Third mini album out on the 27th after 3 years and 5 months
First collaboration with the National Museum of Korea... members guide the artifacts
"Deadline" listening session in front of the Gwanggaeto Stele
100 million YouTube subscribers and the "Red Diamond" milestone
BLACKPINK performed the "Deadline" stage of their world tour at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium on the 24th of last month. Provided by YG Entertainment
Over the breath of 5,000 years of history, BLACKPINK's songs ring out. The pink bullet they have fired is now moving beyond Earth's orbit toward an even wider universe.
According to YG Entertainment on the 25th, BLACKPINK will release their third mini album "DEADLINE" at 2 p.m. on the 27th, marking their return to the music scene. It is their first full-group activity in 3 years and 5 months since their second full-length album "Born Pink" in September 2022.
The third mini album "Deadline" captures both "the greatest moments that cannot be reversed" and "BLACKPINK's present, shining the brightest at this very moment." It contains a total of five tracks: the title track "GO," the pre-released song "JUMP," as well as "Me and My," "Champion," and "Fxxxboy."
The music video teaser sensuously depicts the members preparing for a voyage that takes them from sea and land and sky into outer space. The image of them gathered together, gripping crossed oars, conveys a firm determination, while the GO symbol revealed as white sand explodes hints at the cosmic scale the album aspires to.
Collaboration with the National Museum of Korea... K-pop in resonance with 5,000 years of history
For this comeback promotion, BLACKPINK chose the National Museum of Korea as their key base. As their first large-scale collaboration with this treasure trove of Korean cultural heritage, it carries symbolic meaning that goes beyond a simple album release. It is a project that attempts to combine tradition and modernity, cultural heritage and K-pop.
The "National Museum of Korea X BLACKPINK" project, which runs from the 27th, the album release date, through March 8, will feature global music streaming platform Spotify as a partner. In front of the Gwanggaeto Stele located in "The Path of History," the main lobby on the first floor of the museum, a listening session will be set up where visitors can enjoy all the tracks from the third mini album. A pre-listening event held one day before the release closed reservations early.
During the event period, the exterior walls and outdoor spaces of the museum will be bathed in pink lighting symbolizing BLACKPINK every day from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The most eye-catching program is the cultural heritage audio guide (docent) in which all four members personally took part. Jisoo and Jennie explain the value of the artifacts in Korean, Rose in English, and Lisa in Thai. The audio guide covers eight artifacts of national treasure level: the Gilt-bronze Pensive Bodhisattva, the Ten-story Stone Pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa Temple, the Moon Jar of white porcelain, the Gold Crown Ornament in the Shape of Bird's Wings, the Stone Standing Maitreya Bodhisattva from Gamsansa Temple, the Gold Earrings from the Bubu-chong Tomb in Gyeongju, the Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, and the Bronze Ewer with Silver-inlaid Riverside Scene Design.
Yoo Hongjun, Director General of the National Museum of Korea, said, "This is an attempt to reinterpret cultural heritage in today's language so that more people will be encouraged to visit the museum." A representative from YG Entertainment said, "It is a new experiment that bridges the boundary between music and cultural heritage," adding, "We expect it will broadly draw interest not only from the global fandom but also from the cultural sector and the general public." The museum plans to expand visitors' experience by offering a limited number of postcards featuring the members' commentary and photos.
100 million YouTube subscribers... First artist in the world
Behind this large-scale collaboration lies BLACKPINK's overwhelming global stature. At 7:31 p.m. on the 20th, BLACKPINK's official YouTube channel surpassed 100 million subscribers. It has been about 9 years and 8 months since the channel was launched on June 28, 2016, and it is both the first and the highest figure among artists worldwide.
To commemorate this, YouTube presented BLACKPINK with a dedicated "Red Diamond Creator Award." Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at Google and YouTube, said, "BLACKPINK's journey is historic," and evaluated them as "a representative case of building a borderless mega fandom through YouTube."
Over the past 12 months, BLACKPINK has recorded more than 3.3 billion views on YouTube. They have posted high view counts in a wide range of countries including Korea, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the United States, and Brazil, proving that their popularity is not confined to any specific region. The cumulative number of views on their official channel has reached 41.1 billion, and they now have nine videos that have each surpassed 1 billion views.
Offline marketing will also kick into full gear as soon as the music is released. YG Plus will operate an official pop-up store from the 28th to March 8 at Musinsa Store Myeongdong and Musinsa Standard Seongsu in Seoul. It plans to showcase a variety of limited-edition merchandise, including clothing and lifestyle goods, to commemorate the release of "Deadline." Starting in Seoul, the pop-up will expand to major cities such as Hong Kong and Macau.
Popular culture critic Jung Deokhyun said, "When stars introduce cultural heritage in a natural way, it has a significant effect on enhancing the national brand," adding, "We are living in an era when each and every step an artist takes becomes K-culture itself."
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