Kill This Love

Lore & Background

The visual narrative suggests a transformation from victims of circumstance to masters of their fate. As the story unfolds, the group moves through landscapes that blend military precision with avant-garde aesthetics, signifying the fusion of grit and glamour. The central conflict is resolved not by escaping the feeling, but by 'killing' the negative aspects of it—the obsession, the pain, the weakness—thereby reclaiming their power as a unified force.

Reader's Guide

The narrative begins with an atmosphere of impending doom, setting the stage for a confrontation with overwhelming emotions. The members are introduced individually and then collectively, showcasing their resilience against a backdrop that mixes military aesthetics with high-fashion runways. As the story progresses, the environment shifts from barren deserts to surreal, dreamlike sequences where gravity seems optional. This visual metaphor represents the disorienting nature of intense love, yet the group maintains perfect synchronization, suggesting that their bond is the anchor holding them together amidst the chaos.

The climax features a powerful display of unity where the members confront the source of their turmoil head-on. By rejecting the destructive aspects of their feelings, they transform into unstoppable forces. The event concludes with a reaffirmation of their status as global icons who have turned pain into power, leaving a lasting impact on fans and critics alike.

Global Chart Domination and Records

The title track "Kill This Love" peaked at number two in South Korea and became the first top 50 hit by a female K-pop act in the United States and the United Kingdom. The EP debuted at number 24 on the US Billboard 200 with 19,200 units sold including over 9,100 pure sales, making it the highest-charting album by a female K-pop group at the time. It reached the top ten in Canada, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, and the top twenty in Australia. The EP was certified platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) in June 2019 for selling 250,000 units, becoming Blackpink's second EP to do so after Square Up, and was later certified triple platinum in July 2024 for selling 750,000 units.

Sonic Architecture and Lyrical Themes

The opening track, "Kill This Love," is a stomping, brassy electropop track with trap elements, containing blaring horns and martial percussion, with Rosé and Jisoo leading impassioned pre-choruses about breaking up. The second track, "Don't Know What To Do," is an EDM and pop song with throbbing bass, whistle-like hook, and an acoustic guitar. "Kick It" incorporates elements of Southern trap, synth bass, and acoustic guitar, with lyrics about telling past lovers: 'I'm okay being alone / Don't feel bad for me / I'm going to forget you now.' The fourth track, "Hope Not," is a soft, acoustic pop-rock balladry about a break-up moving from yearning to acceptance. The closing track is a remix of "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" described as a quivering, whomping club-ready remix.

Visual Spectacle and Digital Milestones

The music video for "Kill This Love" was directed by Seo Hyun-seung and uploaded onto Blackpink's YouTube channel simultaneously with the single's release on April 4, 2019. Upon release, it broke the record for the most views within 24 hours, accumulating 56.7 million views. It became the fastest video to reach 100 million views on YouTube, doing so in approximately 2 days and 14 hours, beating the record set by Psy with 'Gentleman' in 2013.

Release Strategy and Japanese Expansion

YG Entertainment founder Yang Hyun-suk announced on February 8, 2019, that Blackpink was scheduled to release an EP in March. The single and EP were announced on March 25. On March 31 and April 1, multiple individual teaser pictures were posted on Blackpink's social media accounts. On July 26, it was announced that the group would release a Japanese version album of the EP through Interscope Records on September 11, 2019, but it missed its initial release date and was released on October 16, 2019. A live version of the Japanese version of "Kill This Love," recorded in the Tokyo Dome on December 4, 2019, was included in the group's third live album Blackpink 2019-2020 World Tour In Your Area – Tokyo Dome, released on May 6, 2020, through Universal Music Japan.