BLACKPINK’s comeback with the album DEADLINE continues to attract major attention from the media and K-pop fans. Alongside discussions about the music quality and achievements, a new topic has sparked controversy on online forums: the group’s performance on weekly music shows. The noticeable drop in fan voting scores compared with previous comebacks has led some people to question whether the global girl group’s popularity is declining. The question “Does BLACKPINK no longer have fans?” has quickly become a hot topic across K-pop communities, drawing mixed opinions.
Specifically, during recent music show nominations on Korean television programs, BLACKPINK’s fan vote scores unexpectedly fell to a record low. For example, on the music program Inkigayo, BLACKPINK’s title track “Go” received only 6 fan vote points. Meanwhile, in the same nomination lineup, junior group IVE earned 500 points with their song “Bang Bang,” while rookie group Hearts2Hearts closely followed with 455 points for their track “Rude!” A similar situation occurred in the voting system of M Countdown, where BLACKPINK received only 11% of the votes, far behind the overwhelming 89% earned by Hearts2Hearts. The large gap immediately sparked speculation and negative comments claiming that BLACKPINK’s fandom was no longer actively supporting the group on music show competitions.
However, the reaction from many neutral viewers and BLINKs was quite different. Most opinions pointed out that the situation is understandable and not worth turning into a major controversy. As a group that has entered its tenth year of activity and achieved global influence, competing fiercely for weekly music show trophies in Korea is no longer essential to BLACKPINK’s career. Additionally, the group has not been actively promoting the album on music shows. The release this time is viewed more as a gift for fans after a long period without a group project. With all four members currently focusing heavily on their solo careers, competing for domestic music show trophies no longer aligns with BLACKPINK’s current direction.
Furthermore, when considering the actual scoring systems used by music shows, fan voting usually accounts for only a small portion of the total score. More decisive categories such as broadcast frequency, domestic digital chart rankings, and physical album sales continue to remain extremely strong for BLACKPINK. These factors alone are often enough to secure high total scores without relying heavily on fan votes. The BLINK community also quickly clarified that there were simply certain stages where fans chose not to concentrate their voting efforts. A clear example occurred recently on the program Show Champion, where fans actively united to vote and helped secure a convincing victory for the four members.
Many Korean netizens believe that posts mocking the group’s voting scores are actually attempts by antis to undermine BLACKPINK by focusing on a small detail while ignoring their broader achievements. In reality, the records set by the album DEADLINE have already proven the group’s enduring status. In the United States, the album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, while the title track “Go” reached No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the streaming platform Spotify, DEADLINE ranked among the top four biggest album debuts of early 2026. The group also topped the iTunes charts in 38 countries and territories, while the music video for “Go” held the No. 1 position on YouTube’s Global Weekly Top Songs chart.
The album also achieved a Triple Crown on the Circle Chart and recorded more than 1.77 million physical album sales in its first week on the Hanteo chart. This massive figure helped BLACKPINK make history by achieving the highest first-week sales ever for a K-pop girl group album. In fact, the constant scrutiny surrounding the group only further highlights their dominant position in the industry.
Although these numbers may appear slightly lower compared with the group’s previous release Born Pink, looking at the broader landscape of today’s K-pop industry shows that BLACKPINK is essentially only competing with their own past achievements. Their influence, status, and accomplishments still exist on a completely different level from most of the industry.
Despite mixed opinions about the music quality of this comeback and criticism from some members of the public who believe the album was released without strong promotional intent, the group’s fan community continues to fully support the return of the four members and show their enthusiasm for BLACKPINK’s latest comeback.
Sources: K14
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