BLACKPINK has recently renewed their group activity contract with YG Entertainment.

On December 6 KST, YG announced, “After careful discussions with BLACKPINK, we signed an exclusive contract for the group’s activities based on deep trust.” Yang Hyun Suk, YG’s general producer, expressed his happiness, saying, “We are happy to continue our relationship with BLACKPINK. We will do our best to help BLACKPINK shine even brighter in the global music market in the future.”

However, the renewal of BLACKPINK’s group activity contract was not without its challenges. The members of the group had been pursuing different music and activities, and YG’s support for the group had been perceived as weak as they rose to their current status as global stars.

Since their debut with “Whistle” and “Boombayah” in August 2016, BLACKPINK has released only seven albums, with only two of them being full-length albums. Their second full-length album was released last year, six years after their debut. In terms of output, this pales in comparison to their junior labelmates, TREASURE, who debuted in 2020 and have already released two full-length albums. BLACKPINK has only released 33 songs in the past seven years. When compared to 4th generation girl groups that debuted much later, such as aespa (29 songs), NewJeans (20 songs), and LE SSERAFIM (23 songs), the discrepancy is quite significant. Given BLACKPINK’s ability to turn all their releases into global hits, including songs like “Ice Cream“, “How You Like That“, “Ddu-du Ddu-du“, and “Playing with Fire“, it’s clear that with more attention and support from YG, their achievements could have been even greater.

While YG has announced plans for a new album and world tour for BLACKPINK, individual activity contracts have not yet been finalized, leaving it uncertain when full group activities can resume. Additionally, YG’s current situation, which prevents them from properly promoting BLACKPINK while sending out BABYMONSTER to reduce the risk of BLACKPINK members leaving, raises doubts about whether they can provide the necessary support.

However, the members are eager to promote as a group, and YG doesn’t have much time to spare. Contracts are generally renewed every two years, and BLACKPINK’s activities account for over half of the company’s profits, as they are the only artists left at YG apart from TREASURE, AKMU, and BABYMONSTER. The industry is watching closely to see if YG will now provide BLACKPINK with the treatment they deserve.