BLACKPINK Goes Solo… And I Have So Much To Say.
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3 min
Four members, four SOLO releases, and a whole lot of opinions from a professional couch potato.
BLACKPINK is back in their solo era, and I totally get it - it’s like when a couple goes ‘on break’ to rediscover their independence and who they really are without codependence, or whatever.
The difference between this and that couple who should just break up already and move on to bigger and better things is that they’re more of a married couple than a boyfriend and a girlfriend, and they’re so un-codependent that one might argue that they’re too independent, and they should probably do more things together, or just full send it with a divorce… but that's just an opinion I overheard from no one in particular, none other than myself.
All things said, I was ECSTATIC upon hearing that not one, not two, not three, but FOUR (aka. all) members were set to release something for the month of September; so of course i had to collect my cents, and submit my two in.
The solo music videos ranked, Dance Moms-style:
4. Jisoo - CLICK
“At The Bottom~”
Jisoo's "CLICK"
If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t really feel much after this one. I will, however, admit that I spent a large majority of this video thinking “Wow, isn’t she just so beautifully pretty” - like a robot, or a puppet, or whatever she was in the music video.
The setting was cool, and I actually think the concept had so much potential, but the execution missed the mark ever-so slightly; it felt a little… robotic. Which may have been quite literally the point but if this was the case, it lacked depth and felt very literal.
I wanted a WOW chorus where everything came together, shots that broke the fourth wall and something that strummed my heart strings even the slightest, and I didn’t get that - it all felt a little AI-ish to me.
3. ROSÉ - new trick
“3rd on the Pyramid, 3rd Overall High Score~”
ROSÉ's "new trick"
This was very Western-pop-girl coded. There's something about the sound and music video that immediately gave me Avril Lavigne, Olivia Rodrigo’s drivers license, and a little sprinkle of beabadoobee - nostalgic, slightly angsty, and effortlessly cool.
We KNOW Rosé has one of the most beautiful voices (go watch her LIVE cover of Linger by The Cranberries!!), and I’d love it if they'd lean more into that with her music, but I do love how she stepped straight into the pop-rock world she's been orbiting! I must say it suits her ridiculously well.
I just wish it had a little more of that oohhhh my GOD feeling that the next two have.
2. JENNIE - Fallen Angel
“Aaand Mckenzie~”
JENNIE's "Fallen Angel"
This felt… vulnerable. Maybe ‘weightless’ is the word I’m after?
There was something incredibly refreshing about this video. It’s airy, dreamlike filmography created something that felt pure and stripped back without looking low production or like a rebrand-pipeline-esque nothing, and while I wasn’t particularly drawn to the lyrics, the orchestration as a whole drew me in.
The visuals were captivating, her voice was like a siren, and the story behind it all felt deep, personal and kept me on my toes - some of the black-and-white scenes after the halfway point did feel a little awkward, but it still gave me that ohhhh~~ feeling.
And the ending? Shivers.
1. Lisa - SaWaDiKa
“And Going 3-for-3~”
Lisa's "SaWaDiKa"
I was SAT. One thing Lisa will do is never fail us; her stage presence is a force to be reckoned with, argue with the wall.
The symmetry, the angles, the lighting, the transitions, ALL of it, was satisfying to watch, and the choreography gave me shivers for the entirety. It’s got remnants of something Lady-Gaga about it remixed with some K-hip hop, a sprinkle of the roots of her Thai ancestry woven through it’s entirety.
I could keep raving about how this had me feeling physically - everything came together so seamlessly to create one big 3 minutes and 7 second spectacle without feeling artificially polished, and every version of Lisa OWNED my screen.
I also feel really inspired to wear a wig.
And there we have it: the four flavours served on a platter for BLACKPINK’s September Restaurant Month.
A professional couch potato’s highly scientific ranking, video analysis with insight, and many many opinions (don’t fret, I’m prepared to expect commotion in the comment section). We’ve been served breakfast, lunch, dinner AND dessert, now all we need is a grand finale… BLACKPINK EP next??
Blink on three, Beauties x
