Never before have three members of BLACKPINK released products at the same time as they have in recent days. This has created an exciting competition. BLACKPINK is entering a new era where the members are finding their individual colors and shaping their distinct personalities more clearly in the international music market. Since the end of last year, the members have started expanding their influence by focusing more on solo activities rather than group work.
The battle between Lisa, Jennie, and Rosé
Leading the way is the youngest, Lisa. Lisa established her own company called LLOUD and has consecutively released three music products: Rockstar, New Woman, and Moonlit Floor. Each song has a different style, and through them, Lisa proves that she is striving for innovation, challenging herself with various musical genres. As the first member to have a solo product and to release three MVs, Lisa has had the most media exposure of all the BLACKPINK members since the group left YG.
She performed at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City at the end of September. Earlier, she performed at the MTV VMAs 2024 and won the Best K-pop award for the song Rockstar. Most recently, Lisa performed at the 2024 Victoria’s Secret fashion show, continuing to attract major attention with her bold style and confident, captivating performance.
However, in Lisa’s case, media exposure did not go hand in hand with acclaim. On the contrary, many of her appearances sparked significant controversy, which somewhat tarnished her reputation as a top star. The fact that Lisa showed signs of lip-syncing and gave underwhelming performances, as judged by many international media outlets, was a serious blow to her solo career, which is only in its early stages.
Setting aside the controversies, on October 4, Lisa released the song Moonlit Floor. Unlike the two songs with strong feminist messages—Rockstar and New Woman—Moonlit Floor is a romantic nu-disco, dance-pop love ballad believed to be about her relationship with her French boyfriend. Fans eagerly anticipated this release, but it faced competition from fellow BLACKPINK members Jennie and Rosé. On the Billboard Global 200 chart, Moonlit Floor peaked at number 37 by noon on October 22, lower than Rockstar (rank 4) and New Woman (rank 15).
Jennie officially released her solo song Mantra on October 11. On the day of its release, Mantra ranked 5th on Spotify’s Daily Top Song Global chart, breaking the record Jennie had previously set.
It also topped the real-time charts on Bugs, a major domestic music site, and the Top Songs chart on iTunes in 57 countries/regions, including the US, Brazil, Singapore, the Philippines, and Mexico, according to Newsis. Notably, Jennie became the first female K-pop solo artist to top the iTunes US Top Song chart this year. The song also climbed to 3rd place on the Melon chart.
In addition to these measurable achievements, the message embedded in the song has been receiving positive feedback from many fans. Jennie released Mantra on International Day of the Girl on October 11 to convey confidence and independence. True to the lyrics, Jennie also shone proudly in her own unique way on stage.
The Winner Is…
Rosé released her new solo song just one week after Jennie. Rosé’s new solo digital single APT was introduced on October 18, featuring Bruno Mars. This song is part of her first full solo album, rosie, which is set to be released in December. Rosé took charge of writing the lyrics and composing this song. Pop star Bruno Mars not only collaborated and lent his voice but also appeared in the MV, drawing attention.
This song topped Melon’s TOP 100 music chart on October 19, one day after its release, and held the number one spot for three consecutive days. It not only dominated domestic music platforms but also topped major global music charts, including Spotify in the US, as of October 22.
According to Newsen, Rosé has achieved the most remarkable success among the three BLACKPINK members who have recently released solo projects. On Spotify’s Top Songs Global chart by noon on October 22, APT ranked 1st, Mantra 9th, and Moonlit Floor 13th. Simultaneously, on Melon, Korea’s largest music platform, APT also held the top spot, followed by Mantra at 3rd, while Moonlit Floor didn’t make it to the top 100. With these achievements, APT is predicted to soon rise to a high position on the Billboard Hot 100.
In terms of views, APT garnered over 83 million views in the first four days, Mantra accumulated 52 million in 11 days, and Moonlit Floor had a modest 16.6 million in 13 days. However, the lower number for Moonlit Floor is understandable, as the video for the song is a performance clip rather than an official MV.
“I poured blood, sweat, and tears into this album,” Rosé told fans earlier this month when she announced the release of her first solo album. However, there is no sign of struggle in APT. Instead, the song is an energetic, explosive track filled with vibrant energy, from the powerful pop-rock rhythm to the addictive chorus. The song’s concept is inspired by Apartment, a famous drinking game in Korea. Its catchy, simple nature and fit with the trend-driven music landscape in short videos have led to APT‘s major success, even though Rosé has not done much promotion.
Jisoo is the only member who has not yet released her own music this year. She has taken a different path from her teammates, focusing on developing her acting career rather than as a singer.