BLACKPINK Reveal Their Spice Girl Alter Egos, Cover TLC, Sing The Hits For ‘Carpool Karaoke’
BLACKPINK wasted no time bringing the pop straight to your dome on Tuesday night’s (April 18) “Carpool Karaoke” ride on The Late Late Show. In what might be the series’ last commuter sing-along before host James Corden signs off next week, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa and Rosé dove straight into “Pink Venom,” bouncing in their seats after getting assurances that Corden is a decent driver, and, as it turns out, a superfan who impressed Lisa by grabbing a bit of the song’s rap break.
They also described the rigorous band training camp they survived as teens before blowing up, including lessons in popping and Krumping, with Jisoo displaying the “big hands” and “angry face” gestures needed to pull off the latter dance move. In a testament to their sweet natures, though, all four broke into smiles and laughs as they tried to prove their tough Krump face bona fides.
When Corden showed off his Krump moves, ending his arm flourish with a pair of middle fingers, a giggly Rosé said that was “too much!” They quickly slipped into another fan favorite, “DDU DU DDU DU,” with Rosé crooning into an imaginary microphone as they bounced down the road. As trainees, the quartet said the adored TLC for their singing/rapping style, which, naturally, led to a smooth-as-silk cover of the beloved hip-hop-soul trio’s 1999 hit “No Scrubs.”
Corden ticked off a long list of world records the group has lodged, including most-streamed girl group on Spotify, most-subscribed YouTube artist channel globally and first K-pop group to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts. So, of course, James challenged them to set some new Guinness world records, including the fastest time to assemble a Mr. Potato Head, the most hand claps in a minute and the most Jenga blocks removed in a minute.
Spoiler: they failed every one.
The failure didn’t last long as they busted into “How You Like That,” featuring Lisa’s swaggering rap and some backseat choreo from Jenny and Jisoo. The ride ended with the quartet fangirling over another generation’s No. 1 girl group: The Spice Girls, with Lisa saying she was obsessed with the British “Wannabe” singers as a kid and Jenny adding that she loved how they each had their own unique characters.
Corden couldn’t resist asking the women to come up with their own Spicy nicknames, with Rosé quickly dubbed “Aussie Pink,” Lisa named “Boss Pink,” Jenny taking “Shy Pink” and Jisoo rounding out with “Nail Pink.” They ended with a fun run through “Wannabe,” with Rosé throwing up hand hearts and all four going hard on the chorus.
On Saturday (April 15), BLACKPINK became the first Korean act to headline Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, after making history as the first K-pop girl group to perform at the legendary fest in 2019. . “So… let me start off with, four years ago we were invited to perform here for you at Coachella at the Sahara tent and that made a mark in all of our hearts,” Rosé told the crowd last weekend. ”I must say, this is a dream come true … the reason all four of us are here is because of you.”
Corden’s final Late Late Show will air on April 27.
Watch BLACKPINK’s “Carpool” ride below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard