BLACKPINK to Make US Debut With EMINEM's Label

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BLACKPINK has signed a contract with Interscope Records In global partnership With YG Entertainment.

Guess who BLACKPINK has teamed up with?

BLACKPINK is about to make their debut in the US for the first time in two years ever since their debut in Korea.

YG disclosed that BLACKPINK has signed a contract with Interscope Records, a label affiliated with Universal Music Group.

Interscope is one of the most renowned labels in the states which includes signings with Dr.Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, and so on. BLACKPINK has officially become a part of the team with the global stars.

John Janick, CEO of Interscope, said, "BLACKPINK is the new global superstar on the rise. Their music and their looks are different from the existing pop music. I'm more than excited to be partnered up with YG that is aiming to conquer the world."

Lucian Grainge, the president and CEO of Universal Music Group, recognized the potential of BLACKPINK to become a global star and took the lead himself in making the contract.

He announced that this project with BLACKPINK is his top priority and also said, "I am so happy to establish relations with YG. We expect a huge success for BLACKPINK with our global resources and professional knowledge in the field." He stressed, "I hope more people across the globe get to pay attention to the group."

Before BLACKPINK signed the contract with Interscope, the group has shown amazing results in both the American and British charts. Last year, their single, As if it's your last recorded number 13 on Billboard's bubbling under hot 100 chart. Also, they grabbed a spot in Billboard's Hot 100 as 55th place this year with a song called DDududdudu.

America's interest in BLACKPINK has risen ever since DDududdudu, especially on Google Trend, and the album Square sold 14000 copies with 12.4 million streaming and 7000 downloads.

YouTube views are overwhelming as well. The music video of DDududdudu reached the 100 million view milestone in just 10 days after its release. Currently, the hits of the video have surpassed 400 million in the shortest amount of time for the first time for a K pop group.

The fashion industry, however, is also keeping its eyes on them. The members have been invited to multiple fashion shows and events such as the Chanel show, Michael Kors's New York show, and more.

The stylist of BLACKPINK, Jieun, explained, "They have been sponsored by a lot of renowned global brands such as Chanel, Dolce Gabbana, Balmain, Saint Laurent... It's not usually easy to get sponsors from those brands because of policy issues, but BLACKPINK pulls through. They have such great bodies and looks. They can pull off any kind of outfit."

Most of all, having no language barrier is their biggest strength. Except for Jisoo, the other 3 members are from abroad and are fluent in English. Producer Yang mentioned earlier that BLACKPINK is hot both domestically and internationally. "Their ability to speak English will be a big merit when the overseas promotion starts," he explained.

Since Interscope has a profound understanding of K-pop, it will support the four girls in having their name up in the states. Interscope has an experience of promoting SNSD with their song The Boys in 2011. This means they are capable of carrying out a promotion specially tailored to the local circumstance.

Not only that, producer Yang foresees possibilities for other YG artists to enter the American market as well. He said, "We will try our best to make a successful debut and their career in close cooperation with Univeral Music Group," and emphasized, "I see this as a good chance to enter the North American and European market for all the YG artists."

The members of BLACKPINK are reportedly working on their solo projects, with Jennie being the first one to make a comeback as a solo artist in November.

By Bongbong and Jungheon Yu voomvoomk@gmail.com