Sensational K-pop group, Blackpink, released their second album, “Born pink” on Sept. 16, 2022 . This album came after their two year long hiatus, and had fans all around the world filled with anticipation. 

Before the main album came out, Blackpink released their pre-release “Pink venom” on August 19, 2022. Since then the song has been on top of the charts. The dance in music video has taken the internet by storm with the #PinkVenomChallenge. They even performed the song at the VMAs, and had Taylor Swift dancing and singing along to their tunes. “Pink Venom” has a typical Blackpink tune which resembles their 2019 hit “Kill this Love”. Although the song did not sound catchy at the beginning, it surely grows on a person. The song plays with traditional Korean music and the instrument—as shown at the beginning of the music video—the geomungo. Along with that, the song falls under the genres of EDM, hip-hop, pop, dance, and rap. 

The second song of the album (the title track) is “Shut down”. This song is so addictive that once heard, it’s automatically on loop. The song has a violin piece from ‘La campanella’ by Italian violinist Niccoló Paganini. It has a very different tune from the typical Blackpink songs. It is a melodious amalgamation of classical and hip-hop music. “Shut down” also uses multiple parallels to previous Blackpink music videos, like “Boombayah,” “Whistle,” “Ddu-du-ddu-du,” “Playing with fire,” and “Kill this love.” he dance in the music video is not hard but is still very captivating.

 However, the hook line in the chorus, “whip it, whip it, whip it, whip it,” seems out of place and something better could have been used. The rest of the lyrics in the song are made to ‘shut down’ haters and establish their identity. Undoubtedly, the most momentous part of the song was Jisoo rapping; she completely nailed her parts. 

The third song is “Typa Girl.” The song is in English, and screams women empowerment. It really establishes a theme for all the independent women out there. It has some really good lyrics like “I bring money to your table not your dinner,” and “Typa girl you wanna wife up, sign the pre.” The song has a really good beat, and falls under the rap genre. It does not have a straight up chorus, but instead it has a lot of beat drops. Lisa’s rap, and Jisoo’s vocals in this song were the show stealers. They even got the best lines. 

The fourth song is titled “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.” The song is a little misleading if you compare the tune of the song with the lyrics. The insecurities of falling in love are represented in this love. The lyrics represent concerns and uncertainties of falling in love again as they say, “Actually, I’m a littlе scared, Will love hurt me once more?” However, the tune of the song is very upbeat and gives a happy-go-lucky feeling. The song has a similar vibe like their previous songs like “As if it’s your last” and “Playing with fire.” 

The fifth song is “Hard to Love” which is a solo track by Rosè. This song is extremely heart-breaking, and Rosè’s vocals are extremely soothing to the ears. The music and lyrics are again contrasting. The lyrics are about pushing one’s lover away to prevent causing them any harm. The music is an upbeat disco-pop with a lot of guitar. “Hard to Love” was undoubtedly one of the best songs in the album in terms of lyrics, vocals, and tunes. The sixth song in the album is “The Happiest Girl.” This song again is very heart-breaking and will bring a person to tears. Lyrics of the song are extremely overwhelming, and really showcases the vocals of each and every member. Unlike the general Blackpink songs, this one was simple, emotional, and melodious. The lyrics and theme is about pretending to be okay in front of people that caused a heartbreak. Acoustic rhythms make up the background music of the song; it went really well with the situation the song represents and really captures the essence of the song. 

The seventh song is “Tally.” This song breaks the sad song pattern, and is something more motivational. The song represents a carefree attitude, and takes on the theme ‘you do you.’ The song is a pop-rock mix with strong bass instruments. The best part about this song was that YG Entertainment did not censor it and the lyrics were explicit. This added to the feeling the song wanted to represent. The last song of the album is “Ready for Love”. This was the first song released on July 29, 2022. It was a song created in collaboration with PubG Mobile, and was set in a metaverse. The song was nothing unusual and had the basics of every Blackpink song. 

Overall, the album was shorter than their previous album “The Album,” however, it was more impactful as they played with different tunes. They created songs that were more unique than their other songs. The songs all represented a certain theme, and Blackpink did a great job bringing them out with their vocals.