Maps of Music

The Album (2020)

Where the lyrics of The Album take you, and where it was really made.

Blackpink's first full-length album passed one million copies in its first month, the first album by a female act to do so, even though its singles were released before the album.

Key places

Recording at The Black Label, Seoul (2020)

Recording site The Black Label — Recording ran from January to August 2020 at The Black Label studios in Seoul. The group had planned a world tour that summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Album: first studio album by South Korean girl group Blackpink
• Released October 2, 2020, through YG Entertainment and Interscope Records
• First full-length work since the group's 2016 debut
• Eight songs on the final tracklist, including two collaborations
• Collaborations: 'Ice Cream' with Selena Gomez, 'Bet You Wanna' featuring Cardi B
• Themes: love and the complexities of growing up
• Sound: pop, R&B, hip hop, EDM and trap elements

Background

• Blackpink planned a world tour for summer 2020, but COVID-19 changed those plans
• The group began work on a second album in that period
• Three singles: 'How You Like That', 'Ice Cream' and 'Lovesick Girls'
• Lead single 'How You Like That' released June 26, 2020, before the album
• A Japanese version was released on August 3, 2021, with twelve physical editions
• The Japanese version included Japanese versions of four of the eight tracks

Recording

• Recorded from January to August 2020 at The Black Label studios in Seoul
• More than ten new songs were recorded, and eight made the final tracklist
• Producers include Teddy, Tommy Brown, R. Tee, Steven Franks and 24
• Tommy Brown collaborated on two songs, including 'Ice Cream'
• Jisoo and Jennie took part in writing and composing 'Lovesick Girls'

Cover

• Standard edition shows the group logo in pink font under a shining pink crown on a black background
• Artwork designed by Seoul-based design studio VBstudio
• The logo design was first unveiled in a teaser poster by YG Entertainment in July 2020

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Blackpink is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment.
• Formation began in 2010 when YG held worldwide tryouts for preteen and teenage recruits.
• The group was revealed in 2016 with four members instead of the originally planned nine.
• Their name was announced on June 29, 2016 and debut was set for August 8, 2016.

Members

• Jisoo: lead vocalist.
• Jennie: main rapper and lead vocalist.
• Rosé: main vocalist and lead dancer.
• Lisa: main rapper and main dancer.

Career

• Debut single album Square One (2016) included "Whistle" and "Boombayah".
• "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" (2018) marked their international breakthrough.
• Debut studio album The Album (2020) was the first by a Korean girl group to sell one million copies.
• Born Pink (2022) was the first album by a Korean girl group to sell two million copies and topped the US Billboard 200.
• The Born Pink World Tour (2022–23) became the highest-grossing concert tour by a female group.
• They became the first Asian act to headline Coachella in 2023.
• The Deadline World Tour (2025–26) and the EP Deadline (2026) set further sales records.
• All four members have also pursued solo careers.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic weighted average of 71 from 8 reviews, classed as 'generally favorable reviews'
• AllMusic (Neil Z. Yeung): said Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa conquer each track with their singing and rapping and effortless charm
• The Guardian (Alexis Petridis): praised the rap-influenced pop production as precision-tooled, but critiqued the lack of an overarching concept
• The Daily Telegraph (Neil McCormick): wrote that the tracks sound like five different songs tightly packed into one
• Rolling Stone (Tim Chan): called the eight-song set a slick, confident and wildly entertaining release
• Insider (Callie Ahlgrim): said the album feels more like a playlist whose songs do not form a group, while praising the songs as sugary and colorful
• Consequence of Sound (Hannah Zwick): said the album blends genres in a signature way but left her wanting more in quantity and quality
• Slant Magazine (Sophie Ordez): gave a mixed review, saying it feels stuck looking back at tried and true trends
• Los Angeles Times (Mikael Wood): gave a mixed review, calling the album 'oppressive' and out of alignment with prevailing pop trends
• Sputnikmusic (Raul Stanciu): rated it 2.4 out of 5, saying roughly an EP worth of songs brings something interesting

Reappraisal

• Billboard and Uproxx named it one of the best albums of 2020
• Its singles were also named among the best songs of 2020
• Paste ranked it 15th greatest K-pop album of all time in 2023

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart
• Sold 1,092,550 copies in its first month, the best-selling album by a female act in South Korea at the time
• Certified million by KMCA, the first album by a female act to do so
• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 110,000 units
• Highest-charting female Korean album and highest-charting album by an all-female group since 2008
• Debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart
• Debuted at number one on the New Zealand albums chart, the first album by a female Korean act to top it
• Debuted at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart in Australia
• Opened at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart
• Gold from BPI and RMNZ
• Fifth best-selling album worldwide in pure sales in 2020 according to IFPI

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Japanese version was released on August 3, 2021, in twelve physical editions.
• The album's collaborator Selena Gomez was revealed on August 12, 2020, after the partner had been unconfirmed.
• Lovesick Girls was announced as the main track on September 28, 2020, the same day the track listing was revealed.
• The track listing confirmed first-time songwriting contributions from Jennie and Jisoo.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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