BLACKPINK - How You Like That: Blog Tasks

Audience

1) Those that are a part of the BLACKPINK fandom are most commonly known as 'blinks' and they consist of predominantly teenage girls or younger women. Although BLACKPINK have many fans across the globe, they are particularly big in the Philippines or Indonesia, as well as other western countries - for example the UK and the USA. They would most likely fit into the "aspirer" or "mainstream" psychographic.

2) Some audience pleasures offered by the How You Like That music video includes the use of the Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratifications theory. This includes diversion (typical music video conventions - performance, effects, fast pace etc), personal relationships (fan interaction through social media plays a huge part in the success of k-pop globally, as fans feel as though they 'know' the members), personal identity (the k-pop fandom often involves copying the look or appearance of band members and seeing their own style reflected on screen) and surveillance (it also helps western audiences gain knowledge of Korean music and culture).

3)

• 0:41 - the first beat drop and start of the chorus which is one of the most important and captivating aspects of the music video, along with the carefully choreographed dance routine, which appeals to BLACKPINK fans as it is the most memorable part and also includes the title of the song itself.
• 1:12 - it includes one of Lisa's rap solos, which are very iconic as she is the main rapper of the group and blinks watch out for one of these moments in every music video, again captivating the audience.
• 2:26 - follows a series of solos from each member of the group revolving around their strengths (e.g Lisa's as rap), there is a sudden beat drop and dance number which fully appeals to BLACKPINK fans, along with the flashing lights, editing and the many different camera angles.

4) Before the release of the music video, it was promoted by a series of teasers on the band’s social media accounts (which consisted of posters and photos focusing on individual band members and videos) and a reality show (24/365 with BLACKPINK). A “dance performance” video including the choreography for the music video was released in July 2020, in which by March 2021 this had achieved over 600 million views and was placed in the top 20 videos of the year by Billboard magazine.

5) K-pop is a huge global phenomenon and has acquired enormous success because it consists of a wide audience all from different parts of the world. It has become increasingly popular over time due to the way they educate people on different ethnic backgrounds and cultures. Social media and streaming devices are huge factors involved within the growing popularity of K-pop as well as the many different bands and solo artists who constantly bring in a larger fanbase of the K-pop industry.

Industry

1) BLACKPINK was formed in 2016 by the Korean entertainment company YG Entertainment; by 2020 they became one of the most successful K-pop bands in the world. By 2021, they were the most followed girl group on Spotify and the most-subscribed music group, female act and Asian act on YouTube.

2) As well as BLACKPINK, YG Entertainment have created other big names, with some being: BigBang, AKMU, Treasure and BabyMonster.

3) People nowadays mostly engage with music videos through phones, tablets and computers with access to YouTube, also known as technological convergence. It displays the fact that music videos are now a media form in its own right and not just a way to sell an album. This earns a lot more money through advertising, for example the billions of views BLACKPINK earn on YouTube.

4) BLACKPINK and K-pop shows that the media and music industries are now global through BLACKPINK selling out arenas across the UK and USA as well as the East. They performed at Wembley Arena in 2019 and also at the huge US music festival Coachella.

5) Most UK-based record companies get their music videos rated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The sort of problems the BBFC considers in classifying music videos include bad language, dangerous behaviour presented as safe, drug misuse, sexual behaviour and nudity, and threatening behaviour and violence.

Grade 8/9 Extension Tasks:

1) The Guardian describes the songs as "unrelenting three-minute bombardments of hooks" in other words, they believe that each sequence is fully immersive which makes it hard to not sing or dance along in time with the melody. They mention that the quality control has been set very high and that the writers and producers didn't fail to bring their "A-game". This implies that they are talented individuals who serve exactly what is wanted of them, however they also comment on how the possible exception are those behind the lyrical aspect of it all.

2) The problem in question is that in the music video of 'How You Like That', Hindi deities were portrayed in a pop music context. This offended many international fans, who did not approve of the use of their religious deities portrayed within a music video. The image was then quietly edited out, although most feel felt that they deserved an apology. The video included a statue of the Hindi deity Ganesha, the elephant-headed god flashed in the background during Lisa's solo rap performance. Though this image was only shown for several seconds, it was still enough for many fans (specifically in India) to express their discomfort and disapproval with the choice that was made. BLACKPINK was accused of cultural appropriation, and for using a sacred religious object as a music video prop and placing it on the floor which showed a level of disrespect towards the Hindu community and culture. A petition was made with over 4,500 signatures of fans demanding YG Entertainment to erase the video and provide a public apology, they were soon bombarded with angry emails. YG Entertainment then posted a new version of the video without the use of the deity this time, a YG representative expressed to the New York Times that "It was immediately edited when we became aware of it," - although fans still requested a formal apology.