are the love sick girls/You can’t end my love in your own terms/We are the love sick girls/I am meaningless without this pain/love sick girls” “Everyone leaves/love sick girls/Even if my tears dry out/love sick girls/Even if it hurts and hurts/love sick girls/But we still looking for love”. JENNIE and LISA’s explosive rap along with JISOO and ROSÉ’s unique vocals also impress the listeners.

The MV for ‘Lovesick Girls’ is also full of BLACKPINK’s emotions. From JISOO running towards somewhere as fast as she could with tears in her yes, JENNIE sitting in a car alone with sorrow, ROSÉ who’s soaking herself in a tub full of black ink, to LISA leaning towards someone with a tired look. BLACKPINK has expressed their mournful emotions effectively.

However, while they look hurt and lost, they get up and pass on the message of the song with power. LISA destroys a vehicle, while JISOO raises attention by falling into the water. ROSÉ’s closeup at the end also leaves a strong impression.

One cannot also forget about the visuals they present. BLACKPINK shows off their glamorous beauty along with their trendy styles. They also add catchiness by presenting a fantastic performance.

Furthermore, from ‘How You Like That’, the song with charismatic Hip-hop sounds which proved the group’s global presence’, to ‘Ice Cream’, the song featuring Pop star Selena Gomez with fresh and exciting melodies, the upcoming album will contain a variety of sounds full of BLACKPINK’s unique characters and charms. The listeners will witness BLACKPINK’s infinite musical spectrum through ‘THE ALBUM’.

The album also has an amazing producer lineup. World-famous producers Tommy Brown and Mr. Franks, who produced BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez’s ‘Ice Cream’, teamed up for BLACKPINK.

In addition, main producer TEDDY and many others were credited in songs including ‘Pretty Savage’, ‘Crazy Over You’, ‘Love To Hate Me’, ‘You Never Know’, ‘How You Like That’, and ‘Ice Cream’.

Furthermore, female rapper Cardi B, who has recently dominated the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, has featured on the song ‘Bet You Wanna’. Cardi B is one of the most popular musicians in the current Pop market with her extraordinary character and trendy rap style. The collaboration between BLACKPINK and Cardi B is expected to create a strong synergy effect. Cardi B has already revealed that she is looking forward to it through her social media.

With these factors, BLACKPINK is expected to set a milestone with their official debut album. BLACKPINK has already begun heading towards the ‘top of the globe’ by achieving success through their pre-release singles ‘How You Like That’ and ‘Ice Cream’, both released this year.

Songs ‘How You Like That’ and ‘Ice Cream’ grabbed the attention of global music fans and set numerous records. ‘How You Like That’ received an award at the US MTV Video Music Awards and was selected as ‘The Best Song of the Summer’ by YouTube. ‘Ice Cream’ with Selena Gomez was ranked at no. 13 on the US Billboard ‘Hot 100’ chart, setting the best record in K-Pop girl group history. Meanwhile, the people are looking forward to what kind of activities BLACKPINK will present through ‘Lovesick Girls’, and what kind of milestones they will achieve.

2020. 10. 2.