Blackpink: How You Like That scores the biggest premiere in YouTube history
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Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Blackpink are the most followed group on YouTube, with 37.5 million subscribers
Blackpink, the Korean girlband whose lavish videos regularly attract millions of viewers, have set a new record for a YouTube Premiere.
A total of 1.65 million fans watched the unveiling of their new video, How You Like That, breaking a record set by fellow K-pop stars BTS in February.
The highly-anticipated song marked the band’s return after a year-long hiatus.
Last year, the quartet became the first K-pop band to have a video reach a billion views on YouTube.
How You Like That is the lead single from the band’s first full-length studio album, which is due in September.
The video sees Lisa, Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo in a variety of dramatically-lit settings, from a lush rainforest and an ice palace to a room filled with scorched umbrellas, and a grand domed hall, where the quartet are surrounded by dancers and statues of horses.
The hip-hop-infused track also blends elements of Arabic music during Lisa’s second verse rap, while the lyrics deliver a “positive and hopeful” message.
“We sang to give the message of not being daunted by dark situations and to not lose the confidence and strength to stand up again,” said Jisoo in a pre-release press conference.
Image copyright YouTube Image caption The video premiere was preceded by an hour-long Q&A with the band
The band are set to perform the song for the first time on Jimmy Fallon’s US chat show on Friday, 26 June.
Blackpink were formed in 2016 in Seoul, and rapidly became one of Korea’s most popular pop bands.
They became the first K-pop girl band to perform a set at the Coachella music festival, and scored their first UK chart success with the single Kill This Love last year.
The quartet are also the most-subscribed music group on YouTube, with 37.5 million followers who call themselves “Blinks”.
After taking time off to work on their debut album, the stage was set for their return when they featured on Lady Gaga’s recent single Sour Candy. The track reached number 17 in the UK earlier this month, giving the band their biggest hit to date.
How You Like That premiered on their VLive and YouTube channels at 10:00 BST on Friday.
The audience narrowly eclipsed a record set by BTS earlier this year, when the premiere of their video On attracted 1.54 million concurrent viewers.
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