| The Album | ||||
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&sq=&lang=&file=File:BLACKPINK-_The_Album.png) Standard edition cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 2, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | January – August 2020 | |||
| Studio | The Black Label (Seoul) | |||
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| Length | 24:28 | |||
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| Blackpink chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Album | ||||
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The Album is the debut studio album by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It was released on October 2, 2020, through YG Entertainment and Interscope Records. It is the group's first full-length work since their debut in 2016. For the album, Blackpink recorded over ten new songs and worked with a variety of producers, including Teddy, Tommy Brown, R. Tee, Steven Franks, and 24. Eight songs made the final tracklist, including two collaborations: "Ice Cream" with Selena Gomez, and "Bet You Wanna", featuring Cardi B. The album explores the themes of love and the complexities of growing up. Musically, The Album utilizes pop, R&B, hip hop, EDM, and trap elements.
The Album was supported by three singles in total, two of which were pre-released and became top-forty hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. Lead single "How You Like That" landed at number thirty-three; "Ice Cream" peaked at number thirteen to become Blackpink's highest-charting song in the United States; "Lovesick Girls" reached number fifty-nine on the chart. All three singles also became top-ten hits in South Korea, with "How You Like That" peaking at number one for three weeks, "Ice Cream" at number eight, and "Lovesick Girls" at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart. To promote the album, Blackpink appeared on several music programs in South Korea and talk shows in the United States, in addition to headlining a virtual pay-per-view concert, titled "The Show" on January 31, 2021. The Album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who commended Blackpink's vocal ability and stylistic variety; however, a few critics found the album short and its production outdated.
The Album debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and sold 1,092,550 copies in its first month, becoming the best-selling album by a female act in South Korea at the time and the first in the chart's history to surpass one million sales. It also debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 110,000 units moved and became the highest-charting female Korean album and the highest-charting album by an all-female group since Danity Kane's Welcome to the Dollhouse (2008). Elsewhere, it reached number one in South Korea, New Zealand, and Mexico and opened in the top ten in 16 countries. The Album has since been certified million by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) and gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the album was the fifth best-selling album worldwide in pure sales in 2020.