Tag: YG Entertainment

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Blackpink to Launch Roblox Interactive Experience ‘The Palace’

BLACKPINK announces Roblox game 'The Palace.' Credit: Twitter/YG Select

BLACKPINK in your (Roblox) area! The South Korean girl group continues to dominate the K-pop scene and they’re even widening their domain in the metaverse. 

On Tuesday, August 22, YG Entertainment announced that they partnered with metaverse studio Karta to give BLACKPINK fans a Roblox interactive space to celebrate the group’s music and career. 

What to expect?

In BLACKPINK THE PALACE, fans can “meet, socialize, and enjoy content from the band.” According to the press release, the players will also enjoy the members’ favorite things from digital fashion to signature choreography. 

All rooms and grounds will also be inspired from some scenes in BLACKPINK’s music videos, such as “DDU-DU DDU-DU” and “Pink Venom.”

Roblox players will also be able upgrade their in-experience items by smashing crystals using their BLACKPINK lightstick. The more currency the users collect, the more they can purchase items related to the group. 

They can also make their idol dreams come true by trying on the members’ iconic stage outfits and even practice the group’s choreography! 

 

And the most interesting part? Fans can also take photos with the avatars of BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa in the game!

“We look forward to welcoming fans from all over the world to a beautiful virtual palace where they can party, connect, and experience everything BLACKPINK beyond the constraints of time and space,” YG PLUS’ head of IPX division, Hyojung Lee, said in the press release.

Thankfully, BLACKPINK THE PALACE will be a permanent addition to the virtual game. Meaning, Roblox players could anticipate updates and brand new content releases throughout the year. 

However, fans who step into BLACKPINK THE PALACE within the first 24 hours of its launch on August 25 will get a special badge. So best to mark your calendar for that, BLINKs!

Meanwhile, BLACKPINK is the third K-pop group to open an interactive fan hub on Roblox. NCT 127 and TWICE also launched their virtual communities called NCT 127 World and TWICE Square, respectively.

From Roblox to mobile game 

Interestingly, Roblox isn’t the first virtual game for the group. 

The four-piece act also have the mobile game BLACKPINK THE GAME. In it, fans will act as the producer of the quartet and help them grow more popular.  

Additionally, players could organize the members’ schedules, prepare their outfits, and troubleshoot challenges. Besides the fun games, it also has exclusive content from the group, such as photos and videos. 

And on Wednesday, August 23, BLACKPINK released the song “The Girls” in the mobile game. 

Aside from the OST music video, a reaction video of the members was also released in the app. 

BLACKPINK made their debut under YG Entertainment in August 2016 with the album Square One. The quartet also holds several Guinness World Records, including being the most viewed channel on YouTube. 

Currently, the group is set to conclude their Born Pink world tour with encore concerts in Seoul. 

BLACKPINK’s seven-year contract with YG Entertainment is also set to expire by August 2023, with member Lisa being rumored to no longer renew with the agency. As of writing, the agency has yet to address the status of the group’s renewal. 

Featured image: BLACKPINK announces Roblox game ‘The Palace.’ Credit: Twitter/YG Select

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Sandara Park and More K-Pop Stars Wear Traditional Filipino Clothing in ‘Idol Truck’

Several K-pop stars went to the Philippines for 'Idol Truck.' Credit: Instagram/DARA

Sandara Park might be a global K-pop star, but her popularity knows no bounds in the Philippines. And her fame in the country was again proven in the variety show Idol Truck. 

For starters, Sandara was already a household name in the Philippines before she was even launched as a member of girl group 2NE1. 

Her showbiz career started in 2004 after joining the talent competition show Star Circle Quest. Despite finishing as a runner-up, Sandara pursued an acting career in the Philippines. She also starred in numerous Filipino films and TV projects. 

 

Eventually, she moved back to South Korea and debuted under YG Entertainment in 2009. 

Even though she’s been primarily based in South Korea, Sandara continues to visit the Philippines and even showcased how fluent she is in Tagalog. 

 

Filipinos’ love for Sandara 

For Idol Truck, Sandara and other Korean celebrities are tasked to sell products from small and medium-sized businesses in the area they visit. 

Joining Sandara in the team Philippines were WINNER’s Jinu, NU’EST’s Aron and JR, and DINDIN. 

Even before they left South Korea, Sandara was already assuring her teammates that they only had to trust her for their mission. She even joked that she was the third most popular person in the Philippines, following former president Rodrigo Duterte and athlete Manny Pacquiao.  

 

In the episode, the Korean stars were shocked that many Filipino fans were already waiting for Sandara when they arrived at the airport. 

The show was filmed in Clark, Pampanga in June. Videos of the celebrities visiting local fast food chains, cafes, and markets also circulated on social media. 

 

But what many Filipino fans find endearing is that the Korean stars also wore Filipino traditional clothing. 

 

Many of the comments under Instagram’s post wrote their admiration for the group and how much they enjoyed the show. 

Featured image: Several K-pop stars went to the Philippines for ‘Idol Truck.’ Credit: Instagram/DARA

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Wow! Blackpink Becomes 1st Artist to Reach 90 Million Subscribers on YouTube

Are we even surprised, BLINKs? K-pop girl group BLACKPINK continues to set new records! 

YG Entertainment announced on Monday, July 17, that BLACKPINK has surpassed 90 million subscribers on their official YouTube channel at 5:36 am KST. 

The group is the first artist to reach this milestone and they achieved the feat within seven years and one month since the YouTube channel was launched in June 2016. 

In July 2020, BLACKPINK became the first non-English language artist to be part of the top five YouTube channels with the most subscribers.  

 

In September 2021, BLACKPINK reached 65.5 million subscribers and became the most subscribed artist on YouTube, surpassing pop stars Justin Bieber, Eminem, Ariana Grande, and Ed Sheeran. “We would like to dedicate this honor to all of our fans around the world who have loved and supported us throughout,” the group said then about the milestone. 

The four-piece act held the record since then. They reached 80 million YouTube subscribers in September 2022 and added another 10 million in less than a year – proving BLACKPINK’s consistent growth in popularity. 

BLACKPINK sets more achievements

Reaching 90 million subscribers on YouTube is the latest addition to BLACKPINK’s growing accolades.

In April, BLACKPINK also set another Guinness World Record for being the most viewed channel on YouTube. As of writing, the group has now surpassed more than a total of 32 billion views of all its videos on their official channel. 

Music videos of “Boombayah,” “Ddu-du Ddu-du,” and “This Love” have more than 1.5 billion views each. But aside from group music videos, BLACKPINK’s official YouTube channel also holds behind-the-scenes videos of the girls’ activities, as well as the solo releases of each member.

Aside from their group and solo music activities, members Jisoo and Jennie have also ventured into acting, with Jisoo working on Snowdrop and Jennie in the recently-concluded The Idol.

BLACKPINK, who made their debut in August 2016, is known for songs “As If It’s Your Last,” “How You Like That,” and “Shut Down.” The group is currently embarking on their “BORN PINK” concert tour. 

The group’s seven-year contract with YG Entertainment is set to expire by August 2023, with member Lisa being rumored to no longer renew with the agency. Stay tuned about BLACKPINK’s contract renewal news here!

Featured image from BLACKPINK’s Twitter

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Is Blackpink’s Lisa Leaving YG Entertainment?

All eyes are on K-pop girl group BLACKPINK as rumors that they might not be renewing their contracts with YG Entertainment start to circulate. 

On Wednesday, July 11, outlet Munhwa Ilbo reported that among the four BLACKPINK members, Lisa has a high chance of leaving the agency once the group’s contract ends. 

BLACKPINK made their debut on August 8, 2016, and their seven-year contract is set to expire by August 2023. 

According to the report, there’s ongoing discussions between Lisa and YG Entertainment regarding her contract renewal, but the two parties haven’t reached any agreement yet. They also added that according to industry representatives, the contract renewal process for the three members – Jisoo, Jennie, and Rose –have gone relatively smoother. 

Munhwa Ilbo also cited an anonymous agency that allegedly claims that they’re coordinating with YG Entertainment to schedule Lisa’s appearance in a variety show. However, said agency was reportedly informed that scheduling activities for Lisa from August onwards would be challenging due to uncertainties surrounding the Thai star’s contract. 

In response to the report, a source from YG Entertainment told Korean media that the issue with scheduling “has nothing to do with contract renewal.”

“[The uncertain scheduling] is due to the tour schedule as well as her individually scheduled activities,” the agency said, according to a Soompi report. 

The label added that “contract renewals are currently under discussion,” but provided no further details. 

BLACKPINK is currently embarking on their “BORN PINK” concert tour. 

BLACKPINK is known for their songs “Pink Venom,” “Shut Down,” “As If It’s Your Last,” and “Typa Girl.” The group’s music video for “Boombayah” became their third music video to surpass 1.6 billion YouTube views, following “Ddu-du Ddu-du” and “Kill This Love.” 

Featured image: BLACKPINK’s Facebook

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YG’s New Girl Group Babymonster to Debut in September

BABYMONSTER, the highly-anticipated new girl group of YG Entertainment, is gearing up for a September debut. 

The agency told Korean media on Tuesday, July 11 that the debut project of the seven-piece act is coming together swiftly under the monitoring of producer Yang Hyun Suk. 

YG Entertainment also shared that the group will have a strong hip song for their debut track, and that the members are currently working on the song’s choreography and preparing for the filming of the music video. 

The label said that the debut song is set for a September release, but additional details, such as final release date and title, have yet to be announced. 

 

BABYMONSTER will serve as YG Entertainment’s first girl group since BLACKPINK made their debut in 2016. 

Between 2022 to 2023, the agency saw departure of its several artists, including BIGBANG members Daesung and Taeyang, boy group iKON, and actor Kang Dong-won. The only remaining artists in their roster are BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, duo AKMU, groups Sechskies, WINNER, BLACKPINK, and Treasure. 

YG Entertainment launched the reality show Last Evaluation in March, wherein it will follow the formation of its new girl group. Founder Yang Hyun-suk initially announced that only five members will be included in BABYMONSTER, but after a huge demand from the viewers, YG Entertainment decided to include all seven members in the official lineup. 

In May, BABYMONSTER released their pre-debut song “DREAM.” 

The group is composed of Ahyeon, Haram, and Rora from Korea, Pharita and Chiquita from Thailand, and Ruka and Asa from Japan. 

Featured image: BABYMONSTER’s Facebook

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Blackpink’s “Boombayah” Reaches 1.6 Billion Views on YouTube

K-pop powerhouse BLACKPINK continues to dominate the global music scene as evident in the number of views in their music video releases. 

YG Entertainment announced on Tuesday, July 2, that the music video for the group’s debut song “Boombayah” has now reached 1.6 billion views on YouTube.

According to The Korea Times, the agency reported that the said milestone was achieved at around 6:50 am on July 2, which is about 6 years and 11 months after the original release of “Boombayah.” 

Initially released in August 2016, “Boombayah” served as one of the two tracks from BLACKPINK’s debut EP SQUARE ONE, alongside the song “Whistle.” 

“Boombayah” served as the third music video of BLACKPINK to surpass 1.6 billion views on YouTube, following “Ddu-du Ddu-du” and “Kill This Love.” As of writing, “Ddu-du Ddu-du” has 2 billion views while “Kill This Love” has 1.8 billion views. 

This marks the latest achievement for the girl group in 2023 alone. 

In April, they set the Guiness World Record (GWR) for the group with the most viewed music channel on YouTube. According to GWR, BLACKPINK has 30, 151,716,121 video views as of April 12, 2023. In March, they also set the record for the most streamed female group on Spotify. 

BLACKPINK is currently embarking on their “BORN PINK” concert tour. 

Aside from their group activities, all four members – Jisoo, Jennie, Rose, and Lisa – also have made their respective solo debuts. Jisoo and Jennie have also ventured into acting, with Jisoo working on Snowdrop and Jennie in the recently-concluded The Idol.

Featured image from BLACKPINK’s Facebook

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YG Entertainment Addresses BLACKPINK Jennie’s Marvel Casting Rumors

Jennie from BLACKPINK is eager to make a guest appearance on 'Salon Drip' after being mentioned on the show!

Will Jennie Ruby Jane become the next major Hollywood superhero? YG Entertainment has finally responded to the BLACKPINK member’s rumored casting. The agency clarified whether Jennie has been cast in an upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe project.

YG Entertainment Debunks BLACKPINK Jennie’s Marvel Casting

During the weekend, there were reports claiming that Jennie had been cast as Seol Hee in a Marvel project. The character, who is also known as Luna Snow, has ice-based superpowers and is set to be part of the MCU’s first Asian superhero team.

So is Jennie getting ready for her MCU debut? YG Entertainment has addressed the rumors in a new statement.

“It is not true that Jennie received an offer to star in a Marvel project,” the agency confirmed.

Jennie had just made her acting debut in the HBO series “The Idol”. The BLACKPINK member, who is using the moniker Jennie Ruby Jane, played a dancer Dyanne in the show.

“The Idol”, which stars Lily-Rose Depp and Abel “The Weeknd” Testafaye, premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival this May.

Jennie recently caused some concern when she unexpectedly left the stage midway through BLACKPINK’s concert in Melbourne. Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa then finished the show without her. Prior to the performance, Jennie had been absent during the soundcheck because she wasn’t feeling well.

YG Entertainment has since issued a statement regarding the “Solo” singer’s sudden exit.

“We regret to inform you that during the BLACKPINK WORLD TOUR [BORN PINK] IN MELBOURNE performance on June 11 (today), member Jennie was unable to complete the stage due to her deteriorating condition,” the statement read.

The agency confirmed that Jennie was advised to rest. “We will do its utmost to support Jennie’s speedy recovery,” the statement continued. “We would like to ask for your understanding once again.”

BLACKPINK will continue with the BORN PINK World Tour in Australia and is scheduled to perform in Sydney this week. The group is set for a two-night show in Sydney on June 16 and 17, 2023.

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YG Entertainment Addresses BIGBANG’s G-Dragon Contract Renewal Negotiations

YG Entertainment is finally addressing the recent reports about G-Dragon’s contract expiration. The agency issued a statement regarding the issue and confirmed that they are negotiating with the BIGBANG leader.

YG Entertainment Confirms G-Dragon’s Contract Expiration, Renewal Negotiations In Progress

On June 5, several reports reveal that G-Dragon was omitted from YG Entertainment’s Quarterly Report. The table lists all of the agency’s talents in the “Major Contracts and R&D Activities” column. Kwon Jiyong’s omission from the list seemingly confirmed that the BIGBANG member’s contract had expired.

YG Entertainment immediately addressed the reports, claiming that the omission was due to a “system error.” Additionally, the company issued a new statement confirming that G-Dragon’s contract has expired.

“It’s true that G-Dragon’s exclusive contract has expired,” a spokesperson for YG Entertainment said. They then added that Kwon Jiyong is in negotiations with the agency for a possible renewal.

“We are currently discussing various options including partial contracts for his activities in areas such as advertisements,” they said. “Should the artist wish to resume his promotions as a musician in the near future, we plan to negotiate a new contract with him and offer him the agency’s full support.”

If the renewal negotiations are successful, G-Dragon will be the last BIGBANG member to stay with YG Entertainment. Taeyang is currently signed with YG affiliate THE BLACK LABEL while Daesung signed a contract with R&D Company in April 2023.

Although they will no longer work under the same label, G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung are all expected to continue group activities as BIGBANG.

In related news, T.O.P recently confirmed his departure from the group. The BIGBANG rapper recently responded to a fan comment on his own Instagram post. Choi Seunghyun claimed that he left the group when his contract with YG Entertainment expired and he is currently working on a solo project.

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YG Entertainment Addresses WINNER Mino’s Attendance at Sister’s Wedding in San Francisco

YG Entertainment is addressing Mino’s recent trip to the US. The agency offered an explanation of how the WINNER rapper attended his sister’s wedding despite his military enlistment in March.

WINNER’s Mino Attends Song Dana’s US Wedding Despite Military Enlistment

On May 28, Song Dana got married in San Francisco, California. The former New F.O. member was escorted down the aisle by her older brother Song Minho. The WINNER rapper was beaming with pride as he walked down the aisle with his sister.

https://twitter.com/OnlyLookAtMino/status/1662740065834131456

Although people were happy for Song Dana on her special day, netizens also wondered how Mino managed to leave South Korea. Back in March, YG Entertainment had confirmed Song Minho enlisted for military service and would serve as a social worker.

Since then, YG Entertainment has addressed Mino’s attendance at the US wedding despite currently serving in the military.

“Song Mino was granted leave due to a family wedding,” the agency told News1. “It is possible to travel overseas during the military service period, but only for significant family events.”

There is a possibility that Song Minho immediately processed his leave from military service as soon as his sister’s wedding date was announced. Mino clearly wanted to be present for Song Dana’s special day and was eager to walk her down the aisle in place of their late father.

In related news, Mino’s fellow WINNER member Kang Seung Yoon announced that he is enlisting for military service in June.

“Kang Seung Yoon will be enlisting on June 20 to receive basic military training and is expected to serve as an active duty soldier in the army,” YG Entertainment confirmed in a statement.

“Respecting Kang Seung Yoon’s wish to enlist quietly, the time and location of his enlistment will remain confidential, and there will be no separate events on the day. We kindly ask for your understanding,” it continued.

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T.O.P Confirms BIGBANG Exit, Teases First Solo Project

T.O.P has confirmed that he is no longer a member of BIGBANG. The rapper addressed his departure from the supergroup and revealed he left back in 2022. In addition to that, Choi Seunghyun is currently working on his first solo project since leaving BIG BANG.

T.O.P Officially Announces His Departure From BIGBANG, Continues Teasing Solo Debut

T.O.P recently shared a post on his official Instagram account. The post features a video of the rapper playing the keyboards while the photo confirms he is “still working on my albums.”

It seemed like a typical T.O.P post until one fan asked an important question in the comments. “TOP DID YOU LEAVE BIGBANG?” they wrote. Interestingly, Choi Seunghyun replied to the comment with a firm confirmation.

“I’ve already withdrawn,” he wrote. In a second reply, T.O.P explained that this isn’t a fresh update.

“I’ve already told you guys that I’m leaving and I’m now facing a new chapter in my life since last year,” he wrote.

Although T.O.P insists this isn’t a recent update, fans were shocked by his confirmation. Back in February 2022, YG Entertainment announced that Choi Seunghyun had terminated his exclusive contract with the agency. However, T.O.P was still expected to join BIGBANG in their group activities.

In April 2022, T.O.P reunited with G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung for “Still Life”, BIGBANG’s first comeback in four years. It was also the group’s first project as a quartet since former member Seungri retired from the industry. It would also become T.O.P’s last project with BIG BANG.

For now, YG Entertainment has not made an official announcement about T.O.P’s departure from BIGBANG. Likewise, Choi Seunghyun has not yet shared further details about his first solo effort.

Moreover, BIG BANG has not yet confirmed their plans for their next comeback. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

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