Jisoo of Blackpink: from ‘mystery girl’ to global sensation, her story so far
- Years before her official debut with Blackpink, Jisoo was a hot K-pop commodity, having already made TV appearances and landed endorsement deals
- She says that throughout her long and unconventional career she has depended on no one but herself
Although South Korean singer Jisoo officially made her debut on the K-pop scene in 2016 as a member of Blackpink, she has been a star on the rise for almost a decade. From her pre-debut activities to becoming a member of one of the world’s biggest girl groups, this is Jisoo’s unconventional, yet empowering story.
Her early life
Kim Ji-soo was born in the city of Gunpo, south of Seoul in South Korea’s Gyeonggi province, in January 1995. The youngest of three siblings, she played basketball and took taekwondo lessons, and was a huge fan of legendary boy band TVXQ as a child. She attended the famous School of Performing Arts Seoul high school and became a trainee with YG Entertainment in 2011.
Jisoo was slowly, and cryptically, introduced to the general public, with YG initially unveiling her as “Mystery Girl No 2”, before her picture and name was revealed in early 2013.
Interest was so high that Jisoo received an offer to join rival label SM Entertainment when a manager tried to recruit her at a concert.
Her role in Blackpink
The Blackpink members were introduced with a week-long roll-out of photos showing off their various styles ahead of their 2016 summer debut.
