“We are so excited because there are songs from ‘The Album’ that we will be performing for the first time, and previous songs that we have changed up,” the groups says ahead of their virtual concert on YouTube Music.
This weekend, Blackpink will bestow fans across the globe with their debut livestream concert experience, with The Show premiering on Sunday morning (Jan. 31). The livestream will be a first-of-its-kind partnership with YouTube Music, as fans who purchase a membership to Blackpink’s official YouTube channel will gain access to The Show and other perks from the group.
For the members of Blackpink, the livestream event (which was originally scheduled for late December and postponed due to COVID precautions) offers an opportunity to present their music in a live setup to fans during the ongoing pandemic. The Album, their first full-length, was released last October and boasted collaborations with Selena Gomez and Cardi B, yet the quartet has not been able to perform the songs on the road — although the delay in the livestream, as they explain, has encouraged greater innovation for the event.
Ahead of The Show, the members of Blackpink answered questions over email about how the YouTube Music partnership was coordinated, watching fans react to The Album over the past few months, and the song that they’re most excited to perform during the livestream.
How did the idea of creating a livestream concert experience with YouTube Music come together?
While we were thinking of various ways to show our fans our performances, YouTube Music reached out to us. We’re so thankful for their special invitation. We heard that we were the first to have a membership live-stream with YouTube Music. As special as this opportunity is, we want to do our best to put on an unforgettable show!
Why did it seem like a good idea for the group?
Rather than thinking of our group, we thought of our fans first. YouTube is the platform our fans are most familiar with, and has been the best partner that allowed our music and performances to reach our fans all over the world. YouTube’s network and our BLINKs’ always had such great synergy.
Can fans expect any surprises during the livestream?
Postponing to January 31st allowed us to add a special stage that would have been difficult if it had been originally carried out as scheduled. It will be a special gift to our fans. We are so excited because there are songs from The Album that we will be performing for the first time, and previous songs that we have changed up. We also prepared a never-before-seen stage, so we hope you look forward to it as much as we do!
Which song are you most excited to perform during the livestream?
It was definitely fun preparing our setlist from the first full album because we’ve never performed those songs before within the concert setting. Being asked to choose only one song is probably one of the most difficult questions. But if we have to pick only one, it could be “Pretty Savage.” Because our fans love the BLACKPINK-esque [nature] of the song, we get so energized when we perform it. We’re already looking forward to it!
What has it been like to see fans experience The Album and react to the project over the past few months?
Our expectations were very high, because it was our first full-length album since our debut — so that in itself was very exciting. Thankfully, we have received immense love and support, so we were overwhelmed with happiness throughout our promotions. We’ll continue to show better music in the future.
Have you been able to come up with new ideas for your live show over the past few months, for whenever you’re able to tour again?
We really hope the situation gets better and we can tour again soon. We prepared for the show by continuously picturing the fun we want to have with our fans. We used this opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of an online concert by coming up with different sets and performances that would add to the characteristics of our stages.
