Dear Gossips,   

Big announcement for Blinks yesterday – BLACKPINK announced that a tour is coming this year.

 

The announcement and accompanying promotional materials were updated across the group’s various social media accounts and a teaser was posted to the BLACKPINK YouTube channel. 

 

 

But… honestly? It’s a bit confusing. BLACKPINK, as a foursome, are signed to YG Music Group. But Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé are all signed to different labels as solo artists. You will note that the tour news did not come with any dates or locations. Beyoncé just did this over the weekend, staggering the tour announcement for COWBOY CARTER and holding the dates and cities until after the Grammys. But, of course, we know Beyoncé to be the most organised, and the most strategic, and Beyoncé’s business is totally streamlined. It doesn’t feel like this BLACKPINK announcement is quite as coordinated. 

 

For starters, Jisoo just announced two days ago that she’s doing a tour through Asia. 

This is in support of her solo album release, AMORTAGE, on February 14. 

 

Then there’s Jennie – her album, Ruby, comes out March 7 and she’s playing a few shows in LA and New York to promote it. 

Lisa, meanwhile, has an album too. Alter Ego is due out February 28. Plus she’s dropping a new single tonight with Doja Cat and RAYE. And she’ll likely be doing some promo for the new season of The White Lotus. 

 

Rosé of course has been burning up the charts, still, with “APT.” And her album, Rosie, released in December, is still doing well. 

That doesn’t mean the girls can’t tour as BLACKPINK, of course not. They have all said that they love being part of the group, that they adore each other, that they can’t wait to reunite. I’m talking about the comms here. And the awkward timing of YG’s tour announcement, whether or not YG is actually considering that, obviously, the girls will be focused on their solo efforts over the next couple of months in particular, and whether or not the news of this tour is kinda…distracting? Like is there new BLACKPINK music coming? Hopefully, that’s what we all want. But the music that’s the priority for the members, at this moment, is the solo music, isn’t it?! 

There are a lot of BLACKPINK fans out there who have long had issues with YG over how they’ve managed the group. This, to me, only adds to the side-eyeing. 

Yours in gossip, 

Lainey