After a yearlong hiatus and BLINKS eagerly awaiting the news of a comeback, June 15th saw Blackpink finally release their debut mini album ‘Square Up’, lead by single ‘DDU-DU DDU-DU.’ In the short amount of time that the album has been out it, the girls have accumulated so much success with the EP, so we decided to compile together some of the biggest achievements that ‘Square Up’ has given Blackpink so far.
DDU-DU DDU-DU Music Video
Title track DDU-DU DDU-DU is an explosion of badass, female empowerment and showcasing Blackpink in their prime, which is exactly what the music video reflects. With the bright bursts of colours blended with their high energy performance and a CRYSTAL ARMY TANK, it is no surprise that DDU-DU DDU-DU has not only become the most watched video by a KPOP group in 24 hours, but also the second most watched music video in 24 hours of all time with an astonishing 36.2 million views. As each day passes the views keep increasing at such a fast pace, we are sure the video will continue to break more records in the near future.
DDU-DU DDU-DU Single
Whether they are catering more towards the ‘black’ or ‘pink’ concept, Blackpink’s title tracks have always been incredibly impactful and memorable, and this was no exception. The heavy tropical trap beat layered with prominent hip-hop undertones crafted together an addicting beat that stays glued to your memory and keeps you humming the signature line ‘hit you with that ddu-du, ddu-du, du’. The single not only became their strongest title track (in our opinion) but a record breaking one at that. The summer banger became the highest charting single by a Korean girl group on the Billboard Hot 100, landing in at number 55, while simultaneously becoming the first ever Korean girl group to enter the UK Official Charts at number 78. Alongside this they are tied with BTS for the highest position for a Korean group on the Canadian Hot 100 chart at number 21. As well as the international success, in South Korea DDU-DU DDU-DU has remained number one on the Gaon digital single chart for three weeks and counting. If the success of the record-breaking track is anything to go by, the Korean end of year award shows are sure to recognise the feisty foursome this year.
Square Up
The highly anticipated debut mini album has been the topic of conversation among BLINKS and other kpop fans since member Jennie Kim first said ‘Blackpink in your area’ at the beginning of debut single Boombayah all the way back in 2016. Square Up has become an instant success for the girls not only in South Korea but internationally too. Within South Korea, Square Up has already become the bestselling debut album by a girl group on Hanteo chart history and racked up an incredibly 102,001 sales in the first week. As a result, they now hold the 5th place position for the highest selling album in one week for a girl group on the chart too. Square Up also debuted at number one on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart.
Internationally, the debut mini album broke record for Korean girl groups. Blackpink now hold the record for the highest peaking album by a Korean girl group after charting at number 40 on the Billboard 200 chart. Simultaneously, Square Up debuted at number 21 on the Canada Top 200, also the highest entry by the women of KPOP. All of this has been achieved with only a mini album and we are sure the charts will be shaken up by foursome when they next hold their comeback.
So, BLINKS, how proud are you of your Blackpink girls? Let us know by tweeting the CelebMix account!