BLACKPINK Contract Renewal Update: YG Expected To Reveal Status By November

BLACKPINK and YG Entertainment have kept their contract renewal negotiations under wraps for over a year, prompting fans — known as BLINKS — to worry over the future of the internationally acclaimed K-Pop group. But a recent report revealed that an update might be coming sooner than expected.

Rosé, Lisa, Jisoo and Jennie successfully ended their second world tour, "Born Pink," in September, holding a finale encore show in their home country, South Korea. A month before, they celebrated their 7th anniversary as a group, which also marked the end of their contract with their longtime label.

Since then, the girls have yet to confirm if they will be moving forward with YG. The latter also announced that an important update would be given after the end of BLACKPINK's activities. But to no avail, and discussions are still ongoing.

Most recently, however, Korea's Business Post revealed that YG is most likely to give an update regarding the contract renewal during the third quarterly report, expected to be released in three weeks or mid-November. The company often disclosed the status of its exclusive contracts with its artists during quarterly reports, semi-annual reports and business reports.

During the second quarterly report, it was unveiled that BLACKPINK, AKMU, Winner and TREASURE, among others, signed exclusive contracts with YG until the end of the second quarter of this year. But it could be different on the next.

If BLACKPINK appeared on the list, it could suggest that the group has opted to renew its contract. However, if not, then it might allude to the end of BLACKPINK and YG's era. The third quarterly report has always been released on the second Monday of November for the past three years.

Due to the lack of transparency, the K-Pop community continues to speculate that BLACKPINK has already terminated its contract and left the agency. Previously, it was reported that Lisa rejected two offers from YG; the second reportedly amounted to about KRW 50 billion ($37.22 million).

Local media outlets also reported that Jisoo and Jennie have established their own entertainment agencies. But YG immediately debunked the reports, saying, "Nothing has been confirmed."
Meanwhile, Rosé was recently spotted having a private meeting with Columbia Records' CEO Ron Perry in Paris.

After the sighting, fans noticed that three major members of the record label started following all the BLACKPINK members on Instagram, most notably the president, Jen Mallory, and the creative specialist, Luis Gerardo Cárdenas. Digital marketing manager Chika Ifediora, for her part, only followed Lisa.