Sophia Michaels
Blackpink’s Born Pink is here. As the K-pop girl group — comprising Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa — release their second album, Blackpink shared the music video for their hip-hop-infused “Shut Down.”
Over the sound of strings and and an insistent bass, the queens of Blackpink aim some strong words their doubters, haters and the paparazzi. In the chorus: “When we pull up you know it’s a shut-down,” while the hook goes, “Whip it whip it whip it whip it / Keep watching me shut it down.”
The lyrics switch between English and Korean as the girls repeat their “Blackpink in your area” catchphrase throughout the track. “Praying for my downfall, many have tried, baby.”
The group teased the video by sharing a 23-second clip of the video’s set as a violin played. “Keep watching me shut it down,” a voice rings to end the clip.
In July, the group announced they were in the “final stages” of recording Born Pink, which marks their second studio album. And last week, they revealed the track list, with Jisoo and Rosé listed as writers for the track “Yeah Yeah Yeah.”
“We don’t just receive a completed song,” Jisoo told Rolling Stone in a May cover story. “We are involved from the beginning, building the blocks, adding this or that feeling, exchanging feedback — and this process of creating makes me feel proud of our music.”
“If we just received pre-made songs, it would feel mechanical,” she added. “I feel more love for the process, because we say, ‘How about adding this in the lyrics? How about adding this move in the choreography?’ ”
With songs like “Shut Down,” “Hard to Love,” and “Ready for Love,” much of the album features writing credits from frequent collaborator Teddy Park, who wrote songs on their previous album.“He’s like an alarm, reminding us to keep moving musically. All he has to do is call, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ and I’ll be like, ‘Oh, my God,’ tensing up,” Jennie told Rolling Stone about Park. “But it’s a good tension that Blackpink needs.”
The group is also set to go on a world tour in support of Born Pink later this month.
