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| BLACKPINK is now aiming for success in America. Courtesy of YG Entertainment |
By Dong Sun-hwa, Park Si-soo
K-pop girl band BLACKPINK has signed a contract with Interscope Records, a California-based label associated with the Universal Music Group (UMG), in a move widely seen as the group's preparation for a U.S. debut.
BLACKPINK's agency, YG Entertainment, revealed the deal on Tuesday. It said it was signed "recently" but didn't give further details, including which company proposed the deal and its duration.
Interscope represents several global pop stars such as Madonna, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga.
Yang Hyun-suk, founder and CEO of YG Entertainment, welcomed the contract, saying he will fully support BLACKPINK's activities in the U.S.
"I hope this case will pave the way for other YG artists to enter the North American and European markets," Yang said.
UMG Chairman Lucian Grainge also expressed high expectations for the band's success in the U.S. in a speech early this month.
The American music mogul said at the "UMG Global Leadership Summit" on Oct. 10 that he "looks forward to building upon BLACKPINK's remarkable early success by putting the global resources and expertise of UMG behind them and growing their audience around the world."
The all-female K-pop act ― Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo and Lisa ― debuted in 2016 with "Square One." It rocketed to stardom with "Whistle" and "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du."
BLACKPINK recently collaborated with well-known British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa and released "Kiss and Make Up" on Oct. 19.
