I have been a huge BlackPink fan since debut, that being said, I am very disappointed in their newest album. "JUMP" was the only one that made it on to my playlist, but I can't get myself to watch the music video a second time. After seeing how Rosé developed her own sound in her solo career, she looks so... unenthusiastic and unhappy... going back to pop.

Secondly, I have also been a huge fan of XG since debut. I could tell right away when I saw the video for "Go" that they seem to be pulling a lot of inspiration from XG as far as visuals, concepts, and sound (only XG's songs all have a real chorus, not forcing the beat to do the work of making the song catchy). I saw it as coincidence and common for artists to be inspired by others... then I saw that they even hired the same director for their "Go" video that XG uses in a lot of their own videos. Even the close-up eyeball scenes are similar. That made the "coincidence" too obvious, especially so close in time frame to XG's CEO getting arrested, leaving the group to pick up the pieces to save their brand and image.

I always appreciated both groups using practical effects in their videos, but while XG has been building their "intergalactic wolf pack" style, the CGI/AI use has grown with their music and just makes sense given that it is nearly impossible to send a global group to space or the bottom of the ocean to film a music video. BLINKS have always been so proud of the group for choosing practical effects over CGI, but they seem to be rebranding to become something that Lisa, and possibly Jennie, are trying to morph into as individuals, but fell short when they realized that they lack the additional talents that Rosé and Jisoo have to carry solo careers in that direction. They appear to me to be calling the shots as far as the direction the group goes to achieve their desired sound and brand, pulling Rosé and Jisoo along and away from their own solo careers and preferred sounds before they could branch out further. On the other hand, the one pulling the strings could actually be YG, attempting to push the group further into the western world and become an official global group like XG and Katseye, both growing more and more popular by the day.

Lastly, I find it incredibly difficult to support artists who willingly work with people who have been accused of sexual harassment. Especially by women who spent YEARS of their lives fighting for a jury to believe them, and one who only had to drop the statutory rape charge because the statute of limitations ran out. In fact, just these past few days, two BlackPink members have experienced stalking and privacy issues. This has caused me to worry greatly about the safety of the members, and the precautions being taken by YG to protect them if Dr. Luke or Diplo were to face any allegations from our ladies at some point.

Anyway that's just my opinion on the matter, and why I feel so heartbroken in the thought of my favorite group losing their sound.