K-pop girl group Blackpink return with new EP Deadline after more than 3 years
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A fan holds postcards of Blackpink's Deadline release at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb 27, 2026.
PHOTO: EPA
SEOUL – K-pop superstars Blackpink released their new extended play (EP) Deadline on Feb 27, the first release from the girl group in more than three years since their second full-length album in 2022.
The National Museum of Korea in central Seoul was bathed in pink lights to mark the release. More than 300 fans had lined up in the atrium of the museum on Feb 27, set up as a listening zone for the five tracks of the EP.
The quartet’s global following has helped them set records. Earlier in February, Blackpink became the first artiste in the world to surpass 100 million YouTube subscribers, according to the band’s agency YG Entertainment.
The band were also the first K-pop group to headline Coachella and the British Summer Time concerts.
“These days, even when I’m walking on the street, at a clothing store, restaurant or cafe, I hear K-pop,” said Ms Ko Seon-a, a 20-year-old Korean woman living in Japan who had come to the museum on Feb 27.
A view of illuminated colours of Blackpink on the wall of the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb 27, 2026.
PHOTO: EPA
The five tracks on Deadline include the title track Go and the pre-released electronic dance music (EDM) track Jump.
YG Entertainment said on Feb 28 that sales of the new EP reached 1.46 million on the first day of its release.
“The record not only marks (Blackpink’s) highest first-day sales, but also sets a new high for any K-pop girl group,” it said, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Deadline topped the iTunes album chart in at least 32 countries and regions, while the music video for Go also topped YouTube’s worldwide list of Top Trending Videos.
The group’s members – Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa – renewed their contracts in 2023 with YG Entertainment, but have also established their own agencies or signed different deals for solo activities.
They have pursued solo projects, including Rose’s chart-topping single APT. (2024) with American singer Bruno Mars.
Some fans hoped that the global popularity of K-pop acts such as Blackpink also contributed to a wider enjoyment of Korean culture.
“I hope that Korean traditional culture will be known through K-pop,” said Mr Kwon Hyeok-jae, a 30-year-old man who was dressed in a pink traditional Korean costume called hanbok. REUTERS
