Blackpink’s global takeover is not slowing down anytime soon.
The K-pop band just took the crown for Spotify’s most streamed girl group globally in 2021 for the third consecutive year. Their debut album, Blackpink In Your Area, was only out for one month of 2018, so it’s understandable they didn’t make it to number one that year. Before Blackpink’s streak, Little Mix and Fifth Harmony each had the top slot.
As far as K-Pop artists, only BTS beat them, and it will be interesting to see if Blackpink can overtake the band that turned K-Pop into a global phenomenon.
Blackpink also reached a major milestone in late November when they became the first musical act on YouTube to reach 70 million subscribers. Justin Bieber currently trails behind with a “measly” 66.4 million subscribers followed by BTS with 61.3 million subscribers, Ariana Grande with 50.2 million subscribers, and Taylor Swift with 45 million subscribers.
The accomplishments are even more impressive considering Blackpink didn’t actually release any new music in 2021, although members Jennie and RosΓ© both released solo music.
In September, the group released a Japanese version of their 2020 album, The Album, rerecording four of the songs in Japanese. The Album features guest spots from Cardi B and Selena Gomez, but it’s not like they need the help.
Their fans (known as Blinks) are celebrating.
It is not lost on the Blinks that they didn’t even have to put out an album to make it happen. “Blackpink is the most streamed girl group of 2021 on Spotify without releasing any music this year.”
It’s safe to say the Blinks are confident their girls won’t be dethroned anytime soon.