BLACKPINK’s contract renewal saga: Will they stay together as a complete group?

BLACKPINK, who celebrated their 7th debut anniversary this year, has attracted keen attention in the music industry as to whether they will renew their contract with their current agency, YG Entertainment, and remain as a complete group.

On the 21st, one media outlet reported that according to a music industry insider, BLACKPINK’s Rosé has agreed to renew her contract with YG, but the other three members, Jennie, Jisoo, and Lisa, are in discussions with the agency to move separately but still participate in BLACKPINK activities for 6 months out of the year. There have also been reports that members Jisoo, who is transitioning to acting, and Lisa, who enjoys high popularity overseas as a Thai member, will receive contract fees in the hundreds of billions of won to transfer to other agencies.

Regarding these rumors of a failed renewal for the complete BLACKPINK group, YG stated, “There is no confirmed renewal for Blackpink at the moment; discussions are ongoing.”

BLACKPINK, which made a spectacular debut on August 8, 2016, celebrated their 7th anniversary this year. Since the beginning of the year, there has been much interest in the members’ contract renewals. Now that BLACKPINK is not just a K-pop group but also considered the ‘world’s top girl group,’ the global music fans’ attention has naturally focused on whether they will continue their journey with YG beyond the ‘7-year curse.’

High levels of interest have led to various speculations. In particular, rumors circulated that Lisa received proposals offering more than hundreds of billions of won in contract fees amid uncertainty about her contract renewal. Each time, YG repeated its position, saying, “Discussions regarding contract renewals with the members are ongoing.”

BLACKPINK successfully concluded their ‘BLACKPINK World Tour [In Your Area]’ in Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on September 16th and 17th. Due to the contract renewal issue, the members expressed their expectations during this performance, saying, “The tour may be over now, but we feel happy to be forever one with our fans, Blink. We will continue to be a fantastic BLACKPINK.” Having successfully completed their world tour, which lasted for about a year, the question of whether BLACKPINK will choose to continue with YG and what their next act will be is gaining attention.

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