[일간스포츠=황미현 기자] BLACKPINK is off to a great start.

YG Entertainment has been preparing to debut BLACKPINK for six years, and now their efforts are paying off. Because they have been making preparations for such a long time, the group is dubbed as YG’s “jewel box”. Now that BLACKPINK has debuted, fans are able to see they have the looks and the talent as YG guaranteed.

BLACKPINK debuted by releasing “BOOMBAYA” and “WHISTLE”, the title tracks of their debut single album “SQUARE ONE”, at 8 PM on August 8. They have received much spotlight as they are YG’s first new girl group in seven years. YG’s YANG HYUN SUK said that he would launch a new girl group four years ago, but the launch had been delayed much to fans’ disappointment. At a showcase on August 8, he said, “I know what the fans want, but their debut has been delayed several times. I believed that it is better to present to the fans with something that is more satisfactory. I want to put BLACKPINK on the stage quickly. I’m sure that they are up to the task.”

▶ BLACKPINK members background

He had every reason to be confident. The members of BLACKPINK, ROSÉ, JENNIE, LISA, and JISOO, have been trained at YG for four to six years. They have been assessed by YANG HYUN SUK himself monthly and honed their skills.

JENNIE (20) was the first to be announced. She studied in New Zealand for a while and is fluent in Korean, Japanese, and English. She made herself known to the public by appearing in the music video of G-DRAGON’s “THAT XX”. In 2013, she featured on the title track of “BLACK”, the title track of G-DRAGON’s second solo album. Her excellent rap makes her stand out in BLACKPINK’s debut songs.

LISA (19) is the only foreigner artist in YG. She is from Thailand, and she is great in dancing. LISA’s “Who’s That Girl” dance video released in 2012 became quite an issue. Just like JENNIE, LISA is also fluent in Korean, Japanese, and English on top of her mother tongue. She appeared in the music video of TAEYANG’s “RINGA RINGA” and was YG’s NONAGON model along with iKON’s B.I and BOBBY.

JISOO (21) is the oldest of BLACKPINK members. She appeared in the music videos of EPIK HIGH’s”SPOILER&HAPPEN ENDING” and HI&SOOHYUN’s “I’M DIFFERENT”. In 2015, she appeared as a cameo in KBS 2’ drama series “Producer”.

ROSÉ (19) has been a trainee at YG since 2012 after winning its audition contest first place. She featured on G-DRAGON’s “WITHOUT YOU”, a track in his mini-album “ONE OF A KIND”, and is known to play the guitar well.

▶BLACKPINK sets new records in just a day

BLACKPINK has set new records in just a day after their debut. After its release at 8 PM on August 8, BLACKPINK’s “WHISTLE” topped four charts in just an hour and all the charts in just four hours. “BOOMBAYA” is also popular ranking fifth on the charts.

BLACKPINK’s popularity is going global. As of August 9, their new single album “SQUARE ONE” topped the charts in just 12 hours after release in 12 countries including Hong Kong, Finland, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Norway, Paraguay, the Philippines, Singapore, Turkey, and Vietnam. It also ranked second in the US and 11th in the UK, which is unusual for a rookie.

BLACKPINK’s music video views are also going up rapidly. The music videos of “BOOMBAYA” and “WHISTLE” surpassed seven million views in total in just five hours after release on Naver’s TV Cast and on Youtube.