How BLACKPINK Not-So-Secretly Referenced ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’ in ‘Pretty Savage’
BLACKPINK is the K-pop group behind “Pretty Savage,” complete with killer choreography and a not-so-secret nod to their hit song “Ddu-du Ddu-du.” This lyric was an intentional reference, with Jennie even mentioning her appreciation for the “confident and cool” BLACKPINK song.
BLACKPINK released ‘Pretty Savage’ on ‘The Album’
BLACKPINK’s in your area. Together, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa make up one of the world’s biggest bands. Since BLACKPINK’s debut, these artists collaborated with Selena Gomez, Cardi B, Lady Gaga, and other chart-topping musicians.
In 2020, BLACKPINK debuted their full-length album, appropriately titled The Album. This included “How You Like That,” “Ice Cream,” and “Love to Hate Me.” “Pretty Savage” off of this release became a favorite of many members, with the group performing it live on The Late Late Show With James Corden.
“If you look at all our b-sides too, there are a lot of different emotions, not just love,” Jennie said during a press conference, according to BLACKPINK Update. “We wanted to show a more mature side of ourselves.”
“There’s a b-side called ‘Pretty Savage,’ and both the lyrics and the song overall sound very confident and cool,” she continued. “Since it’s our first album, we wanted to include a lot of words that would make people think of BLACKPINK.”
BLACKPINK’s ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’ (somewhat) appears in ‘Pretty Savage’
BLACKPINK isn’t afraid to reference past songs in newer music — “Pretty Savage” is no exception. In one verse, Jennie raps, “F boys, not my boys, I cut them off in slices If you get our name wrong, ddu-du-ddu-du hit,” according to an English lyrics translation.
As noted in live performances, on the “Ddu-du Ddu-du” lyrics, the four members recreate their dance moves from the 2018 release, pulling out their imaginary guns and shooting at the audience.
This lyric and its choreography was a reference to one of BLACKPINK’s hit songs of the same title, emphasizing their fame.
‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’ became a record-breaking song for the K-pop group BLACKPINK
Even if it was released several years ago, “Ddu-du Ddu-du” remains a favorite of many BLACKPINK fans, holding over 475 million Spotify plays. The idols released several videos to accompany this song, including a dance practice YouTube clip and the official music video.
On Nov. 11, 2019, “Ddu-du Ddu-du” hit 1 billion views on YouTube, making it the first music video of any K-pop group (or K-pop girl group) to do so. The track was also included in the video game Just Dance, with BLINKs worldwide learning the choreography of the original song.
Recently, some BLACKPINK members branched out to work on other projects. That includes Lisa, who released solo songs “Lalisa” and “Money.” Jisoo appeared in the drama series Snowdrop. Meanwhile, Rosé debuted solo songs “On the Ground” and “Gone.” As an ambassador for Chanel, Jennie appeared at several fashion shows.
