Jennie, Jisoo, and Lisa are in a “last-minute” discussion with YG Entertainment to continue as members of BLACKPINK even though they may be moving to different agencies, a local Korean media reported on 21 September.
The report by Sports Seoul indicates that the three members are not renewing their contract with YG Entertainment following months of speculation over an extension.
The report added that Rosé is the only member who has agreed to remain with the label which launched BLACKPINK in 2016 and has since been managing the group.
According to Koreaboo, YG Entertainment reacted to the report saying in a statement that the members are still negotiating.
More about BLACKPINK and YG Entertainment deal
Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa may continue as members
The report said that there is a possibility that BLACKPINK may continue to perform as a group for a while even if the three members change their respective agencies.
It said that YG Entertainment is trying to work out an agreement with Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa to promote their acclaimed all-girl K-pop quartet for six months out of the year.
If a deal of this nature goes through it would be similar to that of SM Entertainment’s hybrid contract with Super Junior’s Eunhyuk, Donghae and Kyuhyun.
The three K-pop idols continue to remain members of the all-boys group, despite leaving SM Entertainment in August 2023.
While Kyuhyun joined the label Antenna in early August, Donghae and Kyuhyun co-founded their own label ODE Entertainment on 1 September. Won Yong Sun, who was Super Junior’s longtime manager, also joined ODE.
Future of Jisoo and Lisa of BLACKPINK
The Sports Seoul report notes that Jisoo and Lisa are particularly more popular among foreign investors. It says that Jisoo has a tremendous potential as an actress while Lisa enjoys immense popularity in the Southeast Asian market especially her home country of Thailand.
With regard to prospects outside of YG Entertainment, speculation in the media is that Lisa may sign a new contract with a US label which is believed to have offered her more than YG Entertainment’s offer of KRW 50 billion (USD 37.6 million) which she rejected a week ago.
But Sports Seoul underlined that Jisoo and Lisa have signed with domestic agencies instead of foreign labels.
Shares of YG Entertainment hit
Meanwhile, uncertainty around BLACKPINK has taken a major toll on the stocks of YG Entertainment.
Soon after the report by Sports Seoul, shares of the label fell 13.28 per cent. According to CNBC, the stocks closed at KRW 69,200 (USD 51.68) per share. It is the lowest level for YG Entertainment stocks in almost five months.
YG Entertainment had also witnessed a plunge in stocks by 9 per cent on 15 September when Lisa rejected its KRW 50 billion offer. It was the largest single-day drop for the label since 28 September 2022.
(Hero and Featured images: BLACKPINKOFFICIAL/@BLACKPINK/Twitter)
Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
