The accompanying music video for “BOOMBAYAH” by BLACKPINK has surpassed 1.9 billion views, making history as the first debut by a K-pop group to reach the milestone.

“BOOMBAYAH” is one of the two title tracks that led BLACKPINK’s debut single album SQUARE ONE, the other being “WHISTLE.” Both songs saw success upon their release in August 2016; “WHISTLE” topped the domestic Circle Digital Chart, while “BOOMBAYAH” received international attention and became their first number-one hit on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart.

BLACKPINK’s initial achievements were remarkable. They were the first girl group under YG Entertainment since the popularity of 2NE1, bringing massive expectations, and still blew those expectations out of the water. SQUARE ONE marked a major shift for K-pop, helping move BLACKPINK from a regional success to a globally recognised pop act.

The music video of “BOOMBAYAH” established BLACKPINK’s fierce, confident identity, moving away from the hyper-feminine concepts typical of K-pop girl groups at the time. That imagery made them stand out alongside the music itself, and drove music video views; in October 2020, it became the first debut music video to surpass one billion views, and six years later it is continuing to make history with bigger and bigger numbers. That continued success makes the milestone particularly impressive: ten years on, BLACKPINK are no longer the only major K-pop girl group with a global audience and are less active as a collective, yet they continue to make an impact.

In February 2026, BLACKPINK released DEADLINE, their first album in four years. Led by “JUMP” and “GO,” the five-song project proved that the girl still held a considerable appeal; over 1.4 million copies were sold on its release day. The quartet held the BLACKPINK WORLD TOUR <DEADLINE> throughout 2025 and 2026, increasing their visibility, and also came together as a collective to celebrate their 10 year anniversary on a livestream. This is likely to have boosted views, with their return forming a sequence of consistent activities over the past year.

Since then, the members have moved away from group activities and returned to solo projects. JENNIE released her three-song EP Fallen Angel on August 28, JISOO released her solo single “CLICK” on September 4, ROSÉ released the single “new trick” in collaboration with Apple on September 18, and LISA is set to release the EP PRESS PLAY on October 23. For the time being, it seems that BLACKPINK are taking a break from collective appearances.

Over a decade later, no K-pop debut has matched BLACKPINK’s record for music video views, and the milestone remains a benchmark for the group’s enduring popularity until another debut surpasses it.