During a great week for K-pop Stateside, BLACKPINK's historic debut at Coachella is as impressive as they are

The group marked the Californian festival as the first Korean group composed exclusively of women to perform there.

It's a huge week for K-pop Stateside. On the east coast, the BTS are preparing to make their first appearance on SNL radiating Korean music into the homes of millions of Americans. On the west coast, BLACKPINK is doing something equally important: becoming the first all-female K-pop band to perform at Coachella, in a prime location that placed them on the second line of the poster.

The four-piece performance tonight (April 12th) is not only their first performance at Coachella, but also their first real American set (they played only once here at an industrial feast before the Grammys). As the lights of the Saharan scene go out to signal their arrival, it is clear that there are many blinks, collective names of their fans, who have been waiting since the number of pink heart-shaped glow sticks shining in the air. crowd.

Those who have already been converted by the power of BLACKPINK and those who are curious to know about these stories are not disappointed tonight. Since the powerful starter "Ddu-du-du-du", the group is in the kind of form that makes you wonder why this reservation did not take place earlier. There is tremendous screaming in every dynamic choreography, every time the rappers Jennie and Lisa wave their lines with as much intensity as on a record, every time the singers Rosé and Jisoo play their melodies at the rise. The women on stage clearly appreciate it as much as the spectators for whom they are also playing – their faces are an almost permanent display of broad, sincere smiles, while, after "Whistle," Jisoo gives Jennie a nudge on the elbow and a laugh that seems to say, "Can you believe this is happening?"

For their historic moment, the quartet is backed by a rock band that, for the most part, adds even more punch to the set. But after Jennie gives a solo rendition of her own song, the "Solo", they wander into an old-fashioned territory, indulging in an explosion of riffs and jams stretched while BLACKPINK gets together off stage. This is the kind of filling material that threatens to dilute the momentum that was created and would be if it was not immediately followed by a very energetic "Kill this love".

This track is one of the last releases of the group, forming the title track of their new EP, released last week (April 5). On record, her songs sometimes seemed missing but filled with adrenaline, they were much better shot. The lazer synthesizers "I do not know what to do" have turned out to be the ultimate supporter of the festival, while the chanted hook of "Kick It" gives the band an opportunity to jump and, in the case of Rosé, catching a pink cowboy hat that was thrown on stage.

Between songs, BLACKPINK offers the kind of casual and dizzying conversation that gives the impression that you have fallen into their rehearsal rather than in a big festival. If being completely crazy has not already won over Coachella's entire heart, their endearing attempts at the Mexican waves will finish their job.

The group may be having fun, but they also know what it means tonight, both for them and for K-pop as a whole. "We come from totally different worlds," begins Rosé, serious a second of a second and referring to the cultural contrasts between the United States and South Korea. "But we learned so deeply tonight that music brings us together." She makes the comments after a happy show, "See U Later", which boasts of its positive spin-offs: "See you later / Maybe never."With Coachella beloved and conquered, in the case of BLACKPINK, we will see much more and, during this show, there is no shock to see them exceed the bill in a few years.

BLACKPINK played:

"Ddu-du Ddu-du"
& # 39; Forever Young & # 39;
& # 39; Stay & # 39;
& # 39; Whistle & # 39;
"Kiss and make up"
& # 39; Solo & # 39;
"Kill this love"
"Do not know what to do"
& # 39; Boots it & # 39;
& # 39; see you later & # 39;
& # 39; Play with fire & # 39;