Opinion | Do new Blackpink and NCT albums show that dedication to K-pop ‘brands’ is holding back music in 2022?

Blackpink’s ‘Born Pink’ and NTC 127’s ‘2 Baddies’ have drawn a range of reactions, with some saying that being ‘on brand’ is coming at the expense of the music

Creating an album with themes and concepts isn’t a bad thing, but even those most dedicated to K-pop groups’ brands want these artists to be musicians too

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Blackpink’s new album “Born Pink” has been criticised by some for putting the group’s branding over the quality of the music. Photo: Getty Images for MTV / Paramount Global

Published: 7:15pm, 21 Sep 2022Updated: 7:47pm, 21 Sep 2022

On September 16, two new K-pop albums were released by two of the biggest groups in the business: international superstars Blackpink and the excellently experimental NCT 127.

Both albums – Born Pink, Blackpink’s second LP fronted by the singles “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down”, and 2 Baddies, NCT 127’s fourth Korean LP fronted by a single of the same name – were met with a wide range of reactions.

Neither was free from criticism, but both were awash in love.

Importantly, however, the various reactions highlight how pop music, K-pop especially, currently operates.

NCT 127 perform at the 11th Gaon Chart Music Awards in Seoul on January 27, 2022. Photo: WireImage

At their most basic levels, Born Pink is a celebration of Blackpink’s career so far, and 2 Baddies is an on-brand album that pings between eccentric and harmonic.