The first seconds of " Blackpink 'Light Up the Sky'" set the tone: images of concerts mingle with those of American and Asian shows. All the clichés of K-pop are brought together: girls with colored hair, girly and hyper sexualized, overworked stage performances, glitter, hysterical fans and ultra rhythmic music. These are the Blinks.
A real condensed well reductive of K-Pop seen by Westerners. And yet, the director Caroline Suh, proves with this documentary that it is time to make a cultural and musical reset.
Blackpink 'Light Up the Sky' plunges us into the lives of the 4 mega stars of Korean pop: Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa.
Let us introduce them to you:
Jennie. Raised by her mother in Korea as a baby, she grew up alone (staying with locals) in New Zealand until she was 15. She is the great shy, always sick, of the group. And of course, she wanted to become a singer.
Lisa, the rapper and principal dancer of Blackpink, has been in love with vintage, fashion and breakdancing since a young age. She describes herself as "mommy's girl." Of Thai origin, she left her country, heading for Seoul at the age of 14.
Jisoo, confides during a make-up session. Her parents considered her an outcast and a monster: she was ugly in their eyes. She passed the auditions in 2011.
And finally Rosé, Australian, is the artist and creative of the group. She began training at the age of 16 and quickly became close to Jennie, as she was also an expatriate.
K-Pop is not an industry, it's perfectionism.
The mask falls and the girls open up and confide, especially on YG Entertainment. This Korean label, which looks mostly like a factory of boys and girl bands, trains for several years the future stars of K-Pop.
"What makes K-Pop is the time you spend being trained. JENNIE
Apprentice singers and dancers live far from their families (for about 5 years) and this from adolescence. They train about 14 hours a day, with 1 day of rest every 13 days… This sacrifice, especially family, has clearly marked the personality of the girls.
"I rarely went home, we had to train on weekends. My parents were upset and worried. » JISOO
We discover the adolescence of these young women, much less fun and incredible than we imagine. Far from the fantasies and dreams that we have. Jennie and Rosé are sensitive to this subject… The first tears begin to flow.
"A lot of people have memories of their high school. I've never had that. JENNIE
The second part of " Blackpink 'Light Up the Sky'" is much less sentimental and shares the daily life of Blinks. Here we are on our way for 9 months on an international tour. Direction: Jakarta, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Paris, London, Seoul and much more. And of course, proof of their global dominance: The United States. The American tour opens with the holy grail: Coachella, just that! Scene after scene, city after city, plane after plane, we are with them. Enough to make you dizzy, isn't it? 
"BLACKPINK IN THE AREA"
Western media tends to mock and not take Korean groups seriously. But their talents, their efforts and their art in general are ultimately not so naïve and easy. And Netflix was right to trust director Caroline Suh to tell the story of the Blackpinks. Beyond the very strong stereotypes about K-pop, it is especially the personality of these 4 women, not so smooth and clean as that, which is put forward.
The Blackpinks' latest album was released on October 2, 2020, and rumors are circulating that a 2021 tour is planned… It's worth seeing.
