On August 28, 2020, Selena Gomez and Blackpink, nicknamed “Selpink,” released a long-awaited music collaboration. Fans globally were very excited for the song titled “Ice Cream” to make its debut. This song was heavily promoted, with their own ice cream even being released. Though I am a fan of both Selena Gomez and Blackpink, I was disappointed in the outcome of this single. 

     To begin with, the song itself is no real accomplishment. It lacks both lyrics and variety because it was mostly the chorus on repeat. The chorus, which was about three words, eventually got stuck in my head, but that was not a good thing! Also, the few lyrics sung were in English, which is different from Blackpink’s normal Korean songs. To me, this just felt off because a true collaboration would include a more equal split between the two languages. Aside from those few,fatal mistakes, the singing exceeded my expectations. This is no surprise, though, because all of the girls are extremely talented. I especially liked Lisa’s portions because she was true to her normal rapping style. I just wish the song was authentic to both Selena and Blackpink and less of a song written with the intent of gaining popularity.

     On the other hand, the video amazed me, as all Blackpink videos do. I appreciate the time, effort, and commitment that all of the girls and their crews put into the making of the music video. Because of the Coronavirus, Selena and Blackpink weren’t able to film together, but the music video was still very cohesive. Their sets made it seem like they were in the same studio when it was recorded, which is quite impressive. I enjoyed how bright and colorful the video was because that is exactly what 2020 needs right now. They had many outfit changes that were fun and fit the theme of the song as well. Also in Blackpink videos are intricate dances, which this video needed but didn’t have. I was hoping there would be choreography that blew my mind, so I was saddened by the time I reached the end of the video not having seen any. Compared to past K-pop and American collaborations, I did like how Selena had more of a part in the song and the video. 

     Overall, I seemed to have more cons than pros about SelPink’s song “Ice Cream.” The singing was great, but the song was dull and didn’t seem like a true mixture of both Selena’s and Blackpink’s styles. Maybe this song will lead to more American and Korean artists working together in the future, leading to an open door of endless music industry opportunities.

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