As previously established, I’m not exactly up to date when it comes to the latest music trends. That being said, I am aware of the current K-pop phenomenon, because let’s face it, you’d have to live under a rock not to be. However, I recently realized that I had only listened to the male side of K-pop thus far, so naturally, that had to change. Enter Blackpink. If I’m going to explore the world of female K-pop, I might as well start at the top.
I say the top, because last year, Blackpink headlined the most financially successful tour by a female Korean group in history. They made waves at Coachella with a set that earned rave reviews. They also broke streaming records, viewing records, and Guinness World Records, so clearly I’ve been missing out on something. To rectify this, I chose one of their songs, How You Like That, at random, and now I don’t know what to think.
To be clear, I really like the song. It’s catchy, fun, and easy to dance to, but there’s just so much going in this video visually. Whoever did the production design must have been in heaven. It looks like they were given a boatload of money and allowed to let their imagination run wild. Kind of sounds like a dream job if I’m being honest. Even if I have no idea what all those visuals mean.
I remember all the headlines around Blackpink’s Coachella performance last year. They made history as the first female Korean group to play at the famous festival, and by all accounts they blew the crowd away. As much as the video for “How You Like That” was visually entertaining, I can tell that this is a group that would be fantastic live. Maybe one day I’ll get to do that, but in the meantime, I’m going to see if there’s a recording from Coachella available. Amazing visuals are always fun, but nothing beats live performance. At least, not in my humble opinion.
Suggestions for artists I should check out? Please contact me with your ideas. I hope you enjoyed your daily helping of art!
