After a devastating two-year drought, manna has finally arrived for the Blinks: Blackpink is dropping their second studio album in September, preceded in August with a single and followed in October with a world tour.
The announcement, made via teaser on July 31, didn’t come as a surprise to most fans, given that the Blackpink members—Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa—had let slip numerous signs that another album was incoming. A press release shared in early July 2022 by their label, YG Entertainment, announced the group would release new music in August, kicking off “a continuous large-scale project which will extend through the second half of the year.” The accompanying world tour would be the “largest world tour in the history of a K-pop girl group.” And after releasing their new promotional track “Ready For Love” for the battle royale video game PUBG Mobile, Blackpink seemed poised to declare their return to chart dominance.
Since releasing their first full-length album, THE ALBUM, in October 2020, Blackpink has transformed into one of the most globally ascendant musical acts of the last decade. Each of its four members are now celebrities in their own right, festooned with fashion deals: They’ve each earned luxury brand ambassadorships, with Jisoo signed on at Dior, Jennie at Chanel, Rosé for Yves Saint Laurent, and Lisa with Bulgari and Celine. And while Jennie told ELLE in November 2020 that “fashion definitely empowers us as much as music does,” the group’s musical career is far from sidelined.
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“I feel like I’m recharging myself,” Jisoo told Rolling Stone in May 2022. “My life these days is not too busy, because we’re not actively performing yet. I want to come back with music quickly.” Now, the days of waiting are nearly over.
When does the album come out?
Blackpink has yet to announce an official date for their second album, titled Born Pink. A teaser revealed the record will drop in September 2022, but no further information is available just yet.
What songs are on the album? Which will be singles?
There’s not much we know yet about the tone or tracks on Born Pink. But it seems producer and OneRepublic lead vocalist Ryan Tedder is involved, having revealed to Good Morning America that “I have worked on Blackpink material. I did write with the girls themselves.”
He added, “I genuinely love Blackpink and so I can’t tell you what’s coming out. I think one or two of my songs have made the album from what I’ve been told. The stuff that I did with them I can just say is very true to their sound. They wrote it so it was very much me just supporting them, their ideas. It’s cool as hell.”
What about the world tour?
The locations and dates of the world tour are TBD, though Blackpink confirmed the journey will begin in October, following the release of Born Pink.
This post will be updated.
Lauren Puckett-Pope is an associate editor at ELLE, where she covers news and culture.
