Members of the South Korean pop group BLACKPINK are, left to right, Rosé, Lisa, Jennie, and Jisoo.
Credit: © Imaginechina Limited/Alamy Images

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will celebrate the accomplishments and heritage of Asians and Pacific Islanders.

Blackpink is an all-girl K-pop (Korean pop) music group that gained international fame in the late 2010’s. K-pop is a term used to describe music and artists originating in South Korea’s popular music industry. The most prominent K-pop acts generally are boy bands and girl groups with 5 to 10 members, but there also are smaller acts and many K-pop soloists. K-pop groups usually are formed and managed by entertainment companies that seek out talented individuals to present as artists after long periods of training. Many K-pop idols also pursue acting, modeling, and other careers.

Blackpink became known for its dancing, fashion, vocals, and eye-catching music videos. Blackpink is also known for its base of devoted fans, called “Blinks,” made up primarily of young women all over the world. Blackpink’s music combines elements of rap , hip-hop , pop, and electronic dance music (EDM). The group’s vocals are mainly in Korean, but it also has lyrics in English and Japanese.

Blackpink was formed by the South Korean music executive and record producer Yang Hyun-suk, also known as YG. The four members of the group are Jennie (born Kim Je-ni), Jisoo (Kim Ji-soo), Lisa (Lalisa Manoban), and Rosé (Roseanne Park). The group’s first release was a single titled Square One (2016), which included the songs “Boombayah” and “Whistle.” Since then, Blackpink has released many successful recordings. The group’s debut album was the mini album Square Up (2018). In June 2018, Blackpink became the first all-female K-pop group to reach number one on Billboard magazine’s “Emerging Artists” chart. Later that year, the group released its first full-length studio album, Blackpink in Your Area.

Blackpink’s popularity spread through the video-sharing website YouTube . In 2018, the group released a music video for the song “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.” It reached 1 billion views on YouTube. The viral video also helped Blackpink to become the first K-pop group to reach 20 million YouTube subscribers, in March 2019. In 2020, Blackpink released its second studio album, The Album. It included the collaborations “Ice Cream,” featuring Selena Gomez , and “Bet You Wanna,” featuring Cardi B . The group has also collaborated on singles with other performers, including Lady Gaga .

Members of the South Korean pop group BTS are, left to right, front row: Suga and V. Back row: J-Hope, RM, Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook.
Credit: © RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean pop music group that gained international fame in the mid-2010’s. The group is known for its expressive vocals, stylish image, sharp dance moves, and strong fan base and social media presence. BTS combines elements of rap, hip-hop , pop, and EDM. The group also is known for its lyrics about the challenges that young people face. The group’s vocals are mainly in Korean. It also performs lyrics in English and Japanese.

The members of the group are J-Hope (born Jung Ho-seok), Jimin (Park Ji-min), Jin (Kim Seok-jin), Jungkook (Jeon Jeong-guk), RM (Kim Nam-joon), Suga (Min Yoon-gi), and V (Kim Tae-hyung). BTS was formed by the South Korean music producer and record executive Bang Si-hyuk. The group’s first single was “No More Dream” (2013). The song deals with the pressures many young Koreans feel from their culture and society. Since 2013, the group has released many successful recordings. The band’s first full-length studio album was Dark & Wild (2014).

In 2017, BTS released the popular EP (extended play recording) Love Yourself: Her. An EP contains several songs but is not considered a full-length album. The EP’s songs “DNA” and “Mic Drop” became the first tracks by a Korean group to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). RIAA presents a gold record to an artist who sells 500,000 copies of an album. The group’s single “Idol” (2018) also became a huge hit. That same year, BTS became the first K-pop (Korean pop) group to reach number 1 on Billboard magazine’s “Billboard 200″ music chart, with its album Love Yourself: Tear (2018).

In 2019, the video for the group’s single “Boy with Luv” (featuring the American singer-songwriter Halsey) became the most-viewed debut in the history of the video-sharing website YouTube. The group’s full-length studio album Map of the Soul: 7 (2020) also reached number 1 on the “Billboard 200.” Later in 2020, the group released the single “Dynamite,” making BTS the first South Korean pop act to debut at number 1 on the Billboard “Hot 100″ chart. It was also the first song the group recorded entirely in English.

BTS also has worked on projects with other musicians, including the American rap musician Nicki Minaj, the American electronic musician Steve Aoki, and the American rap musician Desiigner. In addition, some BTS members have released solo recordings.