“I thought it was a pipedream” — Pachinko season 2 producer Soo Hugh talks about BLACKPINK's Rosé’s cover on Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’

Pachinko's producer Soo Hugh recently talked about BLACKPINK's Rosé's cover of Viva La Vida by Coldplay for the season 2 of the historical show. In an interview with Variety on October 11, 2024, she revealed that while exploring different covers of the original song, BLACKPINK's singer name popped in her head but she never thought that the K-pop artist would ever cover the song, originally released in 2008.

"I thought it was a pipedream, but it turns out she really had a connection to that song," Soo Hugh said.

In July 2024, Apple TV+ dropped the official trailer for the second season of its hit K-drama series, Pachinko, which premiered on August 23. Fans of the singer noticed early on that the trailer is soundtracked by an unreleased cover of Coldplay's Viva La Vida by the BLACKPINK's singer. The song's new reprised version is sung by the singer in season 2 episode 8.

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Pachinko's producer discusses BLACKPINK's Rosé's connection to Coldplay's song Viva La Vida

In the recent interview, Soo Hugh spoke about Pachinko season 2 finale and how BLACKPINK's Rosé came about covering Coldplay's song for the show.

The interviewers asked Soo Hugh how the two, Rosé, and the selection of the song came about. The producer replied that from early she was certain about having the Coldplay song on the show. She believed that the song Viva La Vida resonated with the show, specifically with Noa's storyline.

Soo Hugh mentioned:

"And very early on, I thought it was to be the Coldplay song, but I really resisted that. I loved that if you listen to the lyrics of that song, they really speak to our show - and specifically Noa."

However, Soo Hugh said she was skeptical about having the original version on the show as she realised that the rock band's frontman Chris Martin's version was too well-known. Hence, the team began looking for different covers when they stumbled upon BLACKPINK's Rosé's name.

The makers were not sure whether the artist would ever lend her voice to the song. Later, they came to know about Rosé's connection to the particular song.

"We were looking for different covers, and then Rosé's name came up being like, "Hey, do you think she would ever cover it?" Pachinko's producer added.

Soo Hugh also mentioned that the team recorded and mixed the whole song as a single and they're hoping to be allowed to drop it soon on various streaming platforms.

Two years ago, on February 10, 2022, Rosé uploaded a live studio cover of Coldplay's song Viva La Vida as a gift for her fans on her birthday. The cover has close to 27 million views on YouTube.

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More about BLACKPINK Rosé and Pachinko

As a member of BLACKPINK, Rosé debuted under YG Entertainment in August 2016. In March 2021, she dropped her single album R with its lead single On The Ground. Unlike her bandmates who have established their own companies, BLACKPINK Rosé has signed with The Black Label (YG Entertainment subsidiary) and Atlantic Records after the termination of her solo contract.

In February 2024, Rosé surprised her fans by dropping a snippet of her upcoming song, Vampirehollie, on her Instagram broadcast channel. She also opened a second Instagram account with the username 'vampirehollie'. The female artist is scheduled to release her full-length debut solo album on December 6, 2024.

Created by Soo Hugh, Pachinko is based on the 2017 novel by Min Jin Lee. The series premiered on Apple TV+ on March 25, 2022. The plot follows four generations of a Korean family, starting from 1915 to 1989. The series details the living conditions and discrimination of Korean immigrants in Japanese society.

Many renowned actors from both Korean and Japanese industries feature in the show including Lee Min-ho, who is best known for his work in Boys Over Flowers, The Legend of the Blue Sea, and more. The cast also comprises Kim Min-ha, Anna Sawai, Jun Kunimura, Youn Yuh-jung, Soji Arai, Jung Eun-chae, Kang Tae-joo, and more.

Pachinko season 2 premiered on August 23, 2024, and concluded on October 11, 2024. Viewers can stream the show on AppleTV+ with their preferred subtitles.