K-pop group Blackpink tells Jimmy Kimmel: ‘We’re very girly, but ... very savage too’
Blackpink in Jimmy Kimmel’s area.
On Tuesday night, the late-night talk show host interviewed the K-pop girl group over video chat, live from Seoul.
“Do you know I speak Korean?†Kimmel asked in Korean — not one, but three times. (Do you know he doesn’t know any other phrases?)
Jaws dropped and “thumbs up†flashed as Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo and Lisa reacted with genuine surprise — at least the first time.
Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo, and Lisa talk to Jimmy Kimmel about coming up with the name BLINKS for their fans, how they came up with the title for their new album “The Album,†working with Cardi B and more.
Kimmel recognized the band’s international popularity, asking if members need to wear disguises to step out the front door. (In June, the music video for “How You Like That†off Blackpink’s debut, “The Album,†set a YouTube record, viewed more than 80 million times in 24 hours.)
The women try to dress “manly and tough,†they said, layering hats and hoodies when they’re out in public. “That’s what I do too,†Kimmel quipped.
K-pop girl group extraordinaire Blackpink performs their ‘Lovesick Girls’ off of ‘The Album’ on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live.’
That’s partly because of their loyal fan club, known as “Blink,†a portmanteau of “black†and “pink.†The members of the group came up with the “Blink†name around the time they chose “Blackpink,†they said.
“We’re very girly, but at the same time, we’re very savage too,†vocalist Rosé said of the Blackpink name, nodding to their “Pretty Savage†track.
Blackpink as an entity began forming around 2010, when YG Entertainment in South Korea held worldwide tryouts for teenage recruits to create a new girl group. There, the “trainees†at the label learned English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, they told Kimmel.
Kimmel was careful to tailor questions to each artist: Jisoo doesn’t speak as much English as the other members do, so the host asked for her favorite English phrase.
“That’s a pity,†she said with a dash of sass.
Thai rapper Lisa got her moment in the spotlight too: She was most excited to meet Jaden Smith at Coachella.
“Anybody who loves music in Korea would love to go to Coachella, as like a dream wish,†singer Jennie said. Last year, Blackpink became the first female K-pop group to play Coachella.
Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo and Lisa went on to perform “Lovesick Girls†from their new album. Why call the record simply “The Album,†Kimmel wondered.
“We had a bunch of ideas, but at the end of the day, we knew that our fans were waiting so much for our album that we decided to go with something that just described it the best: ‘Blackpink: The Album’ sounded straightforward,†Rosé said.
Their Tuesday night performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,†however, was more “more†than “lessâ€: Fans were met with a retro diner set, elaborate costumes and polished choreography, streamed straight from South Korea.
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