Blackpink's show at the Hippodrome. They'll be blowing Asian hits.

Tomorrow, the final summer event under the moonlight at the Snai La Maura Hippodrome brings Blackpink to Italian K-Pop fans. While awaiting a 2026 lineup enhanced by the already announced appearances of Bad Bunny and Cesare Cremonini, Milan's largest concert venue hosts the only Italian leg of the Deadline World Tour , which, across the Channel, sees the four Korean celebrities perform in the hallowed stands of Wembley for no less than two nights. This marks the culmination of a journey that two years ago, in addition to making them the first "made in Korea" headliners in the history of the Coachella festival, led JiSoo, Jennie, Lisa, and Rosé to accompany former President Yoon Suk-yeol during his state visit to the United Kingdom. All this confirms a status that has long transcended the stages and the charts. Along with other glittering Asian hitmakers like Exo and BTS, Blackpink have played a key role in breaking down the barriers between their country's mainstream music and the Anglo-American mainstream. Collaborations with absolute superstars like Dua Lipa on "Kiss and Make Up," Selena Gomez on "Ice Cream," and Lady Gaga on "Sour Candy," combined with partnerships with internationally renowned producers and appearances on the most popular television programs, have marked a significant turning point in the globalization of K-Pop, allowing catchy hits like "How You Like That," "Ddu-du-ddu-du," and "Lovesick Girls" to gain prominence here as well. Having launched at Seoul's Goyang Stadium just a month ago, the quartet has already reached Canada, the United States, and France. She will continue her third worldwide tour until spring, performing a marathon of 27 hits every night, from “Kill This Love” to “Kick It,” drawing heavily from “Square One” and “The Album,” the albums all four of them co-wrote, as well as from successful moments in their respective solo careers, such as “Your Love” and “Earthquake” by JiSoo, “Apt.” (enriched in the original version by the appearance of Bruno Mars), “Toxic Till the End” and “Two Years” by the very blonde (but also reddish depending on the moment and mood) Rosé, the self-referential “Like Jennie” and “Handlebars” by Jennie, as well as “Thunder” by Lisa, who has since become an ambassador for Louis Vuitton and an actress in the third season of “The White Lotus.” A product of the relentless Korean music industry led by YG Entertainment, Blackpink are the product of an assembly line that, in addition to daily weight checks, an obsession with a sterile image, and pure, velvety skin, also forces them to abstain from romantic relationships (or, at least, pretend not to). This is to reiterate the impeccable image of the "idol," perpetually focused on their chart successes and platinum records, which continues to characterize a glittering, artificial, yet incredibly successful world, that of almond-eyed hit songs.

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