Here’s How Each BLACKPINK Member Was Discovered, And Signed To YG
BLACKPINK became the first girl group to come from YG Entertainment, 7 years after 2NE1’s debut. Post 2NE1’s disbandment, BLACKPINK is now the agency’s only girl group. YG Entertainment’s well-known producer Teddy took charge of creating and producing the group and its bops. So how did the four BLACKPINK girls get to where they are now? Check out their individual success stories!
1. Jisoo
Jisoo explained in an interview that everyone in her family, including herself, likes to sing. Jisoo’s family would praise Jisoo when she would dance and sing in front of them at family gatherings. This built Jisoo’s desire to perform in front of more people, which led her to begin auditioning.
Jisoo recalled when she auditioned for YG Entertainment, Yang Hyun Suk noticed the ring on her finger and asked if she is dating someone – as the agency has a strict no-dating rule. With the potential and the visual, Jisoo became a YG Entertainment trainee in July of 2011. On an episode of Radio Star, Jisoo mentioned when she was a trainee, she was scouted by a SM Entertainment casting agent when she was at a YG Entertainment Concert. She had to turn the offer down, as she had already signed with YG Entertainment, but this surely tells Jisoo definitely had the looks of a potential K-Pop star.
By May of 2012, Yang Hyun Suk revealed Jisoo’s picture, without her name, under the caption “Who’s That Girl?” and hinted she is a trainee in line to debut with the “new girl group” that he first mentioned to be putting together in 2010. Then in January of 2013, YG Entertainment confirmed Jisoo as an official member of this said new girl group.
During the five years she remained a trainee, prior to the group’s debut in August 2016, Jisoo appeared in several TV commercials, music videos, and even a K-Drama. Regarding this, fans playfully phrased it that “Jisoo has experience with everything except debuting.” While training with YG Entertainment, Jisoo also promoted a mobile game, a suitcase, a smartphone, a school uniform, and Nikon camera as the brand model.
She appeared in Epik High and HI SUHYUN‘s music videos as well. She cameoed in the popular K-Drama Producer with Sandara Park and IU.
When BLACKPINK debuted August 8th, 2016, fans immediately fell in love with Jisoo, for her talent and her looks. As soon as the group debuted, Jisoo and the other three members received multiple commercial contract offers.
2. Jennie
Jennie moved from Seoul to New Zealand when she was ten years old, as a study-abroad student. While she was a student at the ACG Parnell College in Auckland, New Zealand, she was interviewed by MBC for one of its documentary programs – making her the first of the group to have been on TV. Jennie explained in an interview that she listened to a lot of K-Pop while she was in New Zealand and wanted to become an entertainer.
As she prepared to move to the United States to pursue more international education, Jennie told her mother that she wants a career in music. Jennie headed to Korea and began auditioning, specifically at YG Entertainment because she had always wanted to train at this agency since her New Zealand days.
Jennie signed as a trainee with YG Entertainment in August of 2010. During her trainee period, Jennie received a lot of spotlight and even gained some fan base with her 2012 appearance in G-Dragon‘s music video, “That XX”.
With this exposure, Jennie became one of the best known trainees of YG Entertainment. Following, she featured in several of YG Entertainment’s artists’ songs, such as Lee Hi‘s “Special”, Seungri‘s “GG BE”, and G-Dragon’s “Black”.
When Jennie was confirmed to be an official member of BLACKPINK, fans were thrilled to hear the news of her finally debuting. Jennie later mentioned on Knowing Bros that she didn’t think she would ever debut and she was terrified.
Now she is beloved by fans and fashion brands alike, for her beautiful visual and the pure amount of talent she has.
3. Lisa
Lisa was an avid dancer since she was young. She was in a dance crew when she lived in Thailand where she was born and raised. During an interview, she explained that as she liked to sing too, she wanted to become a performer and auditioned at the 2010 YG Entertainment Auditions in Thailand.
Lisa became the only person to have passed the audition in 2010. She signed as a trainee with YG Entertainment in April 2011. Lisa mentioned she didn’t speak a word of Korean when she arrived in Korea in 2011. With the language barrier being a frustration, Lisa worked hard to learn Korean by taking classes everyday and thanked the members for helping her with adapting the new language.
In 2012, YG Entertainment released a video of Lisa dancing without naming who she is. As seen in the video, Lisa showed great potential in dance and Yang Hyun Suk has praised Lisa’s skills multiple times.
By 2013, Lisa appeared in Taeyang‘s “Ringa Ringa” music video and, though only dancing in the background, had her face a little more known. She has also been a model for YG’s street fashion brand NONA9ON, along with iKON‘s B.I and Bobby, since 2015.
After building up her fan base little by little with these activities during her trainee days, she was finally revealed to be an official member to debut with BLACKPINK.
When Lisa finally debuted, she said her parents were completely thrilled after supporting her career pursuit for 6 long years. Lisa is now YG Entertainment’s only foreigner star to have debuted.
4. Rosé
Rosé‘s father played a huge role in Rosé’s debut. When he heard about the 2012 YG Entertainment Audition in Australia, he booked Rosé a ticket to the city where the audition was being held.
“I used to live in Australia. It was a rural neighborhood, rather than a metropolis. So I stayed home playing the piano or the guitar and singing. My dad noticed that I like music, so he took me to audition. Before I auditioned, music had been a hobby, but once I came to Korea and realized where I stand in terms of skills, I became more passionate and competitive about it.” — Rosé
After passing the audition as #1, she signed as a trainee with the agency in May of 2012. Rosé later mentioned in a live broadcast that the audition had a fierce competition of 700:1.
With the shortest period of training, Rosé was a “new face” when she was revealed to the public as a final member of BLACKPINK.
While she featured in G-Dragon’s song, “Without You” in September 2012, her name was not revealed at the time of the album’s release, so she remained unknown.
Rosé is now a beloved main vocalist member of BLACKPINK. Fans love her unique voice that gives BLACKPINK a different kind of vibe!
