If You Like BLACKPINK, Listen to These Albums
New K-pop sensation BLACKPINK draws on a lot of hip-hop and electronic inspiration.
Born Pink
by BLACKPINK
Before their official debut in 2016, South Korean entertainment agency YG Entertainment spent five years cultivating what would become the internationally famous K-pop girl group BLACKPINK. This year, the hand-picked quartet — made up of singers Jisoo and Rosé and rappers Jennie and Lisa — released Born Pink, the highly anticipated follow-up to their 2020 studio album debut. Born Pink is a focused and highly polished pop album that showcases BLACKPINK at its best.
In just eight tracks, BLACKPINK share tales of love and heartbreak, champion self-confidence and self-encouragement, and relish in their fame while dismissing their critics. The album is presented in a way that is distinctly BLACKPINK: hard and confident on the outside, but still emotionally vulnerable within. The album’s uptempo, often glossy pop production features elements of hip hop and electronic styles throughout with heavy bass and catchy hooks defining songs like “Shut Down’ and “Typa Girl”, while synths, claps, and horn flares contribute to “Yeah Yeah Yeah” and “Ready For Love”.
Upon its release, Born Pink became the best-selling album by a girl group in South Korea with more than 2 million copies sold. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the first album by a female Korean act to achieve such a feat, and was also the first album by a female group to reach No. 1 on that chart since 2008.
For fans who want to dive deeper into K-pop, releases from Mamamoo, EXID, and Hwasa are ideal starting places. Albums by rapper Bia and singers PinkPantheress and Tove Lo round out this list for Blinks looking to explore other musical styles.
Reality In Black
by Mamamoo
Mamamoo is a girl group composed of singer-songwriters Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and HwaSa. Known for their jazz, R&B, and hip hop influenced style and standout vocal performances, Mamamoo has become one of the most popular K-pop acts worldwide since their 2014 debut. While the group’s passionate fanbase often debates the differences between Mamamoo and BLACKPINK — vocal registers, costumes, and choreography — fans of the latter will appreciate Mamamoo’s deft blend of R&B, dance, and hip hop styles on their most recent full-length album Reality In Black. Like BLACKPINK, Mamamoo’s music is tightly crafted and regularly looks to western music for inspiration.
B.L.E.S.S.E.D
by EXID
EXID is a five-piece girl group formed in 2012, featuring South Korean singers Solji, Elly, Hani, Hyelin, and Jeongwha. EXID is something of a legend in K-pop, surviving disbandment after switching agencies in 2019 and celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. B.L.E.S.S.E.D, released in 2020, is the group’s third studio album. Rooted in the R&B genre that made them famous, B.L.E.S.S.E.D also features elements of hip hop and house production that provide flair throughout its tracklist. While EXID’s lyrics are often more mature than what can be found on BLACKPINK’s records, many moments on this album are reminiscent of the pop ballads on Born Pink.
María
by HwaSa
South Korean singer and rapper HwaSa, of Mamamoo fame, made her solo debut in 2020 with the EP María. The seven track project is a high energy K-pop offering that incorporates touches of dance, R&B, and Latin pop styles in its production. The EP’s lead single, also titled “María,” is one of the record’s standouts and highlights HwaSa’s ability to skillfully blend those various styles into a catchy and complex pop tune. Fans of Born Pink will appreciate María’s lyrical themes that focus on the complexity of womanhood and the album’s genre-blending production style.
For Certain
by Bia
Massachusetts-born rapper Bia sprang onto the music scene in 2014 as an early cast member of the reality TV show Sisterhood of Hip Hop, which earned her a seat on the roster of Pharrell Williams’s I Am Other label imprint where she released her first mixtape. By 2020, Bia had firmly planted herself between the worlds of hip hop and pop (having toured with the likes of Pusha T and Ariana Grande) and released her second EP, For Certain, which spawned the hit “Whole Lotta Money”. Bia’s cool and collected delivery of her comparatively aggressive lyrics over hard-hitting, trap-style production makes For Certain an easy, playful listen for BLACKPINK fans who like the energy that rappers Jennie and Lisa provide the group.
To Hell With It
by PinkPantheress
English singer, songwriter, and producer PinkPantheress began recording and releasing music online in 2018. Throughout early 2021, PinkPantheress utilized TikTok to reach a wider audience and released snippets of her songs “Pain”, “Break It Off”, and “Just for Me”, which all went viral on the platform. Later that year, she released her debut mixtape To Hell With It. Inspired by K-pop and pop-punk, PinkPantheress heavily sampled ’90s and early 2000s electronic, R&B, and rock styles to create To Hell With It‘s upbeat instrumentals which she offset with sad, dark, and introspective lyrics to shape her unique brand of alternative bedroom pop.
Lady Wood
by Tove Lo
Lady Wood is the second studio album from Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo, who is known for her rock and electronic-influenced style of pop music. Released in 2016, the album is the first half of a two-piece concept project that details the ups, downs, and demise of a romantic relationship. While the lyrics on Lady Wood are more candid and autobiographical than what can be found on Born Pink, fans of that album will appreciate the energetic production of songs like “Cool Girl” and “Don’t Talk About It” which offer listeners tight, catchy pop melodies. BLACKPINK fans may be surprised to learn that Lo has inspired the girl group — Jisoo translated Lo’s hit single “Habits (Stay High)” to Korean and has performed a cover during BLACKPINK’s live performances.
About These Recommendations
The Discogs community is always searching for new music, especially songs that are similar to your favorite artists and albums – which is why Discogs is recommending albums to fans of 2022’s most purchased, most coveted, and most talked-about records.
These recommendations were selected through a unique combination of Discogs data, music charts, streaming numbers, algorithm proposals, and human curation to provide listeners like you with something new to explore.
Popular picks were determined by Discogs Wantlist and Collection additions, as well as commonly connected styles and artists in the Database. Eccentric picks were based on sonic similarity, artistic influences, and other music discovery tools. Select albums also include a personal recommendation from another related artist.
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