BLACKPINK's Iconic B-Side Track "Tally" Was Almost Given To American Singer Doja Cat, According To Its Producer

BLACKPINK‘s BORN PINK album was recently released to rave reviews. It was their second full length album which had eight tracks including “Pink Venom,” “Shut Down,” “Typa Girl,” “Yeah Yeah Yeah,” “Hard to Love, “The Happiest Girl,” “Ready for Love,” and “Tally.”

The latter song stood out for its lyrics of empowerment and independence. Fans loved how BLACKPINK sang of not caring about what others thought.

As such, it was a surprise that it almost did not make it into the album in the first place.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, producer and singer Soraya LaPread, one of the main songwriters of “Tally,” revealed that it was swept under the rug for several years after its initial conception.

I kind of, honestly, had forgotten about the song.

— Soraya

It came back to her attention when a fellow producer credited in the track list heard it and immediately liked it.

As a musician, as a producer, you go into the studio, you spend a lot of time, you make a lot of ideas, and sometimes these ideas come out of nowhere again. To point it out, I had just completely forgot about it [then] Nat was shopping the song.

— Soraya

Australian songwriter Nat Dunn loved the message and sound of “Tally.” She began pitching it to several different artists who they thought would give it justice. The main one they almost sent it to was American singer-rapper Doja Cat who is famous for her song “Say So.”

She got Bebe Rexha to cut it. She was really working it. She told me to send it to Doja.

— Soraya

If Nat had not spent a significant amount of energy getting the song heard, it may not have reached BLACKPINK.

She was trying to get that song out. She believed in it and it really showed me what it is to believe in a song and to believe in a record and to push it out because you know that people will love it, that it’s an amazing idea, an amazing concept.

— Soraya