This Is The Least Popular Member Of Blackpink

Oh yes, we're venturing into K-pop territory, at risk of being digitally marauded by Blinks (Blackpink fans) for one word out of place about a favorite member. So on that note, let's begin by disclaiming: some information contained afterwards and herein is subjective and does not completely reflect how absolutely fabtastic, magilicious, and crazemazing each member of Blackpink is ... mmkay? (We can see you all nodding.)

But Blackpink really doesn't need anyone to defend them. To call their rise to fame meteoric is an immense understatement. As outlined on Vogue, In just several short years since their debut in 2016, the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic quartet has become one of the most famous music groups in the world, with Blinks across the globe. They are the most subscribed-to music group on all of YouTube, the first K-pop girl group in history to reach 1 billion views, the first to play at Coachella, the faces of brands like Chanel and Dior, and they've broken multiple Guinness World Records for streams and views. They've produced banger after banger like "Boombayah," "Ddu-du Ddu-du," and "Kill This Love," songs which, musically, embody the name of the group itself: a fusion of edgy (black) and cutesy (pink) in a non-mutually exclusive way, without the need to sacrifice one for the other. They invite you to approach them, and then explode in your face. 

So is it possible for any of the four members to truly be "less popular" than others?

Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa: the four members of Blackpink. Each member brings something different to the table, and embodies a persona. Their first album, 2016's Square One, was YG Entertainment's first girl group debut in seven years, a consortium who has represented giant names BIGBANG, G-Dragon, iKON, and Psy (you know, "Gangnam Style"). Expectations for Blackpink were high, and to even make it to their starting point, Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa had to pass through the typical entertainment-recruitment machine found in countries like Korea, where potential entertainment candidates are trained, groomed, and even live together, for years, before appearing to the public.

Right from the beginning, Blackpink (and their doubtlessly ingenious marketing team) had diversity and international acclaim in mind, not simply national success, which has definitely served to strengthen their traction abroad. Inclusion has been key. They're also true polyglots, by and large, and switch between languages not only in their music, but in their personal lives. In fact, the group's producer and songwriter, Teddy Park — responsible for producing and writing every single one of Blackpink's tracks — said in the group's new Netflix special Blackpink: Light Up the Sky that he doesn't even understand what K-pop is. If it's music from Korea, then all of a sudden it's a separate genre?

And the members of Blackpink themselves embody this philosophy: born and raised differently, hailing from different cultures, and gaining different levels of attention.

Rosé (pronounced Rosie), a true lover of music and lifelong singer-songwriter, is New Zealand-born and was raised in Australia. Classy Jisoo, the oldest member, is Korean through and through, born-and-raised, and brand ambassador for Dior. Lisa is Thai and a pretty badass rapper with a photographic memory for choreography, as depicted on a Korean TV show watchable on YouTube. Jennie, known as a perfectionist, is Korean but was raised in New Zealand, and selected by Chanel as their brand ambassador, per the K-Pop Herald. 

So, it's a bit difficult to reduce all of this information into "most popular" or "least popular" when considering social media engagement, general public perception, endorsements and engineered publicity, language ability, dancing and singing acumen, and so on. Debates among fandom are never ending, such as this one (among others) on Quora. And moreover, even the "least popular" member of Blackpink is leagues above other performers simply by virtue of being in the supergroup. Different group members are more popular in different countries, too, reflecting those country's tastes. For instance, per Nicki Swift, Lisa is incredibly popular worldwide, and also is the most widely-followed member on Instagram, while Jennie is the most popular in Korea, though these kinds of rankings shift and change even from month to month.

In the end, however, two members consistently rank as the least two popular. And more and more, the seesaw has tipped in one direction.

As outlined on a Reddit thread, taking all factors into account, it seems like Rosé has fallen out of favor as the least popular member of Blackpink. Lisa has been undeniably at the top of the list forever, with her rapping, social media savvy, and inherent performance abilities. Jennie is up there, too, particularly for the dark-yet-shy quality she brings to the group. Jisoo was once dismissed as being nothing more than a prototypical Korean beauty icon, but has proven herself with her cool-under-pressure demeanor and the uniqueness of her voice. Even though Rosé has been singing and writing music her entire life, and is a native English speaker who is super well-regarded in Australia, it seems that her singing has come under fire, at least in comparison to Jisoo and Jennie. 

As suggested on another Reddit thread, though, it might make the most sense to measure the popularity of each member of Blackpink in terms of the utility they bring to the group — that is, the uniqueness and usefulness of their contribution. And in this regard, Rosé also ranks somewhat lower than other members.

In the final analysis, though, there's no use hating on any member of Blackpink. Taking sides and pitting members (or fans) against each other does a disservice to Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa, and diminishes the strength of the group on a whole, which itself comes from the group's closeness and how they are supportive of each other.