A report by a Korean media outlet claims three members of BLACKPINK are negotiating a unique ‘part-time’ contract with YG Entertainment that will allow them to remain in the group, while signed to other agencies. This is said to allow BLACKPINK to continue its various activities, while giving members more freedom to choose their own projects.
According to a report in Sports Seoul published today, only Rosé has agreed to renew her contract with YG Entertainment. Members Jennie, Lisa and Jisoo are reportedly in last-minute discussions to sign ‘separate yet together’ contracts that will let them spend “six months of the year working as part of BLACKPINK”.
It was previously reported that negotiations to renew BLACKPINK members’ contracts with YG Entertainment had stalled, sparking rumors that the group would disband.
The rumored new deal
Sports Seoul claims that Jisoo and Lisa have already signed contracts with other unnamed South Korean agencies. The report indicated that Jisoo will pursue more acting roles, while Lisa will capitalize on her popularity in markets outside of Korea. If true, this goes against yesterday’s report by a Taiwan media outlet that Lisa was ready to sign with a US-based record label.
The Sports Seoul report made no mention of Jennie’s career plans. However, there has been speculation that Jennie may seek more acting projects in Hollywood. She had a much-praised role in HBO’s The Idol, despite the series’ abrupt end.
If the latest report proves to be true, it will be a first for the K-pop industry, especially for a group of BLACKPINK’s level of star power. The BORN PINK world tour earned ₩350 billion (around US$265 million) in total sales, resulting in around US$168.3 million in revenue.
During the encore performance of the BORN PINK finale at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sept 17, 2023, Jennie expressed her wish for them to continue as a group, saying: “We will continue to be a great BLACKPINK.”
The response to the report
Fans have reacted with caution to the latest report, as well as with some skepticism. Among the comments found on X (formerly Twitter):
- “No amount of money YG offer could make them stay.”
- “Jisoo, Lisa, and Jennie are 3 members with dating news/rumors recently. Maybe because of these, they didn’t renew their contract so as not to cause trouble to YG’s stock in the future?”
- “If 3 members is not going to renew then it would be hard for them to comeback. Just like BIGBANG they don’t own their name. A sad truth in being a YG artist.”
- “Jisoo and Jennie are likely to renew though / move to the Black Label. Jennie has her new song registered under these companies, she won’t be able to release it if she left both. YG is still managing Jisoo’s upcoming acting stuff as it seems, so she has likely renewed too.”
- “They aint disbanding right? They just need a better label to manage them.”
YG Entertainment has not outright addressed the claims made by Sports Seoul. However, the company released an official statement saying that “nothing is confirmed” about the latest rumors.
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