Why BLACKPINK’s New Group Dynamic Feels So Different

The long-awaited BLACKPINK reunion is finally here, but it may not feel as nostalgic as BLINKs had expected. The vibe shift is apparent in the first trailer for the group’s Deadline World Tour, which, as many commenters clocked, now feels like a collaboration between four solo mega-artists. And while that change is monumental, it’s actually the most exciting new direction the pop foursome could take.

In the video teaser for their 2025 reunion tour, each of the four idols show off their own unique aesthetic. Rosé dons a cowboy hat as she picks up a payphone on a desert road, Lisa poses for the camera in glitzy glam with ferocious golden nails, Jennie is an effortless cool girl in a lacy top and shades, and Jisoo is a showbiz starlet hounded the paparazzi in her purple fur coat. The pop stars all meet up in their purple Corvette to hit the road, but, notably, the clip’s main focus is on the four women as individuals, not as a group.

This is a pretty major departure for BLACKPINK, but it’s one that makes a ton of sense. And one that true BLINKs will celebrate.

When BLACKPINK was formed nearly a decade ago in 2016, they were one of many K-pop acts that relied on uniformity in their performances and image. Sure, every K-pop stan picks a bias, and each member had their own specific personality and musicality that was brought to the mix, but overall, the world knew BLACKPINK as BLACKPINK, and less so as Jennie, Lisa, Rosé, and Jisoo.

But that perception has totally shifted in the last couple years. After the group’s Born Pink Tour concluded in 2023, the four singers set out on their own and each established herself as an individual superstar. Lisa played with changing personas on her album Alter Ego and as a star on The White Lotus; Rosé took over the radio with her chart-topping collab “Apt.” while also showing her vulnerable side on Rosie; Jennie looked pop superstardom right in the eye by starring in The Idol and collabing with Dua Lipa and Doechii on her album; and Jisoo played to her strengths on her solo album Amortage while also escaping zombies on the sci-fi romance Newtopia.

After spending two years refining their specific solo personas, it’s no wonder this reunion hits a bit different. BLACKPINK is no longer one superstar group — it’s now four superstar singers choosing to come together.

The Deadline World Tour kicks off July 5 in South Korea.