Whether or not you consider yourself a BLINK, BLACKPINK’s new album “BORNPINK” offers something for anyone in need of a boost of confidence. BLACKPINK is a K-pop girl group made up of four members: Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo and Rosé. Their debut was in 2016 and they only have a few singles and two albums to their name.
“BORNPINK” begins with a banger about feeling powerful called “Pink Venom.” With voices chanting “BLACKPINK” at the beginning and the lines packed with angst, listeners immediately feel like they are entering their villain era. When I listened to it, I felt like I needed to drive fast in a black Corvette with the windows down and sing along with their repetitive “ra-ta-tata” trill.
The next song of their album is “Shut Down.” Starting with violin accompaniment, this song is an anthem of confidence. It warns people to watch out because BLACKPINK is in their area. Watching the music video was much more enjoyable than simply listening to the song. For those who enjoy fashion or color theory, Rosé appears in the video wearing a fluffy green coat that hangs low as she sits on a black and pink globe. The contrast between the pink and green gave me an appreciation for the song.
“Typa Girl” follows “Shut Down” and is the first song of the album that is entirely in English. This song is for girls who want to empower themselves and let people know that they are not going to stand for being treated less than their worth. My favorite line in the song was within the first verse when Jennie sings, “Both my body and my bank account, good figure.” That line was so empowering, for a split second I forgot about being a broke college student.
Following “Typa Girl” is “Yeah Yeah Yeah.” The song’s intro reminds me of a song that would play at the beginning of a Netflix coming-of-age original. A majority of this song was in Korean, so I did have to look up a translation in order to understand its meaning. This song is about falling for someone but being afraid of being hurt again. This is the first step they make towards the more emotional section of the album, despite its upbeat tone.
We enter the edgier part of the album with “Hard to Love.” The song talks about admitting your faults and confessing them to someone you care about. It is a more true to self theme compared to the others, with the other songs seemingly portraying that “I” am someone to worship. This song opens up to the idea that every one of us has flaws.
“The Happiest Girl in the World,” was my favorite track. I do not listen to songs about break ups often, but this song was beautiful. There is none of the typical BLACKPINK hip-hop but rather soul piercing lyrics about rejection and acceptance. Near the end, the girls harmonize so beautifully that, despite being in a happy relationship, I could not help but become emotional.
The theme returns to self-empowerment with their next song “Tally.” To be honest, this song did not hit the mark with me. It sounded like any other confidence anthem trying to make me feel subconsciously edgy.
Finally, we reach the last song of the album: “Ready for Love.” When I first listened to the song, I was confused because it seemed like a sudden happy transition. However, once I looked up the lyrics I realized I was wrong. This song captures dwelling on a love interest and wondering if they feel the same. This can be seen in the translated lyrics, “Yeah! I don’t know how many times you’ve thrown my heart away / A train of thought runs nonstop / Keeping me up all night.”
Overall, this album was packed with confidence, self-recognition and romantic turmoil. There is a song on this track-list for anyone who will listen. I give this album a perfect score.
5/5 stars
pbortner@ramapo.edu
