K-pop superstars BLACKPINK to make one Canadian stop on Born Pink tour this fall | CBC News

The South Korean K-pop, hip-hop girl group BLACKPINK will be performing at the First Ontario Centre on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7.

Following the release of their second album, Born Pink, the group has added Hamilton as their only Canadian stop in the North American portion of the tour. 

Members of the BLACKPINK fan base, called BLINKs, like Erin Roman are excited to see them for their return to Hamilton.

“I’m looking forward to seeing them live again, I’m also excited to be part of the energy that fans bring to the concert,” she said.

This four member girl group consisting of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa, will be performing at the 19,000 capacity venue as part of a 14 city, 19 performances tour.

“There’s something very unique about K-pop fans and their energy during concerts,” Roman says.

The band was last in Hamilton back in 2019. 

The video below, uploaded to the BlackPinkOfficial Instagram, is from that performance.

“I’ve been a fan since they debuted in 2016 with Whistle and BOOMBAYAH,” Roman said.

Since their first album, Square One, debuted in 2016, the group has been growing in popularity with some publications like Bloomberg News labelling them “the biggest pop band in the world.”

The group’s YouTube channel has over 80 million subscribers and their latest music video, Pink Venom, debuted on Aug. 19 has over 265 million views as of Sept. 7. 

In an Aug. 19 episode of Q With Tom Power, Korean Film and Media professor Michelle Cho, tech and culture writer Alyssa Bereznak and comedian Andrea Jin joined guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about Pink Venom.

“It’s hard not to love,” said Bereznak, “I’m fascinated with the industry that created them, and how they’ve risen to such popularity.

“They’re the biggest female K-pop group in North America,” said Cho. “BLACKPINK is certainly up there in how huge their global fandom is. They have five videos with over five billion views.”

Korean music superstars BTS, an all-male group, performed three sold-out shows in Hamilton in 2018 and ATEEZ, an eight-member South Korean boy band, is also slated to perform at the centre Dec. 2.

“I hope the success of BLACKPINK’s concert will bring more groups to Hamilton,” said Roman.

Tickets will be pre-sold online on Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. with general public sales on Sept. 16 at 10 a.m.