BLACKPINK is taking a new groove as the four members, Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa, have decided not to renew their individual contracts with YG Entertainment. The announcement came via a statement from YG Entertainment to the South Korean news outlet Xsportsnews on 29th December.
YG Entertainment revealed, “We have agreed not to proceed with additional contracts for [the members’] individual activities.” Despite this decision, the agency expressed its commitment to supporting BLACKPINK’s collective endeavours, stating, “We will do our utmost to support BLACKPINK’s activities, and we will cheer on the members’ individual activities with warm hearts.”
The news follows closely on the heels of Jennie’s recent venture into entrepreneurship with the launch of her label, Odd Atelier (OA). In an interesting revelation, Jennie shared that she established the company back in November 2023. She described OA as “a space that aims to create new things that attract attention in a different way from what is usual or expected.”
Taking a step back to early December 2023, all four BLACKPINK members had previously inked an exclusive contract with YG Entertainment for group activities. This decision followed months of negotiations, which began as early as July 2023.
As of now, the fate of the remaining trio—Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa—remains uncertain. It’s unclear whether they will sign with existing labels or follow in Jennie’s footsteps by establishing their agencies.
BLACKPINK, under the wings of YG Entertainment, made their debut in 2016 and swiftly rose to prominence as one of the most successful K-pop girl groups. Despite not dropping any new music in 2023, the quartet clinched the second-most streamed K-pop act on Spotify for the year.