[Exclusive] [Interview on BLACKPINK’s 1 st anniversary of debut] We still have lots of things to show you” ①
[스타뉴스=길혜성 기자] When given a big anticipation from people, the consequences come out in largely two cases. One of them is to disappoint people by failing to live up to their anticipation. The other is to double the joy and feeling of rewards from the anticipation by living up to it or outperforming it. Such principle is applied to the music scene without exception.
On August 8, BLACKPINK, a girl group with four members who is the first-ever YG Entertainment (“YG”) girl group in seven years since 2NE1, proved that they fall under the second case. They stood under a big spotlight with people’s great anticipation and have lived up to it for the past one year.
BLACKPINK made official debut on August 8 last year, releasing single album “SQUARE ONE” with “WHISTLE” and “BOOMBAYAH”. Exceptionally for a rookie group, BLACKPINK took No.1 in TV music shows with “WHISTLE” within three weeks of debut.
BLACKPINK released their second single “SQUARE TWO” with “PLAYING WITH FIRE” and “STAY”, in November last year. The team took No.1 in TV music shows again with “PLAYING WITH FIRE”. At the end of June this year, BLACKPINK proved their potential again, taking No.1 in SBS “INKIGAYO” show with “As If It’s Your Last” for three weeks in a row. That is not all. BLACKPINK has drawn much attention from foreign fans during the past one year. BLACKPINK achieved the 100 million view mark on YouTube for four of their music videos including those of “BOOMBAYAH”, “PLAYING WITH FIRE”, “WHISTLE”, and now “As If It’s Your Last”. It is a surprising record for a rookie artist.
BLACKPINK hosted a showcase on July 20 this year at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, which is one of the largest arenas in Japan, on July 20. All the 14,000 tickets were sold out. More than 200,000 applications for attendance at the showcase were received. Based on such great popularity in Japan, BLACKPINK is releasing their official debut album in the country on the 30 this month. BLACKPINK is enthusiastic and charismatic on the stage, but they are also shy girls outside of the stage. In celebration of the 1 st anniversary of their debut on August 8, Star News met BLACKPINK’s four members: JISOO (22), JENNIE (21), ROSÉ (20), and LISA (20) at café beforegray located in Seoul, to have honest talks. “Healing” was a throw-in of the meeting with BLACKPINK.
– It has already been a year since your debut. How do you feel about it?
▶(JISOO) One year has passed really fast. Just as every performance of mine has some unsatisfactory elements, I still feel a little bit unsatisfactory about myself one year after my debut. However, I also feel proud of myself for fulfilling my long-cherished dream of standing on the stage.
▶(JENNIE) Even though I have been performing for a year since my debut, I still feel like I’m in a preparation phase. I have come to know better about good performance, but that’s just a beginning. I feel somewhat unsatisfactory about my own performance but have great anticipation for my future to how people more about me.
▶(ROSÉ) The past one year has passed so quickly like a dream. During the year, I have gained lots of experiences. I think I have fulfilled one after another goal I had had when I was a trainee. I have even greater anticipation for the next year.
▶(LISA) I have had lots of good memories during the past year. I really look forward to the next one and two years.
– How do you evaluate your performances for the past one year?
▶(JISOO) I would give 80 out of 100 full scores. I’m giving higher scores to raise the average, as I think the other members would give low scores, haha. I’m having more and more opportunities to communicate with fans, while giving performances. During the time of performing for “As If It’s Your Last”, we appeared in more TV shows and radio shows than before. We also visited Japan and considering our potential in the future, I gave 80 points to us.
▶(JENNIE) I give 50 out of 100 full scores. I had practiced for six years and it has been only one year since BLACKPINK’s debut. I give low scores for now, as I have many more things to show people from now on.
▶(ROSÉ) I give 55 points. I think I have not shown the fruits of my long-time practice as a trainee fully yet, as I still have not many experiences and skills on the stage. I still have a lot of things to learn and experience from now on. I also want to learn more from senior artists.
▶(LISA) I give 50 points, too. I’m not following JENNIE, haha. As for me, I’m not good at talking in Korean in a TV show. I think that is my weakness. I want to be better in speaking Korean, so I’ll study Korean harder.
– What is your best memory form the past one year?
▶(JISOO) During the time of performing for “As If It’s Your Last”, we gave out ice cream in a fan service event. It was the first time for me to see fans directly, so I was really happy. Fans liked the event very much even though it was rainy, so I would like to express my gratitude to fans once again.
▶(JENNIE) That was when our fans came to root for us at music festivals last year. Even though the number of fans was not that large, they shouted our names very loudly, so I was really grateful. I was really happy, thinking, ‘Oh, we are now really an idol group who has a fandom anywhere”.
▶(ROSÉ) The best memory for me was when I met foreign fans for the first time at our showcase held at Budokan, Japan. Even though it was the first time together, they knew us very well. That is an unforgettable memory.
▶(LISA) The best memory for me was the rehearsal shooting for our very first TV performance. Usually, each artist’s fandom attend the rehearsal shooting to root for their favorite singer. I was wondering if anyone would have come to root for us. It turned out that more than expected number of fans came to the shooting for us. I was so grateful for them, realizing that there were people who had liked us from the point of our debut.
2017. 8. 8.
