Jisoo Of BLACKPINK Blooms In Her Solo Debut Single, ‘Flower’

You may know Jisoo from the little-known K-Pop group BLACKPINK.

Since BLACKPINK made their debut in 2016, Jisoo has made her long-awaited solo debut with single album ME, featuring the boppy title track ‘Flower’ and b-side ‘All Eyes On Me’ — and fans are freaking the hell out accordingly. 

Jisoo’s solo debut means that all four BLACKPINK members have officially released individual music alongside their group efforts. Jennie was first with the single ‘Solo’ in 2018, while Rosé and Lisa both made their solo debuts in 2021 with single albums -R- and Lalisa respectively. 

While Jisoo has channelled her solo creative ambitions into acting until now, most notably starring in K-Drama Snowdrop in 2021-2022, she said in an interview ahead of ME’s release that she hopes fans discover a “new Jisoo” in her music. 

“I thought about what I could show as a solo artist Jisoo rather than BLACKPINK Jisoo,” she said. “As I go through the process of discovering new charms that I didn’t know about, I feel myself growing and becoming stronger.”

Lead single ‘Flower’ is a seriously catchy ear worm of a track, on which Jisoo sings to an ex-lover who unwittingly let her slip through their fingers. “There was nothing left but the scent of a flower” she croons over the addictive hook, in a tone that reminds the listener it’s very much their loss, not hers.

In an interview, Jisoo said she chose ‘Flower’ as debut single because she feels it expresses her the best, “with vocals, performance and visuals that go together in all aspects”. While the track is a sonic feat, its true MVP is the music video, which is a straight-up visual feast. 

The music video for ‘Flower’ is a dreamy, frothy Pinterest board come to life; it’s stylised to the extent that it feels a bit like a stretched out perfume commercial — which checks out, considering Jisoo is an ambassador for Dior. In the video, she flits around a bougie hotel and dances through streets that feel distinctly European, despite the video being filmed in the US. 

Jisoo is surrounded in turns by lush pink roses; expensive jewellery and mirrors; and colour-coordinated back-up dancers, as she goes through nearly a dozen costume changes herself, each one more striking than the last. With stunning hair and make-up to complement each of her looks, every frame of the music video is sumptuous enough to eat. 

The choreography for ‘Flower’, meanwhile, channels the fluttery movements of its titular flora, as well as the butterflies referenced in the song’s lyrics. With its focus on controlled hand movements, it’s also ripe for TikTok challenges.

B-side track ‘All Eyes On Me’ is one that Jisoo said she felt so strongly about it was almost the title track. While it’s not quite as as catchy as ‘Flower’, the synth-infused dance song showcases the fun and attention-demanding sensibility BLACKPINK fans turn to Jisoo and her bandmates for. 

Blinks, as expected, are already obsessing over ME, having been waiting for Jisoo’s music for years. BLACKPINK is known for breaking record after record, and Jisoo’s release is no exception — ME hit 1.31 million pre-orders, a record number for Korean female solo artist. And in a mere three hours of its release, the music video for ‘Flower’ had already racked up 10 million views — a number which will no doubt continue to grow exponentially with the repeated viewings the pretty clip invites.

Although she’s currently busy touring the world with BLACKPINK, Jisoo will also be taking time out for some solo performances, with her debut stage set to take place on Korea’s Inkigayo music show on April 9. It’s also expected that ‘Flower’ will also be incorporated into the setlist for Blackpink’s BORN PINK world tour, which is heading to Australia in June 2023. As her b-side suggests, it’s fair to say that all eyes will be on Jisoo as she blossoms in her own right.

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This review is written by Jenna Guillaume, a Sydney-based writer who loves all things TV and pop culture. She tweets @JennaGuillaume.