Flower (Jisoo Song)

"Flower" () 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''. Described as a mid-tempo dance, pop and trap song that incorporates traditional Korean melodies and Caribbean elements, with lyrics about overcoming a toxic relationship, it was written by Vince, Teddy, Kush, and VVN and composed by the latter two alongside 24, who handled the production.

"Flower" 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 ten in Hungary, Indonesia, MENA, and the Philippines. The track also became the highest-charting song by a Korean female soloist on 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. "Flower" received favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented its sophisticated production and lyrics as well as Jisoo's vocals. To promote the song, the singer appeared and performed at the South Korean music program ''Inkigayo''. On April 5, 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''.

Background and release

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. 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 have ever invested into a Blackpink music video. On March 5, teasers were uploaded to Blackpink's social media accounts, confirming that her project would be released on March 31, 2023. 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. On March 28, the music video teaser for "Flower" was released. "Flower" was released for digital download and streaming as the lead single from ''Me'' on March 31, 2023, by YG Entertainment.

Lyrics and production

"Flower" was written by Vince, Teddy, Kush, and VVN and composed by the latter two alongside 24, who also handled the production. It is a mid-tempo dance, pop and trap song that incorporates traditional Korean melodies and Caribbean elements. It is characterized by a "distinctive" bass sound, minimal arrangement, poetic lyrics, and "Jisoo's unique vocals." Its lyrics talk about overcoming a toxic relationship, "leaving behind nothing but the whiff of flora." The word "Flower" was used as a metaphor to describe the singer's heartbreak, in line with the lyrics, "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 lyrics “Spring comes and we say bye bye bye." In terms of musical notation, the song was written in the key of A minor and has a tempo of 124 beats per minute.

Critical reception

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." Writing 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. 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", although she criticized its "meandering cadence". Chung found that the song was well-fitting for Jisoo and praised her "understated charisma" for carrying the track.

'' Rolling Stone'' ranked it 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" and "feels instantly familiar yet unlike anything else on the radio." ''Grammy'' included it in their list of the 15 K-Pop Songs That Took 2023 By Storm.

Commercial performance

"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" and Olivia Rodrigo's " Drivers License". 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. Jisoo became only the third K-pop female soloist to score a top-ten entry on the global charts, following her bandmates Rosé and Lisa. "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.

In South Korea, "Flower" debuted at number 33 on the thirteenth issued week (March 26–April 1) of the Circle Digital Chart, with less than two days of tracking. The following week, it rose to a peak at number two for the period dated April 2–8, marking her first top-ten solo entry. 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. The song debuted at number 40 on the NZ 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. In the United States, "Flower" did not debut on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at number four. It peaked at number ten on the ''Billboard'' Digital Song Sales chart and number two on the ''Billboard'' World Digital Song Sales chart with 6,000 downloads sold. With this, Jisoo became one of five K-pop female solo artists to earn a top-ten hit on the Digital Song Sales chart, after her bandmates Rosé and Lisa as well as Youjeen and So-yoon. In Canada, "Flower" debuted at number 30 on the Canadian Hot 100 and surpassed "On the Ground" as the highest-charting song by a K-pop solo female artist in the country.

Music video

Background

An accompanying 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 22-second long music video teaser released two days earlier on March 28. Upon release, the music video topped the worldwide trending list on YouTube and
garnered 40 million views in 24 hours, becoming the most viewed video in 24 hours by a K-pop act in 2023. It went on to surpass 100 million views in less than 8 days. 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.

Synopsis

The video captures Jisoo's journey through different chapters in a cinematic style that is reminiscent of a movie. It begins with the singer wandering around her hotel room, surrounded by different kinds of flowers. After something gets her attention, the video cuts to “Chapter 1: Next Day”, the morning after her breakup. "She roams around the building dressed in elaborate gowns while lost in her thoughts," reflecting on her relationship, describing it as a "spark he simply couldn’t handle." After that, she 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 that end by donning a funeral black lace gown and ripping the rosette choker from her neck to signify she’s in full control."

Live performances

On April 8, Jisoo performed "Flower" for the first time live during Blackpink's concert at the Tokyo Dome as part of the Born Pink World Tour. She performed the single on SBS's ''Inkigayo'' on April 9, and April 16. "Flower" was also performed by Jisoo during Blackpink's set as the headlining act of Coachella in Indio, California on April 15. On July 2, she performed the song during Blackpink's set as the headlining act of BST Hyde Park in London.

Accolades

"Flower" won 9 first place trophies on music programs in South Korea.

Credits and personnel

* Jisoo – vocals, creative director
* Vince – lyricist
* Kush – lyricist, composer
* VVN – lyricist, composer
* Teddy Park – lyricist
* 24 – composer, arranger, record producer, keyboard
* Lyn - background vocals
* Zach Szydlo – immersive mix engineering

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of ''Billboard'' Global 200 top-ten singles in 2023
* List of ''Inkigayo'' Chart winners (2023)
* List of K-pop songs on the ''Billboard'' charts
* List of ''M Countdown'' Chart winners (2023)
* List of ''Music Bank'' Chart winners (2023)
* List of number-one songs of 2023 (Hong Kong)
* List of number-one songs of 2023 (Malaysia)
* List of number-one songs of 2023 (Singapore)
* List of number-one songs of 2023 (Vietnam)
* List of ''Show! Music Core'' Chart winners (2023)
* List of ''Show Champion'' Chart winners (2023)

Notes

References

{{MAMA Award for Best Music Video

2023 songs
2023 debut singles
Interscope Records singles
YG Entertainment singles
Jisoo songs
Dance music songs
Trap music songs
South Korean pop songs
Songs written by Teddy Park
Number-one singles in Singapore
Number-one singles in Malaysia