Blackpink Aren’t Afraid to Bring The Pain on ‘Pink Venom’

Pop superstars Blackpink returned today with their brand new track “Pink Venom,” the pre-release single off their upcoming sophomore studio album, Born Pink. The release was accompanied by a powerful music video showcasing the members’ individual strengths as well as their charisma as a group.

Produced by Blackpink’s longtime collaborators Teddy Park, R. Tee, 24 and IDO, “Pink Venom” features the group’s signature powerful EDM/hip-hop sound with traditional Korean instrumentals, alternating between blending the sounds and isolating them for the rap verses and vocals; old-school hip-hop when Lisa and Jennie break into rap and more synth-based, traditional instrumental blends on Jisoo and Rosé’s verses. Written by Teddy Park and Danny Chung, the lyrics outline Blackpink’s success. The group warn listeners about the dangers of underestimating them, singing, “It’s tonight, I’m a poisonous flower/ After taking your soul away/ Look what you made us do/ A fire that will slowly put you to sleep (fire)/ It’s so beautiful, it’s brutal.” Blackpink give a shout-out to other pop powerhouses in the lyrics with references to Rihanna’s “Pon De Replay” (Lisa raps, “One by one, then two by two”) and Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do,” (the pre-chorus states, “Look what you made us do.”)

The music video is a dazzling showcase of fashion and culture across eras, bringing in everything from Korean tradition and nods to the Y2K phenomenon. The opening shot features Jisoo dressed in a hanbok-inspired gown as she plays the geomungo, a Korean plucked zither. Rosé brings in darker punk-rock vibes while Jennie and Lisa don looks inspired by the early-2000s during their rap verses. The sets range from gritty garages to a full-on jungle paradise where the quartet perform the dance break finale on water.

In a press conference held earlier today, the members outlined various details about “Pink Venom” as well as Born Pink. While they were careful about not giving away too many details about the record, Blackpink answered Rolling Stone India‘s question about the core message of the album, with Jennie explaining, “Just like the album’s title Born Pink, we wanted to express Blackpink’s essence – born to be Blackpink. We wanted to represent who we are, clearly.” 

After Born Pink‘s release in September, Blackpink will embark on the largest world tour held by a girl group in K-pop history, titled the ‘Born Pink World Tour.’ It starts with two shows in Seoul on October 15th and 16th, followed by 34 dates spread across Asia, the U.S., Europe and Australia with more to come. The group also partnered with YouTube to launch the ‘Pink Venom Challenge’ and encourage fans to try their hand at performing the track’s choreography.