If Lisa does not extend her contract with YG Entertainment, BLACKPINK will be heavily affected.
It has been 3 months since BLACKPINK’s 7-year contract with YG Entertainment expired, yet even now, the question of whether or not each member continues to sing with YG continues to be a question.
As a result, on November 14, various Korean media sites have published reports on how financial experts are urging YG to quickly speak up on BLACKPINK’s contract status, especially as the company’s stock price has fallen to an alarming low.
At the same time, controversies surrounding Lisa recently, along with the fact that her overseas manager Alice Kang has left YG, have raised many speculations that Lisa is leaving YG. If this is the case, BLACKPINK as a group will certainly face various difficulties in the future.
As a result, experts have proposed 3 possible scenarios that may happen if Lisa actually leaves YG
1/ BLACKPINK will revamp their line-up, either with new members or with only 3 members
Although shocking to hear, there have been many cases where K-pop groups introduce new members after old members depart, such as in the case of EXID, Girl’s Day, and Brave Girls.
Therefore, in a worst-case scenario, YG can introduce new members to keep the BLACKPINK brand going, especially when the girl group is currently the company’s golden goose.
On the other hand, a more likely result would be BLACKPINK continuing with only 3 members, including Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosé. This is also a common approach in K-pop, with a prime example being Girl’s Generation.
2/ Similar to BIGBANG: Retains the group name but few comeback and more solo activities
Another possible result of Lisa leaving YG is that BLACKPINK won’t disband, but rather follow the footsteps of their senior, BIGBANG.
In particular, BIGBANG retains their brand and group name without disbandment, but they hardly ever make a comeback together.
In the case of BLACKPINK, the 4 members will pursue solo activities without disbanding, but it will be hard for fans to ever see all of them performing together again.
3/ Similar to 2NE1: Focus on solo activities, can use the group name with authorization from YG
There have been speculations that if BLACKPINK’s members choose to not renew their contracts with YG, they will no longer be able to freely use the group’s name. This is similar to the case of 2NE1, who can still use their name, but have to get YG’s approval.
According to experts, this is the most likely case, as BLACKPINK members will want to keep their group name, but have autonomy as solo artists.
4/ Disbandment: Not only Lisa, but all members leave YG
In the worst-case scenario, which is perhaps dreaded the most by fans, BLACKPINK will disband. This is likely to happen if all members leave YG, and focus wholly on their solo careers.
In fact, there have been many sources claiming that BLACKPINK are getting much better offers outside of YG, making this a likely situation. Of course, there have been cases where all members depart but the group remains (such as GOT7), so fans can still be positive and hope for the best.
However, even if disbandment actually happens, fans are likely to respect the decisions of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa quyết định ra sao.
Many fans still hope for a miracle where all members renew
On November 14, YG released its 3Q Report, which includes the artists currently active under the company. Here, BLACKPINK’s section includes the note: “The exclusive contract with BLACKPINK is currently under negotiation, and the final decision will be announced after the 3rd quarter’s report”.
There’s still no official word from YG on whether BLACKPINK will renew their contract or not. It seems like YG is stuck in a bit of a dilemma, taking their time with discussions and the contract renewal announcement for BLACKPINK.
This actually makes sense. Korean stock market experts are saying that, despite BABYMONSTER’s debut, only BLACKPINK can really turn things around for YG’s stocks right now. If YG manages to convince all four members to re-sign, it would truly be like a miracle. No matter how it turns out, fans are sure to keep supporting and following every step of BLACKPINK members on their journey ahead.
Source: K14
