Reflecting on Blackpink's Solo Debuts 

IM IN MY FINALS FOR CLASH ON LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

Glad i'm not the only one who noticed that blackpink's production seems to be stuck in 2016. Like seriously wth, how does their debut sound more modern and experimental than their most recent comebacks

"flower" feels and looks like "solo" but with a more "korean" and quieter feel to it

I truly feel like none of Blackpink’s solos live up to the potential of their performers. Solo fully relies on Jennie’s charisma to be interesting, I enjoy OTG but the chorus is so empty compared to the rest of the song, I genuinely hate Money so much and Lalisa is just aggressively fine, and Jisoo’s solo has a strong concept that falls FLAT on its face in the chorus. I think Rosé has the only solo music I truly love, I think Gone is genuinely a really beautiful song and Hard To Love is honestly one of my favorite Blackpink songs to date.

With their Solos so far, one thing that's kinda bugged me is how... safe they are. Solo, Lalisa, Money, Flower, they are exactly what you'd expect from them, but not in a good way. Rosé probably had the most personal touches in her songs, and that shows in the lyricism and musicality of her songs, especially in Gone. I wouldn't call any of the songs bad, but there definitely is the feeling of being overhyped. The Paint-By-Numbers method BP's team has for their title releases, it works financially, but it doesn't necessarily produce interesting music. BP is a very interesting group in the sense, that even though they are promoted as a Music Group, the vast majority of all of their professional activities has been everything and anything, but music. Blackpink is an aspirational brand more, than a music group. Considering the amount of money they make through it, I can't blame them for possibly feeling this is a fair trade.

For a group that talks so much about Girl Power, their entire discography screams that it was written by mostly men. Literal pseudo feminism packaged as female empowerment where most of the lyrics seem weird, tend to put down other women, seeking male gaze or....(unfortunately) plain bad. For such a talented group, I wish there were better people working in the background so the girls could do better with a lot more freedom than they're allowed.

It honestly makes me sad how after 7 years and so much anticipation, THIS was what we got for Jisoo's solo. Not to mention that after all these years, they only ever got like 1-3 songs each. These girls just deserve so much better. :/

Bibi's Vengeance, Hwasa Maria, Sunmi Gashina Pporappipum, Yooa bon voyage abracadabra these songs are perfect..Yooa came from a small company , even her bsides are amazing superb fantastic, I personally really liked abracadabra. Then I dont understand Blackpink is the biggest girl group in this world right now, they got years of hiatus, have the best company, yet their songs sound like they were written and produced in 30 minutes, and their chorus parts are so empty...like these girls are top celebrities now, dont give them kids bops with weird lyrics...say lalisa love me lalisa love me what even is that, 50 percent of their songs are just empty instrumentals, now i really understand why fans are so angryy, the girls even said it took them long time to debut solo cuz they wanted the perfect song 😐 really?

I asked so many people if 'all eyes on me' sounds like 'ready for love' and everybody said NO! finally found someone who thinks the same.

Also, I do have to say, with regards to the whole "most expensive video" statement for Flower...it's filmed in Universal Studios. And while that doesn't explain shit, it does line up with the fact that YG said the same thing for TREASURE's Jikjin m/v, and it was basically just shot at a hotel and contained a lot of cars. So to me, when YG says "this video's really expensive guys", it's *implicitly* expensive, by which the brands, the labels, the locations they work with are what's expensive. Not how it looks, not the filming, it's what they had to buy. Did they make good use of it? No, but it's expensive, and to YG that's all it takes to label it as such.

Finally, someone said it. Don't even get me started on those English raps in all of their Japanese songs... "Bitch Imma Star, but no Patrick"... I'm laughing even now bro like please someone never let Teddy write raps ever again. The girls deserve better than Teddy's attempt at Hip-Hop and R&B. And if they do resign, let the girls write and produce and find other producers, plz!!!

This video was so refreshing to watch. It’s nice to hear someone speak their honest opinions about BLACKPINK. This video is living proof you can criticise music without just straight up dragging the group members💀

My relationship with Blackpink’s music is complex. I think the thing that people can’t really pin point is the reason their music falls behind for them is because of how “incomplete” it is. There isn’t enough music. There’s little to no bold experimentation. There’s not really that much growth (well not in the way that I think people want). Scroll to the bottom for the tl:dr because this is gonna get long. Jisoo’s solo is very telling about how yg and their producers have failed them time and time again. Though Flower is my favorite out of all the solos done by the pinks, it’s still held back by the formulaic nature that is Blackpink’s music. Blackpink’s music has not matured. It’s just as fun and generic as it was when they debuted. I’m going to plug in Twice and Red Velvet here to get my point across as they have matured in vastly different ways. Twice began as very up-beat, cheerful, cutesy and bubblegum. Slowly through their career and as the members have gotten older, their music “grew up” with them. They aren’t doing and will probably never do a song like cheer up in the same way that they did when it came out. Twice are trying something different and although this new style of their’s and their most recent releases aren’t really my favorite, I respect them for having the courage to try something new and grow as a team. Red Velvet on the other hand has been experimental since their rookie days. They’ve never done the same thing twice and I would say none of their songs seem dated or out of place. Red Velvet managed to stay true to themselves and try something new each and every time they released a new song. Having that red and velvet concept has probably help aid them in being able to keep their music fresh, leaving something for everyone to enjoy. When Nayeon debuted solo, she debuted as herself. Pop doesn’t seem quite like something Twice would do as a group. She was able to separate herself from Twice while still being able to be recognized as a member of Twice. Same with the members of Red Velvet and their solos. To bring it back to Blackpink, their solos don’t really give off that same energy. Quite frankly, all of them except gone and maybe flower and hard to love is technically just a Blackpink song with one member singing. The only way I think the Blackpink members would truly flourish as individuals is if they find different producers. They need something different and while I think shut down was a step forward (maybe) it still wasn’t enough. Even more collaborations with different artists could help them find a new direction. YG need Blackpink more than Blackpink needs YG and if they play the cards right, I’m sure we’ll continue to see Blackpink as they are. Tl:dr I like Blackpink’s music but the only way for them to grow and flourish as a group and as individuals is for them to find new producers, experiment with their music and collaborate with different artists.

The issue with bp in general is the pretentiousness of their tracks. Not all idols have to have songs with substance to be good but when you have a group that you promote in a particular alpha female manner, there has to be some background for that narrative to not fall flat. Female power and empowerment has had its fairly long journey. But for girls from rich and privileged families a flex about their bank account just doesn't account for their journey, their tribulations, their growth etc. Am especially tired of how growth is never encouraged in female stories (not just bp but a common throughout the entertainment industry). The only growth that is shown is at most going from a damsel in distress to taking a revenge. Thereby the portrayal of women in general is very one dimensional and am sick of it. What about sociopolitical opinions? Philosophical viewpoints? Thinking apart from the trend? Etc. Thus I hate what people praise to be female power. Then comes the solos. With respect to my previous statements, almost all members have showcased some area of skill and character that has potential to be explored. Eg. Lisa's films show so much more of her capabilities than her solos. The first thing they must do is stop obsessing with best rapper=fast verses and give her songs like the dance cover she did on 'tomboy'. That is a song that fits into Lisa's vocal range, her rapping style, her voice and aura. In this way, she as a skilled individual can explore so much more than just cringe 'I am something' lines and basic dance moves. Like that's the worst. The choreo for her solos. Like is that really all you are gonna give the skilled dancer Lisa? Then Rose. I recall watching her in the show 'sea of hope' and bruhh. I was in love with her voice. She is in no way a strong vocalist since a vocalist requires being technically sound and skilled. But as a singer, oh my. She has that voice and modulation of words that is capable of making an already good song shine even better. Infact I prefer her 'only exception' above the original due to the vulnerability in her voice (she is like jimin). And that is the sign of a good singer. Singers with unique vocal tones always have a space in any industry because technical skills can be trained but that alone may not touch all listeners. Her solos need to start giving her tracks that really show of that capability and honestly such tracks are not hard to make. 'Otg' infact lyrically talks about pretty dark stuff. If only it's musicality hit the right notes. The closest that hit her tone musically is 'gone'! Jisoo. She has a mysterious elegance that I honestly feel like they tried to explore but didn't fully succeed. Her solo is the only one I felt like they atleast tried to understand her focal point. The song musically has so much lost potential. An extended bridge, a less funky chorus and a free falling outro would have made the song less forgettable. That would also have given the potential to extend the lyrical narrative that can explore her story. The worst was the visuals. Its only now I heard they spend a high budget cause huhh? I thought it was the opposite. All they did was beauty shots. She with her acting experience could have explored SO MUCH. She was remotely phenomenal in her acting but she wasn't bad. She was lucky enough to get a drama with such an engaging plot line (I watched the show on air and I was so thrilled). And for such an intense show with skilled actors she atleast didn't fall flat. So why beauty shots? Give her more acting exposure through her solos. Finally jennie. The one I to date have no idea what her standpoint is. The most I can gather is her influencer type capabilities. Which can have a lot of negatives but honestly not everyone can give of that vibe. Which means she can explore a lot of strong societal themes in her songs and has the presence to give it of. And yet again they have never helped her explore it and neither had she taken the initiative to. Even the bare minimum of a little information over a brand you attend. The number of times I have cringed with her akward answers about a brand or her music inspite being the focal point of the show. She feels like the kind that could be the main representative of bp if bp stopped doing such cringe topics but I am still yet to know whether her persona is just one for the narrative and is not much of her inherent skill. I would like to believe the former cause I genuinely wanna know more about her beyond the contreversies that YG seems to not care for. The bottomline is to stop treating the girls like puppets and help them prove the narrative they keep promoting!

I think Rose is the only one who can stand alone and stay in the music industry.. I love them all. But her solo is the only one that felt... human? Real? I still listen to OTG & Gone. The others' solos were not to the point that I was playing it all the time.

2 things The sentiment around Jennie's solo is very sweet. I've noticed a lot fan criticism of her solo debut's timing come from an empathetic standpoint, thinking of how she was feeling due to all the harassment she was getting. But from the perspective of any business in the 21st century, YG included, attention is currency regardless of whether it's positive or negative. Other conspiracies around the timing aside, I would bet Jennie was 'thrown to the wolves' because at that point anything associated with her was guaranteed to blow up. So, while the release was a poor decision from an empathetic/human standpoint, it was a great business decision because of the amount of attention it would (and did) receive. Second, I wouldn't be surprised if a fair chunk of the budget for Jisoo's Flower MV was spent on costumes. Given she is a brand ambassador of a number of luxe brands like Cartier and Dior (With Dior even receiving pretty prominent product placement in the MV's intro) she's almost definitely dressed top to toe in designer for each costume change. Not to mention jewelry and accessories.

15:39 Finally, someone who mentioned Lalisa's first rap section (and reading it out made it all the worse)- The uncalled for "flintstones" line really was the dealbreaker 💀😭

Actually me personally, I think Rosé’s solo is the best! On the grounds lyrics are such a heavy subject that probably a lot of idols go through! It’s one of those songs that makes you see Rosé on such emotional level and every time I listen to it I get teary eyed. Mera made a video explaining it better than me so probably watch that if you’re interested :)

I would LOVE to hear their stories in music form. like what bts did when they started their solo journeys; their beginnings, anger towards the industry, thoughts during covid, fear of losing love for their music, their fame becoming shackles, how they low-key wanna go back to their beginnings when things were much simpler; I wanna hear bp sing about these things. I wanna hear their stories GODDAMMIT and I KNOW they have interesting stories to tell. I wanna hear about how jisoo trained among exceptionally talented people, did she feel left out? did she wanna quit and go back to acting? what about her affection towards the other girls as the oldest? did she ever feel out of place? has she overcome those insecure feelings? I wanna hear about jennies life as a punching bag. what was going through her mind in 2018 especially? how did she hold on? was it difficult to get out of bed? did she feel like she was losing control over her own life? has she overcome those obstacles? how has she then? who were the people by her side who gave her a reason to smile? how about her childhood with just her mom in New Zealand? I wanna hear about rosè and her journey to idol life. she's the member who's been very open about her love for making music so was she ever scared that that would be taken from her if she became an idol? how was she adjusting to her new life in another country? how did she carry on without her family? how did her members fill that void? does she feel constricted by not being able to put out her music? does it scare her that she'll lose her touch? I wanna hear about Lisa's journey as a Thai idol. how was the change for her? what was she bottling up? did she wanna go back sometimes? was learning a new language, culture and lifestyle frustrating? how does it feel like being the youngest and being taken care by three older sisters? how did she fall in love with the art that is dance? where does she see herself in the future? so many stories. and yet they're simply rotting away. sad.

I REALLY wished that Jisoo had some traditional korean instrumentals in her solo esp after the finding out all the little details of korean culture in her concept/teaser pictures. Maybe I was foolish to expect so much from YG 😭

I genuinely think YG uses music videos to embezzle money. Like they keep claiming they’re making these insanely expensive music videos and when they finally come out I’m like ???? Where did all of the budget go??? Like I seriously think the jikjin mv was just an excuse for the company to buy a bunch of sports cars. There’s just something so shady about YG

Here are my thoughts. Personally I think Jennie's Solo was great but why in the world would they have her go solo at such a terrible time? It's so sad that it took so long for the other members to get solos. And popularity isn't a reason because if that were true Lisa would have gone solo a lot sooner. And personally I liked Jisoo's solo (not loved by any means) but I don't think this should have been the song she went solo with. But of course Teddy was lazy and couldn't think of anything better. The problem with Teddy's formula isn't even really repetition, it just doesn't work anymore. He can't think of any more catchy melodies, hard hitting raps, catching beats for the chorus, addicting party choruses. We can barely blame him because he's clearly burnt out and YG keeps having him make music anyway. But seriously YG, get someone else. If Teddy weren't burnt out we wouldn't have Flower.

I know this would never have happened under YG but I would've really preferred if the Blackpink members had debuted with full EPs, like the Red Velvet members and Twice members have been doing. With only 1-2 songs, I feel it makes these releases very easy to forget about because there's nothing really substantial there! YG has the budget and resources to do this but they CHOOSE not to. With 5-7 songs on the tracklist there is room to experiment, room for meaning. The artist can show different sides of themselves and aspects of their personality on the different songs. I listen to albums like 28 Reasons by Seulgi or IM Nayeon by Nayeon and I feel like I know who those people are as artists. We get very little of that with Blackpink.

Blackpink loves to play it safe regardless of the consumer demand and it shows in every release, group or solo. Playing it safe is obviously safe but gets boring and forgettable pretty soon. I think I need an expounding on 'Blackpink became what BTS could have become'.

If they weren't called "the biggest gg in the world" I'd care even less because they're solo's that'd just be kicked to the side if done by anyone else but because these "broke records" despite being absolutely mid...

You always keep things real! :) My fav solo is Rosé’s; maybe bc it sounds so different from BP’s other work and bc you can truly feel those melancholic emotions through her voice and the lyrics.

I really wish they had more creative control over their own solos. I want to hear what they have to say through their own music.

Seriously, they hyped up Jisoo's solo so much as "their most expensive MV" but what they meant was most expensive locations. I felt very little passion with the sets, the camerawork, the editing, and direction of the MV. The fact it had "Chapter 1" titles but having no plotline at all just makes me laugh. The outfits are nice tho.

to think jennie was supposed to debut with an album but the hate was so bad that yg made her debut with only a song and a photobook ☹️ jennie deserved to have a happy and supported debut like the others…

Moneys lyrics were so cringe, the production saved and CARRIED it

did anyone else have an issue that a song called Lalisa, Lalisa had no involvement in the production

Lisa's solo totally overshadowed rosé's solo and dammit rosé's was soooo much better! (Ps- lisa is my bias) both lalisa and money were quite forgettable in my opinion. It would've been better if there was more gap between both of the album's releases. I enjoy jennie's solo a lot but no doubt the timing was really bad. I am still not sure if I like jisoo's solo. What I know is that I am definitely disappointed. Well all this won't stop me from rooting for the girls.. just hope they get better with their music.

"Solo" was such a insane era, one of my most vivid memories of kpop.

I feel like the most frustrating thing about Blackpink is that YG has an almost endless amount of money and resources at their disposal but it goes to waste. There are so many smaller groups that are working their asses off that would kill to have even a fraction of those recourses to help create their vision. And often times these groups do end up creating some amazing work despite having almost nothing. Meanwhile we’ve been told time and time again that this new Blackpink music video is the most expensive yet but I have yet to see where that money is even going. We have groups like Loona and OnlyOneOf creating beautiful universes and stories through their art and not getting the time of day for such a long time, and then Blackpink releases the same music video and title track just remixed and get money thrown at them for it and all sorts of awards. Its even sadder because the girls are so talented but can barely even show it.

My thoughts on Jisoos single "flower" is the song, melody and Jisoos vocals were very good to me, MV was great, Jisoo looked amazing. What made the song underwhelming was the instrumental and production. It sounded empty and unfinished in parts. Like it was missing something, so I did like the song I just think they let her down in making it the bop it had the potential to be. I feel like Rose had the best solo of all 4 members

man if i were jennie i would be more excited to perform my own song than the other blackpink songs not because they’re bad but we all know they got a little tired of performing the same songs when they didn’t have many songs jennie specifically showed that she’s tired at times. i love solo, i think it was really well executed like i’m still not over it, when everyone was shitting on jennie and hating on her debut i was there for her !! that’s my sister over there ! people at the time were saying it was unfair to give jennie a solo but now in retrospect i think it was unfair for jennie, sure solo is iconic but the other blackpink members solo debuted when blackpink’s name was much bigger and they received much more praise. also she’s the only one to have one song while the others have 2, give jennie a comeback !! on the ground and gone did nothing for me 🥲 i wanted to love them but they just didn’t do it for me which really hurt me because jennie and rosé were my bias line in bp, i know the lyricism is good but it doesn’t make me feel anything. lalisa and money, i see the vision, she slayed but this isn’t the music that’s for me, lisa’s tone in lalisa is just so

I like that when you critic their music, you give a detailed description of what you don't like and how it can improve! You are clearly very passionate about music and that's admirable.

Kpop in general has never been about music . You couldn't go far with only good music in this industry . Music matter to a degree but LOOKS matter the most . Being pretty is key here . For that they'll be given massive fame even if they didn't work hard enough . Even by lifting a finger , people will give applause to them , ' oh so beautiful , so talented ' . Even if they're spitting toxic and trashy lyrics, people will worship them . Their effort and artistry don't live up to the hype most of the time , they're just decent idols with really really beautiful visuals . Your eyes are being blessed just by watching them , for that no good music, no talents or no hard work is needed . Just put them on the screen and people will love them . That's how the pretty privilege works . It's a shame but no one could stop it . People who don't have that kind of face and power have to work hard to death , dripping blood and sweat but still wouldn't be able to catch up to them , pretty idols who are doing just enough to pass as ' performers ' . Well, there are artists out there who are really good and successful and their hard work and talents can back them up . But there are still ' fans ' who are obsessed with looks and beauty . Ok I won't deny that I watch them for their beauty but I don't listen to their music , for me they're just eyes cleanser , I watched them when I wanna see extremely beautiful girls . We are living in a dystopian society . The end .

Lisa’s Money remains my number one out of all their solo stuff it’s just so much fun to listen to!!

Solo was really iconic because of Jennie having a song called solo while getting so much hate and ended up being successful

I wonder how 3/4 members got title track for their solos with no chorus. Honestly i never noticed much of idols life or persona but with blackpink being such influential group you could have easily gave 4 members 4 different concepts. Jennie: she can have got that aesthetic bougie concept with her persona. Lisa: with a strong rap song and good moves *not these generic hip moves given to her* she could have slayed so hard. Rose: with her being gifted with such soothing voice you could have seen her in a soft girl next door concept and fall in love with her. Jisoo: her vocal colours are a bit hard to work with but not impossible. I could see her in a mystery/thriller based mv and song that could help her voice in deep as well. With her acting experience a dark/thriller based mv had been so amazing. But yg just never saw any potential in their solo with different themes god it's just disappointing at this point🗿

I hope that if they do renew, that they do with some guidelines, like having more creative input and control in their music, being able to work with other producers, having more music and longer albums, stuff like that . But idk I can’t imagine them doing that, sometimes it feels like they like how things are. Also, they really like teddy but teddy should encourage them more. In the documentary it shows him encouraging Rose. But he should actually involve them in the musical direction, at least lyrics wise because I think their ideas can add more personality and feel a bit more authentic, idk though.

Gone is honestly such a good song; it’s on my sad playlist and I’ve cried to it before, which most english kpop songs don’t make me do

Rosè has the best solo but i don't appreciate the ''sit still look pretty'' theme they have like you said "surface level" They should just let them write and produce their songs

I just hate soooooooooooo much when an artist uses their name for their song. Nevermind a "debut".

Literally' Solo' is the iconic one. Nd 'gone' is the song i listen to almost everyday.but the others r just 🙂

I loved Rose's solo and I somehow likes solo by jennie. But I physically cannot bring myself to listen to the other members songs. I guess human beings truly are complex creatures cause I genuinely think its bad but there's people who also like it.

To me their solos are not about music, just about visual

A little off topic, bc I'm mad at Teddy for sticking with the same concept for 7 years hehe: I always thought BP was making songs for woman to feel confident, but now I see I can't relate to it, because 90% of the time they sing how they're better than others (mostly girls). In comparison we now have Le Sserafim, who to me are all I wanted from BP since a long time... I'm FEARLESS, ANTIFRAGILE, UNFORGIVEN! Teddy, this is want you call a good concept for strong woman! I'm saying this because for the longest time BP were branded as as group of strong individuals who got as popular as male groups what was rare at the time, and huge congrats to them, but they're stuck in the past. At this point I'm holding onto the sentiment to them for being my first kpop girl group...

Oh and another thing, If anyone has been keeping up with Babymonsters final evaluation series, you remember that the girls have been involved in the production, and lyrics and line distribution of their evaluations. MEANING THAT THEY CAN DO THESE THINGS, and idk if times might have changed. But wouldn’t that mean that BP also did too? So again, it’s not like they don’t have the ability or the talent of songwriting. But I think that they just, don’t for some unknown reason. We have no idea what goes on behind closed doors so 🤷🏽‍♀️

Ready for love and all eyes on me both sound exactly like the early Alan Walker songs back in 2015 😭😭

yg is the biggest obstacle to blackpink actually being good lmao

Excited for this!

I just think, once again, their solo music is a classic example of companies underutilising an idols talents and strengths, for instance in Lalisa.....they legit made one of the best female hiphop dancers in kpop dance the driest choreo ive ever seen.

atleast you respect the blackpink member i think you wouldn't get jumped by those toxic side of the fandom.. have a great day and thank you for making the video i hope you will always support 4 of them

If they don't separate from YG entirely, I think at least 2 out of 4 more members will take their solo contracts somewhere else. And if it takes 5 years to get another solo song, wouldn't you? It's clear that YG cannot manage their group and solo careers at the same time. The sign on fees and financing for career support is also a lot better from the major worldwide labels that are courting them. I honestly don't think YG has the capital to keep all 4 members on updated exclusive contracts. If it does become a money issue, I'd be surprised if they can beat even one of the girl's other offers straight away.

I just listen to the intro, and I still don't understand why people spend so much energy and time to hate on someone they don't know for just something as trivial as music... whatever just want to say that I really appreciate your videos even when I don't agree, but you have a way of presenting things that is really nice !

Rly excited! 🎉

I got into Kpop because of “Money” From Lisa, I was wondering if she had more music and clicked in her profile in Spotify and then my Journey began

i rlly dislikes the rapping in bp songs.. "gun up in my hand bam bam bam" "rocks in my wrist, so I call 'em the flintstones" "you gon finna catch me" "all this bread so yummy" "got the bag with the cream if you know what I mean" "twerking, twerking, when I buy the things I like" "mona lisa kinda lisa" "chillin' like a villain, yeah, ra-ra-ra" IS THIS UR QUEEN? 😭😭

Solo and On the Ground is just iconic ❤

I've been struggling with the frustrations I have specifically for Jisoo's Flower music video and I think I finally found the words. All the dancing shots feel like what I'd expect from a cover group going to a random outdoor intersection and getting their bud to record with their DLSR on a tripod. Uninteresting. Bland. Literally just lifeless. The lighting wasn't even good, nor was the framing. What in the world were they thinking? Also can we talk about how Miyeon, the member of Blackpink who never made it into the debut lineup, has such a solid debut EP compared to all of them? That's just ironic. Drive was just such a solid debut song that showed her colors perfectly.

Thank u for making this video! Loved hearing another opinion!

They could honestly make jennie and lisa rap about how nuch they like pop tarts and make it sound good 😭

I love On the Ground. Rosé stood out @ Coachella

Rosé's solo touched me more than the rest of the solos.

GONE is my favorite solo, i still listen to it regularly

Finally someone that doesn’t see Solo as this outterbody experience I don’t understand why it’s still perceived as the best solo. I would rank them: 1. On the Ground 2. Flower 3. Solo 4. Lalisa

If I remeber correctly it's Bekuh Boom who writes the english raps for the girls. In genius website for Icecream, she had commented how much she thought of Lisa when she wrote that "Mona Lisa kinda Lisa" line. I think she has a great role in the eng raps.

I still don't understand why all BP songs (and the solos) dont' have choruses with actual lyrics. It's either a instrumental "chorus" or a chorus where they repeat the same phrase over and over.

I’m a blink and I love your Blackpink videos!!! I’m so happy to see more lately :)

I really love watching honest reviews about kpop groups. And tbh, I'm looking for a honest review about bp and thankfully I found this one. And I must say, I agree to you big time! More honest reviews to come!!

BP was what got me into KPOP in the first place like 5 years back. But now 5 years later I can't say they did anything since I knew about them. It's like they are stuck back in 2018...

Honestly jisoo solo title track is just 50% instrumentals and 20% her singing,also it’s not just you legit someone did a mashup of ready for love and all on eyes on me on TikTok and I couldn’t believe how well it fitted the ready for love instrumentals it was crazy and honestly felt like the budget went into the dresses then mv general just felt so empty besides just jisoo looking “pretty” like yg has just a knack for these kind of things but they did showed each members colors through their solo well cause Jisoo solo screams jisoo and for other members as well but when it comes to the songs there is barely any good ones out of the solos just some gems like gone

teddy should serve prison time for the rap he gave lisa 💀

Jennie's Solo is my fav 🥰

Gone feels the most authentic and complex and true to rose ! The most artistic for me from all their solos

Personally I feel blinks should stop blaming YG all the time. I honestly want to understand if they can digest any song produced by only all the members of blackpink. Truly by themselves. From writing to production. Everything. Without taking help from anybody from YG crew. Can they do that?? Nope. Then why r they blaming YG??

Will be watching no matter what

I would like to make an argument for On The Ground having better lyricism than Gone, that which being I feel like we have more context for the former than the latter. I would have to agree that Gone is ultimately more interesting, but it also feels all over the place. The first verse makes it seem like the partner ghosted her, but then the chorus makes it seem like he cheated on her? And I know both can theoretically be possible at the same time, but there's little to no connection that makes it into a cohesive story. It conveys "heartbreak" well enough, but *what* heartbreak, specifically? For a song that's full on lyrics and with no drop, it does seem oddly lacking, especially since this lacks the context of the relationship itself. While On The Ground is similarly lacking, in that it has an empty drop with a subpar instrumental to boot, I think the lyrics convey just enough for the drop to feel like space to breathe, almost. This also where "context" comes in. The first verse describes trainee life, something a lot of people are familiar with given the endless amount of documentation about it. And the fact that we also know YG to be harsh on their trainees, being part of the Big 3 and all, it adds the whole "I've worked my whole life" part more weight. The second verse being sped-sang also contributes to how I think the drop feels deserved. It's not the best empty chorus ever, but the verse being sang so fast, it felt justified, almost. I also think how it addresses her younger self as "you" felt like it added to a feeling of isolation, because if there's one thing about trainee life we know, it's that loss of innocence is prevalent. And given that they've all had pretty long training time (not the longest, but still pretty long), I think this type of second-person writing makes sense. I do have to say it's not perfect, I really wish the runtime was longer as well, but its meaning holds more depth for me, given that we can pretty much deduct what she's been through with outer context and the lyrics itself, whereas Gone feels like vague heartbreak with no story to tell. Add the fact that the instrumental is constant, basically telling us to focus on her voice and the lyrics, and it falls a bit flat for me.

It's sad that their individual cover songs show a lot more of their potential and talent than their official Blackpink songs. Look at their dance covers for BBHMM and "16 Shots," their cover of Miguel's "Sure Thing," all of Rosie's covers but especially "Eyes Closed" and "If It's You," Jisoo's "Yuki No Hana" and "Clarity," Lisa's Films, Jennie's performance of "Best Part" and her pre-debut work. They show more potential performing other people's songs than their own, and I think the weight and meaning of that is self-explanatory. (aka they need to either completely take over on their own, or get new people to work on their music) obviously this is my opinion, but it's something I just realized and I'm kinda baffled.

roses solo felt like the only 'genuine' one, idk tho

3 minutes in and i already like your editing

I just watched jisoo live performance singing flower and felt so sad that yg can't see the potential because she sung so good live. I think yg was joking when he said its the most expensive because money performance video looked more good and expensive than Flower mv.

i really hope rosie leaves yg and starts working with more western songwriters, so that she can work on it and really thrive as an artist. she could become an amazing songwriter and artist, which i just dont see with her staying in the kpop industry.

5:14 it´s not that YG is dumb, they profit from hate. They´re actually geniuses when it comes to marketing and selling at all costs. They know the reputation and mental health of idols don´t really matter. They probably knew giving Jennie a solo would make her even more of a target, but the thing is, publicity is publicity, specially in the algorithm era. And most of bp´s marketing has always been about solo stans and toxic femininity.

You are really brave for this and I agree with every word

the clothing alone for flower mv was about 90k usd... but I'm sure that's not something they actually would be dumb enough to buy, probably just given

19:35 to the question why was the MV so expensive: it looks like it was shot on film and using film cameras is usually WAY more expensive than shooting digital since not only you have to pay for the rolls, developing and scanning them but also the proces requires different lighting etc. With that said, I personally loved the Flower MV because it looked so unusual compared to other kpop MVs. Normally you would have the dancing scenes shot dynamically, with a lot of camera movement and close-ups and here those were really static so when I've watched it for the first time it felt like sth was off. The editing is a huge factor in why I admire this MV so much. You don't focus as much on cool transitions as you do on Jisoo, her subtle movements and facial expressions (and she's amazing at conveing emotions). Honestly it feels very cinematic to me, like watching a main character in a movie!

I actually don't think YG is stupid. I think they've always thrived off of negative marketing, often at the expense of the idol. I've never seen them step in unless it was a legal issue. Of the big 3, their brand for their idols has always been that they won't follow the cookie-cutter roles set out by the public for the idols. They've always wanted their idols to be seen as some sort of renegades (but they often come off as spoilt kids). YG's PR machine is evil but effective; they made the world believe that the small discography with two song albums (they call it "quality over quantity"), a repititive sound with empty boastful lyrics by the same producer (they call it the "Blackpink" brand), are not flaws but assests. We just eat it up everytime🤡

your honest criticism I appreciate that’s why I subscribed. please keep doing honest reviews. Thank you

Gone is the best song among all solos. PERIOD

Can i say something when i watched flower it remind me solo, a kind of weird story, pretty outfits, and empty chorus, so i dont knowif they tried to copy it or idk but well it dont Will look good

their music is definetly stuck in like 2015-2016. I'm not sure what's up with that...

I really appreciate your no holds barred, painfully honest opinions, even though I vehemently disagree with most (but not all) of your negative points. I am just surprised you put in this amount of time and effort for music that you seem to genuinely dislike despite seemingly liking and appreciating the talents of the four members.

I was so looking forward to Jisoo’s song, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Also “highest production budget”?? - honestly, Le Sserafim’s recent trailer looked more high budget than Jisoo’s vid. Don’t get me wrong, Jisoo’s MV was lovely, but if nobody mentioned the MV’s budget, I wouldn’t have thought it was a high budget production. Whereas, I immediately thought that a lot of money was spent for Le Sserafim’s trailer because it had a cinematic arthouse look.

you literally summed up all my feelings about BP in one video. I've been casually following since their debut, and while as celebrities and influencers BP's charisma and brand is undeniable, I don't want to listen to any of their music. I remember in the late 10s when they'd been around for a few years and all they had were like 5 songs that had been played to death, it was already a bit suss. I kept watching each release and each project but all of them have felt lacklustre and with any other group or company would have been flop or mid comebacks. credit to the girls for doing so well with what they had (song wise), but unfortunately (to a casual kpop fan like me, not a blink) it feels like rose is the only member that even cares about songwriting and production. when other groups that have debuted around the same time or after have released so much more interesting, meaningful and listenable music, it's hard not to feel they're overhyped with an amazing pr team and charisma but little substance as a music fan. i'll continue casually keeping up with bp, but man, the moment I heard the chorus for flower.... anyway, it's been many years and counting but I really just want better from and for them

I believe Rose's solo took that long because she had to fight YG to be able to release the songs she wanted to, or at least the ones she liked the most and that's just a theoryy

Not a BLINK but I also want blackpink to stay and not disband, and i think disbanding them will be a dumb decision, coz girls are so so talented and they hv the potential, also I agree with the fact that when an idol from a group do a solo project, we want to see something different, something new coz this is when an idol get to experiment and explore new things apart from the group and i think if they will try something new and experiment with their solo music, they will grow and it will help the group eventually. perfect example J HOPE , i don't even need to say further . And about rap, yessss plss stop making rap part teddy, i request. tbh the rap part in any blackpink songs sounds addictive , yes i like how it sounds but when i see lyrics , it turns me off, i am not a fan of their lyricism coz it lacks substance, for example lalisa and solo.... i just hope best for their future 💜

"This song doesn't make her any favors" describes their entire career. Like selling mediocre toe rings made with 14k gold.