"YG was playing musical chairs with their careers" — Fans react as Jisoo reveals YG Entertainment's initial plan to debut BLACKPINK with more members

On January 30, 2025, BLACKPINK's Jisoo appeared on DEX's YouTube talk show, Dex's Fridge Interview. During the talk show, Jisoo shed light on YG Entertainment's initial plans for the group's formation, discussing the complexities behind their debut.

Originally, YG Entertainment envisioned BLACKPINK as a larger ensemble, considering lineups that included more than the four members we know today. Jisoo explained that at one point, seven trainees practiced together, and the company had over 20 trainees divided into five teams, before the lineup of four was finalized.

"There were many trainees. First of all, I thought of me, Jennie, Lisa, and Chaeyoung. I was wondering who else they will choose. I was always like that. But at the company, they wanted a girl group with members more than four. So they wanted to see a different combination. Seven people practiced together," she said.

On June 29, 2016, YG Entertainment announced that the new girl group would consist of four members—Jennie, Lisa, Rosé, and Jisoo—as BLACKPINK.

Fans expressed a mix of surprise and admiration upon learning about the group's formation process.

"YG was playing musical chairs with their careers," one fan commented.

Fans talked about the four members' dedication and the group's eventual success.

"BLACKPINK's journey was shaped by constant changes and tough decisions," a fan wrote.

"And the best four were picked," another fan wrote.

"They 4 were destinied to be the BIGGEST GIRL GROUP!!!! It's insane!" another fan added.

Others discussed how some K-pop entertainment companies often train numerous trainees together before deciding the final debut lineup.

"Actually, this often happens at Some company. That's good BP only 4 members," a fan commented.

"Thank God they chose the best four," another fan expressed.

"Why did YG had that Kind of a mindset," another fan wrote.

---

BLACKPINK's BORN PINK world tour: Looking back at the record-breaking attendance and ticket sales

BLACKPINK's BORN PINK world tour, spanned from October 2022 to September 2023. The tour encompassed 66 shows across 22 countries, attracting over 1.8 million attendees, making it the most-attended concert tour by a K-pop girl group to date.

The tour commenced on October 15, 2022, at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea. In North America, they performed in major cities including Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Newark, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Europe welcomed the group in cities such as London, Barcelona, Berlin, and Paris.

Their Asian leg featured performances in Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Singapore, among others. The tour also extended to Oceania, with shows in cities like Sydney and Melbourne.

Throughout the tour, BLACKPINK achieved several milestones. In the U.S., they became the first girl group to perform at venues such as Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Oracle Park in San Francisco, and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

In Europe, they were the first K-pop girl group to hold a stadium concert at Stade de France in Paris. In Asia, they set records by being the first K-pop act to perform at stadiums in countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Notably, their concert at the National Stadium in Singapore on May 13, 2023, grossed $9.226 million, marking their highest-grossing Asian concert to date.

Financially, the BORN PINK world tour grossed $148.3 million from 29 reported shows, breaking the record previously held by the Spice Girls for the highest-grossing concert tour by a female group.

---

Currently, Jisoo confirmed BLACKPINK's comeback as a group in Dex's Fridge Interview. However, dates or other details were kept confidential.