BLACKPINK’s Jisoo talked 7 years of debut, her first solo, and more in Elle Singapore cover feature

On November 2nd, Elle Singapore announced BLACKPINK’s Jisoo as the cover star for the 30th anniversary issue this year. Elle Singapore said, “There is no better global star than Jisoo in this meaningful 30th year. She is a member of the globally renowned K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, an actress, and a soloist serving as a global luxury brand ambassador. She is a perfect global superstar for our special anniversary cover.”

In an interview, Jisoo reminisced about the changes since BLACKPINK’s debut 7 years ago. She said, “Looking back at my debut, I was thrilled just to be able to perform on stage. I prepared for my first performance by practicing diligently and spent years covering songs by other artists, so I had a strong desire to perform on my own as soon as possible. After my debut, when I began to handle my own parts, I felt a great sense of accomplishment.”

She added, “Now, in my 7th year, when I perform, I feel the weight of responsibility. Since BLACKPINK has matured, the expectations of the audience for us have also grown, so I feel the need to meet those expectations.“

Regarding BLACKPINK’s two world tours, she said, “I was very happy to meet fans after a long time. Also, the bond between BLACKPINK members became stronger. When we are in Korea, we each have our own schedules and are busy. However, when the four of us are together overseas, we naturally spend a lot of time as a group, so our memories there were the happiest. On days off, we made suggestions like ‘Who wants to go here tomorrow?’ and went out together. That was also fortunate for me.“

Reflecting on her solo debut single album ‘ME’ released this year, Jisoo said, “I wanted to do a solo performance for the fans during the tour, so I started preparing in the middle of 2022, and it was finally released early this year. I had high expectations for myself, and there were many options, so I thought really hard. Whether it was the choreography, the MV, the storytelling in the MV, or the album cover. I’m happy that fans liked it. I realized that no matter what decision I make, the fans will support me, so I didn’t worry too much.”

Regarding her transformation as a solo artist, Jisoo said, “Since I spent many years in the group, I couldn’t imagine myself performing alone at first. The challenge of handling the entire performance on my own was huge, and releasing an album with just my name on it felt like a major step forward for me.“

Jisoo, who is also pursuing acting alongside her singing career, said, “When I sing as a singer, I perform with my own persona, but when I act, I enjoy the freedom of taking on different characters. I like works with characters that are not easy to find in everyday life. The further a role deviates from my image, the more I want to challenge myself. I want to experience emotions I haven’t felt before and express emotions that I’ve kept to myself through acting.“

Describing herself as a homebody, Jisoo mentioned that she enjoys focusing on her emotions during her alone time.

Regarding the question of how BLACKPINK hopes to change the world’s perception of K-pop and the K-pop industry, Jisoo said, “The world seems to have changed a lot these days, and it’s not solely because of BLACKPINK. We feel the changing status of K-content through our world tours.“

Jisoo summarized 2023 as the best year for herself. She said, “Going through my solo debut, touring, photo shoots, preparing for a new drama, meeting many people, and attending meetings… I just want to live a healthy and happy life.“