"Flower" (Korean: 꽃; RR: Kkot) is the debut solo single by South Korean singer and Blackpink member Jisoo. It was released on March 31, 2023, through YG and Interscope as the lead single from her debut single album, Me (2023). The song was written by Vince, Teddy, Kush, and VVN, while composed by the latter two alongside 24, who handled the production. Described as a mid-tempo dance, pop, and trap song that incorporates traditional Korean melodies and Caribbean elements, its lyrics are about overcoming a toxic relationship.
"Flower" received favorable reviews from music critics, who complemented the poetic lyrics and fresh production, as well as Jisoo's vocals. The song was commercially successful and peaked at number two on the Billboard Global 200, becoming Jisoo's first top-ten hit on the chart. In South Korea, the song topped Billboard's South Korea Songs chart and peaked at number two on the Circle Digital Chart. It topped the charts in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and reached the top 10 in Hungary, Indonesia, MENA, and the Philippines. The track also entered the top 40 of the Canadian Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.
An accompanying music video was directed by Han Sa-min and uploaded onto Blackpink's YouTube channel simultaneously with the single's release. The video portrays Jisoo's journey through cinematic chapters, starting with her reflection on a breakup and culminating in her embracing vulnerability and empowerment. To promote the song, the singer appeared and performed at the South Korean music programInkigayo as well as Coachella in Indio, California. On April 5, 2023, Jisoo received her first music show win only five days after the single's release on Show Champion. She went on to receive nine total music show wins on Show Champion, M Countdown, Music Bank, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo. "Flower" won numerous accolades, including Best Music Video and Best Dance Performance at the MAMA Awards, and Best Digital Song at the 38th Golden Disc Awards.
Background and composition
Following the release of bandmates Jennie's solo single "Solo" (2018), Rosé's solo single album R (2021), and Lisa's solo single album Lalisa (2021), attention turned towards Jisoo as the final member of Blackpink to debut as a soloist. On January 2, 2023, YG Entertainment confirmed that Jisoo was in the process of recording music for her single album and had completed filming the album's jacket photo shoots.[1][2] On February 21, her label revealed that filming for her music video was underway in a top-secret location overseas, with the highest production budget they had ever invested into a Blackpink music video.[3] On March 5, teasers were uploaded to Blackpink's social media accounts, confirming that her project would be released on March 31, 2023.[4] On March 19, the album's lead single was confirmed to be "Flower" with a teaser poster including the title written in hangul in the shape of a flower.[5] On March 28, the music video teaser for "Flower" was released.[6] "Flower" was released alongside its B side "All Eyes on Me"[7][8] for digital download and streaming as the lead single from Me on March 31, 2023, by YG Entertainment.[9]
"Flower" was written by Vince, Teddy, Kush, and VVN, with composition from the latter two alongside 24, who also handled the production.[10] Musically, it is a mid-tempo pop, dance, and trap song that incorporates traditional Korean melodies, indie, and Caribbean elements.[11][9][12][13] It is characterized by a "distinctive" bass sound, minimal arrangement, poetic lyrics, and "Jisoo's unique vocals."[14] The lyrics talk about overcoming a toxic relationship,[11] "leaving behind nothing but the whiff of flora."[12] The word "Flower" was used as a metaphor to describe the singer's heartbreak, with the line, "Nothing is left but the scent of flower." Eventually the "flowers come to their own and bloom" as the protagonists leave the toxic relationship and come to her own self, with the line, "Spring comes and we say bye bye bye."[15] In terms of musical notation, the song was written in the key of A minor and has a tempo of 124 beats per minute.[16]
Rhian Daly, writing for NME, praised the poetic lyricism as well as the fresh production of "Flower", naming it one of the best K-pop songs of the year. Daly noted that the song successfully managed "to mix elegance with inventiveness and elements of modern production with more traditional sounding sonics."[17] For Rolling Stone, Tim Chan commended the song's "finger-snapping production" as well as Jisoo's confident vocal delivery, which he felt managed to make the lyrics feel very personal as well as keep the listener's attention.[18] Samantha H. Chung for The Harvard Crimson labeled "Flower" a "classy, laid-back debut", with appreciation for the verses's "sophisticated, mature groove that creates an almost indie sound" and the song's "compelling hook".[13] Chung found that the song was well-fitting for Jisoo and praised her "understated charisma" for carrying the track, although she criticized its "meandering cadence".[13]Rolling Stone ranked "Flower" number 67 in their list of The 100 Best Songs of 2023, calling it a "sophisticated track with a staccato, Latin-tinged melody and Caribbean-inspired percussion" that "feels instantly familiar yet unlike anything else on the radio".[19]Grammy included it in their list of the 15 K-Pop Songs That Took 2023 By Storm, calling it "elegant and delicate," highlighting the song's overall production, and Jisoo's solo potential.[20]
"Flower" debuted at number two on the Billboard Global 200 with 108.7 million streams and 21,000 downloads sold worldwide, marking Jisoo's first solo entry and top-ten song on the chart. It earned the third-biggest streaming start for an artist’s debut track, behind bandmate Lisa's "Lalisa" (2021) and Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" (2021). The song also debuted at number two on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. with 103.3 million streams and 16,000 downloads sold outside the U.S., marking Jisoo's first top-ten song on the latter chart as well.[38] "Flower" surpassed 100 million streams on music streaming platform Spotify in just 32 days after its release, breaking the record held by Lisa for the fastest song by a female K-pop soloist to do so.[39] In April 2024, it hit 400 million streams within 354 days of its release, setting a record as the most streamed song among Korean female solo singers on the platform.[40] The song surpassed 1 million listeners on Shazam in March 2024, making it the most popular song by a Korean solo female singer in the past decade on the platform.[41]
In South Korea, "Flower" debuted at number 33 on the 13th issued week (March 26–April 1, 2023) of the Circle Digital Chart, with less than two days of tracking.[42] The following week, it rose to a peak at number two for the period dated April 2–8.[43] On the BillboardSouth Korea Songs chart, it debuted at number one for the period dated April 15–21.[44] The song also broke records on the South Korean music platform Genie, becoming the most streamed female solo debut song with 28.34 million streams by March 2024.[45] In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 38 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the first top-40 hit by a K-pop female soloist and breaking the record held by Rosé's "On the Ground" (2021) as the highest-charting song by a K-pop female soloist in history.[46][47] The song debuted at number 40 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and number 33 on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart, making Jisoo the third Blackpink member to enter the top-50 on the latter.[48][49] In the United States, "Flower" did not debut on the Billboard Hot 100, but entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at number four.[50] It peaked at number ten on the BillboardDigital Song Sales chart and number two on the BillboardWorld Digital Song Sales chart with 6,000 downloads sold.[51]
Music video
Background
A music video for the song was directed by Han Sa-min and uploaded to Blackpink's official YouTube channel in conjunction with the release of the single album. The video was preceded by a short music video teaser released two days earlier on March 28.[6] Upon release, the music video topped the worldwide trending list on YouTube and became the most viewed video in 24 hours by a K-pop act in 2023.[52] It went on to surpass 100 million views in less than 8 days.[47] On April 5, a dance practice video for "Flower" was released. In it, Jisoo, dressed in a white gown with flowers on her palm, is accompanied by a series of backup dancers wearing all black.[53]
Synopsis and reception
The video was filmed entirely in the United States, particularly at Universal Studios' New York street,[7] and it captures Jisoo's alter ego through different chapters in a cinematic style that is reminiscent of a movie.[52] It begins with the singer wandering around her hotel room, surrounded by vases of pink flowers. After something gets her attention, the video cuts to "Chapter 1: Next Day", the morning after her breakup. She walks around the hotel wearing elaborate gowns while occupied in her thoughts, reflecting on her relationship, describing it as a "spark he simply couldn't handle". After that, Jisoo goes on her way to embracing her vulnerability as she "blooms" into a red flower and lets go completely of her past self. Following are "Chapter 2: Same Time" and "Chapter 3: Same Place", which showcase a new-found side of the protagonist that she's unlocked, where she symbolizes the ending by "donning" a funeral black lace gown and ripping the rosette choker from her neck to signify she’s in full control."[11]
On April 8, 2023, Jisoo performed "Flower" for the first time live during Blackpink's concert at the Tokyo Dome as part of the Born Pink World Tour.[55] She performed the single on SBS's Inkigayo on April 9,[56] and April 16.[57] "Flower" was also performed by Jisoo during Blackpink's set as the headlining act of Coachella in Indio, California on April 15, 2023.[58] On July 2, she performed the song during Blackpink's set as the headlining act of BST Hyde Park in London.[59]
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