K-pop idols Blackpink wow BST Hyde Park as part of 2023 world tour to mark major UK festival milestone | Ents & Arts News

Blackpink have made history as the first Korean group to headline a major music festival in the United Kingdom.

The K-pop girl group consists of Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa and first debuted in 2016 with their hit singles Whistle and Boombayah.

The group performed in front of a sold-out crowd of 65,000 fans at London’s BST Hyde Park stage over the weekend.

They were met with screams and pink fireworks shooting up from the stage when they emerged to greet the crowd on Sunday.

The group came out against a neon pink background while dressed in white.

“What’s up Hyde Park?” Rose asked the fans, who did most of the talking during the London set, before each of the girls introduced themselves.

The girls then performed their hit track How You Like That, which has now been streamed more than one billion times on YouTube.

During the show, the girls also had a troupe of male dancers who performed during an interval before the set transitioned into its second act, in which each member performed their solo songs in individual outfits.

Jennie, who is also known for her role in the controversial HBO show The Idol, was first up to perform solo.

The singer and actress took to centre stage as her name flashed across the screen and sang You & Me and SOLO for her fans.

Jisoo also performed her latest hit, Flower, before Rose sang the ballad Gone, the most sombre moment of the night, and then launched into the more upbeat On The Ground.

The last solo act was Lisa, who showed her dance skills and vocals for her track Money.

Before the show, Jisoo and Rose shared their excitement on social media.

“See you tonight London BST HYDE PARK LET’S GOOO,” Rose posted in her Instagram story, while Jisoo shared a selfie of the two of them before the gig.

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The K-pop group have won many awards over the years since their debut, including the MTV Video Music Award for the Best Song of the Summer in 2020 and the People’s Choice Award for Favourite Music Video in 2019.

Their latest album, which was released in 2022, featured hits including Pink Venom, Shut Down, Typa Girl and Yeah Yeah Yeah.

Is there a Blackpink tour in 2023?

Blackpink have had a busy 2023. Back in April, they headlined the well-known Coachella festival in the US.

But what if you’ve only just heard of the band after their Hyde Park appearance?

They do have a number of other performances coming up soon as part of their Born Pink world tour.

Next up for Blackpink is a massive performance in Paris, at the Stade de France on Saturday 15 July.

Judging by the Ticketmaster website, however, only some very expensive tickets are still available for that gig.

Then it’s on to the US for the K-pop stars, with gigs in East Rutherford (11 and 12 August), Las Vegas (18 August), San Francisco (22 August) and Los Angeles (26 August).

These are again at large stadium venues – showing just how much the band have rocketed to global fame.