Blackpink makes Coachella history at 2023 festival, holds own without guests

INDIO, Calif. – Blackpink made history Saturday night at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as the first K-pop band to headline the event.

Comprised of members Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé, the girl group debuted – after perfecting their craft for several years in a traditional K-pop trainee program – in 2016 with the songs “Whistle" and "Boombayah."

The ladies arrived in style for their headlining set, donning sparkly black and pink outfits and performing in front of what looked like a large temple. They kicked off the evening with “Black Venom," a hit off their latest album, "Born Pink."

The group took viewers back to their earlier days with hit "Kill This Love," which featured a rock show-style display of pyrotechnics that was softened when they introduced themselves before transitioning into one of their most-streamed songs, “How You Like That.”

Nine of Blackpink's songs have reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The group's collaboration with Selena Gomez, "Ice Cream," peaked the highest at No. 13. The quartet debuted at No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart, becoming the first female K-pop group to do so.

If that's not enough of an explanation as to why Blackpink was chosen to headline, the energy displayed and top-notch production value of even just the first 15 minutes should have been reason enough. The music is fun, and the popularity of the band could point to a broader cultural shift back to the girl power-dominated culture of the '90s and early aughts.

The group's set also showed just how far they've come since their first time performing at Coachella in 2019. That original showing was filled with just as many well-choreographed numbers as Saturday's, but there's something to be said about the artists' stage presence this year – they seemed even more confident and at home on the Coachella stage four years after their stop in Indio kickstarted their debut North American tour.

Perhaps the most atypical – but refreshing – decision the women made during their Coachella headlining set was to give each member the opportunity to perform one solo song off their individual single albums. Jennie kicked things off with “You And Me,” Jisoo performed the recently released “Flower,” confetti flew over the crowd and sparks rained onstage as Rosé sang "On the Ground," and Lisa showed off her rap skills with the more material girl-esque "Money" (which started with her dancing on a stripper pole).

By the 45-minute mark, everyone was going crazy for “Boombayah” and “Lovesick Girls," and the audience's LED light bracelets were blinking in sync with the infectious beats.

Although the women didn't bring out a guest, another group of stars appeared with Blackpink: the dancers, a mix of men and women of all races who moved with the four women on the catwalk extending into the crowd.

Rosé spoke to the band’s previous appearance at the festival, pointing back to the Sahara tent where they performed.

“This is a dream come true for us, thank you so much,” said Rose.

Contributing: Niki Kottmann

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This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2023: Blackpink makes history as first K-pop band headliners