BLACKPINK’s Jennie sparked fan excitement on March 9, 2025, when she opened up about the moment she realized the group was going global! While the group immediately captured fans since their debut in 2016, Jennie confessed she didn’t fully register their impact at first. She explained that their daily routine barely changed post-debut, making it hard to know just how massive BLACKPINK had become.
However, everything took a major turn in 2018 with “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” the lead track off their “Square Up” album. Jennie recalled how the group’s schedules became massive thanks to their hit. That same year, the music video surpassed 2.2 billion views on YouTube, making BLACKPINK the first K-pop group besides PSY to hit that milestone. It even scored a gold certification from the RIAA for 500,000 units sold.
‘DDU-DU DDU-DU’ by BLACKPINK becomes the first music video by a K-Pop group in history to surpass 2 billion views on YouTube. pic.twitter.com/EKoyPb3Hsy
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 3, 2023
Meanwhile, fans and critics credit “DDU-DU DDU-DU” for solidifying BLACKPINK’s girl-crush vibe and showing off their next-level style. After that, the group unleashed hits like “Kill This Love” and “How You Like That,” each delivering choreography and chart-topping success. And while Jennie says that 2018 was the first time she felt like a global star, we knew all along that all the BLACKPINK girls would become massive idols!
