BLACKPINK Members Won’t Renew Solo Contracts With YG Entertainment

The chart-topping K-pop girl band BLACKPINK has set its sights on new horizons as the quartet steps away from their longtime home, YG Entertainment, to explore individual solo endeavours. The decision was made official through a press release on a Friday, revealing that while BLACKPINK, as a group, will continue to be under the umbrella of YG Entertainment, each member – Jennie, Rosé, Lisa, and Jisoo – will venture into solo careers beyond the agency’s confines.

The announcement marks a significant milestone in the evolution of BLACKPINK, a group that has soared to unparalleled heights since its formation under YG Entertainment in 2016. The decision to embark on solo journeys comes on the heels of the group’s renewed contract with YG, which initially promised fans a new album and a world tour. YG Entertainment expressed its unwavering support for BLACKPINK’s individual pursuits in a statement translated from Korean to English by K-pop news website, Soompi.

Jennie, on December 24, made an announcement, revealing her plans to unveil a new record label and company named OA. The revelation came through a photoset shared on the official OA Instagram page, accompanied by a caption that offered insight into the ethos of the label.

The caption read: “OA, which stands for ODD ATELIER, is a space that aims to create new things that attract attention in a different way from what is usual or expected. It is a label founded by artist JENNIE in November 2023.”

As of now, all four members of BLACKPINK have embarked on their individual solo journeys. In 2021, both Rosé and Lisa took the plunge into solo stardom with the release of their debut solo albums.

Rosé’s album, titled -R-, included the standout single On the Ground. This track not only made history by debuting at No. 1 on both the Global Excl. US charts and Billboard Global 200 but also marked an achievement as the first song by a Korean solo artist to achieve this feat.

Lisa, on the other hand, presented the world with her LaLisa album, featuring Billboard Hot 100 hits like the title track (No. 84) and Money (No. 90). She also became the first soloist to clinch the MTV Video Music Award for Best K-pop.

Spring of 2023 saw Jisoo stepping into the solo spotlight with the release of her debut single album, Me. The two-track project was led by the Flower, which soared to No. 2 on the Global 200 chart.

While Jennie was the first BLACKPINK member to embark on a solo career back in 2018 with her chart-topping Solo, it was in late 2023 that she achieved another milestone. On the chart dated December 30, 2023, Jennie made her debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with her hit One of the Girls, featuring The Weeknd & Lily-Rose Depp. Additionally, in June of the same year, Jennie took on a new challenge by starring in the controversial HBO drama The Idol, produced by The Weeknd.