BLACKPINK is the exception among K-pop artists when it comes to music show promotions
Despite being a global sensation, BLACKPINK has a surprising distinction – they have never performed on national broadcaster KBS’s iconic weekly music show Music Bank. This fact has recently gained attention, leaving many netizens taken aback.
For years, performing on weekly music shows like Music Bank, M!Countdown, Music Core and Inkigayo for comeback promotions has been a tradition for K-pop idols. Winning 1st place on these shows is also important, signifying an artist’s domestic impact on the music scene.
So, why has BLACKPINK consistently steered clear of Music Bank? The answer lies in a long-standing conflict between YG Entertainment, BLACKPINK’s company, and KBS. The last YG group to promote on Music Bank was BIGBANG in 2015. Since then, YG has continued to restrict its artists’ appearances on KBS.
BLACKPINK made their debut in August 2016, and despite actively promoting on other music shows, they have never set foot on Music Bank’s stage. According to Yang Hyunsuk, YG artists’ absence on Music Bank is due to concerns that KBS does not provide enough support.
On the other hand, KBS has not always been friendly toward BLACKPINK’s songs. Several of the group’s songs have faced broadcasting restrictions. In their most recent comeback, “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” were deemed to be violating broadcast rules and were not included on Music Bank’s chart ranking, which determines the winner.
However, since BLACKPINK has taken the global music scene by storm, their appearances on weekly music shows have dwindled significantly. Even during their latest comeback with “Born Pink”, BLACKPINK only performed “Shut Down” on Inkigayo. Jisoo also performed “Flower” on Inkigayo during her solo debut promotion.
Source: K14
