The wait for new BLACKPINK music finally ended on February 27 when the girls dropped their mini-album Deadline. But instead of pure celebration, the internet is now split in half. Hours after the five-track project landed, eagle-eyed fans ran the numbers. The result? Jisoo, the group’s vocalist and visual, appears for just one minute and 25 seconds across the entire 14-minute and 53-second runtime .
Social media immediately erupted. The hashtags started trending, and the anger was loud and clear. Long-time supporters of the group, known as Blinks, are accusing YG Entertainment of sidelining the star once again. While the other three members—Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa—take center stage throughout Deadline, Jisoo’s parts are brief enough to spark claims of unfair treatment.
The Numbers That Started the Fire
The data that triggered the outrage first appeared in a post on X (formerly Twitter) by a user named Empire. They posted a simple stat: out of almost 15 minutes of music, Jisoo’s voice is present for only 85 seconds .
Fans quickly dug deeper. In the music video for the title track “GO,” the situation looks even worse. A detailed breakdown circulating on social media and picked up by outlets like Sina Entertainment shows Jisoo received approximately 20 seconds of solo screen time in the entire video . For comparison, Lisa got about 15.3 seconds of dedicated rap lines, while Jennie and Rosé dominate both the vocals and the visual narrative .
Some songs on the album feature Jisoo even less. Reports indicate that on the track “Me & My,” she sings for roughly 11 seconds. On “Champion,” her solo singing time drops to under nine seconds . Many of these moments are buried under group choruses or layered vocal tracks, making it hard for listeners to pick out her distinct tone.
“I’m so annoyed that Jisoo barely has any lines on this album; they didn’t showcase her vocals,” one fan commented on BLACKPINK’s official TikTok video .
Another supporter on X wrote, “Seriously they gave Jisoo two lines and barely any screentime? Just waiting for Jisoo’s drama and solo album at this point” .
Defending the ‘Deadline’ Sound
Not everyone agrees the distribution is a problem. Some fans argue that the numbers are misleading because of how the album is structured. Deadline is packed with electronic instrumentals and empty choruses. Tracks like “Jump” and “GO” have long sections with no singing at all, which eats into the total runtime .
One supporter pointed out the flaw in the raw data. “This is very misleading,” the fan wrote. “In ‘Champion,’ she has the same amount of seconds as Rosé, because they all sing the chorus together. Also, ‘Jump’ and ‘Go’ have empty choruses, which make up like 4-5 mins of the album. These alone already make up half the album” .
For these defenders, the issue is not about Jisoo being left out, but about the production style of this specific mini-album. They say the members are harmonizing together more, which makes individual lines harder to track.
The Music Video: A Space Epic Without Enough Faces
The “GO” music video adds fuel to the fire. Directed as a grand sci-fi story, it features a “starship” concept with heavy visual effects. The members pilot ships, break through barriers, and stare down cosmic threats.
However, the storytelling choices seem to have pushed the members to the background. According to analysis, the director prioritized “world-building” over individual close-ups. Lisa got a key role piloting a ship, and Jennie wears a striking “neural helmet,” but Jisoo’s “military wedding dress” look, while praised by fashion fans, appears only in quick cuts .
Supporters feel the group’s creative direction sacrificed their favorite star for the sake of “art.” One fan summarized the frustration: “Jisoo’s 20 seconds were beautiful, but 20 seconds is still just 20 seconds” .
Is YG Playing Favorites?
The backlash has reopened old wounds about how YG Entertainment manages the four superstars. Critics of the agency point to a long history of unequal distribution. Similar fights broke out during the releases of “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down,” where Jisoo often ranked lowest in screen time .
Fans argue that the company uses a “popularity lever” system. Because Lisa has massive global star power (boosted by her role in The White Lotus), and Jennie and Rosé dominate Western charts with their solo work, Jisoo sometimes gets treated as an afterthought in group projects .
A frustrated fan wrote on X, “I’m so disgusted about YG, Blackpink western fans… how much bad always treated her… she is a so talented, kind, sweet, genuine person… she deserves more” .
Others took it further, saying the album felt like a “feat. Jisoo” project rather than a full group effort .
However, some supporters urge patience. They note that Jisoo is the only member who has not yet signed with a major Western label for her solo promotions. Her focus, for now, is on acting. She stars in the upcoming Netflix romantic comedy Boyfriend on Demand alongside Seo In Guk, which premieres on March 6 .
What’s Really Going On With Jisoo?
To understand the situation, you have to look at the bigger picture. Since BLACKPINK renewed their contracts with YG in late 2023, each member has built a separate empire.
Rosé signed with Atlantic Records and dropped Rosie. Lisa created her own management company, LLOUD, and released Alter Ego while acting in HBO’s The White Lotus. Jennie also started her own label, OA, and put out Ruby. Jisoo, meanwhile, founded Blissoo and released her solo EP Amortage in February 2025, but she has leaned more into television and film .
Some analysts believe Jisoo’s reduced presence on Deadline is a simple matter of scheduling and artistic direction. With her Netflix show filming and promoting, her availability for complex group choreography and recording sessions may have been limited. The group also reportedly worked on this album while juggling their massive Deadline world tour, which wrapped in January .
But for fans who just want to hear her voice, these reasons don’t matter. To them, 85 seconds on a comeback album after a three-year wait feels like a letdown.
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The ‘Who Knows’ Comment Adds Mystery
To make things more tense, a recent comment from Jisoo herself has fans worried about the group’s future. After the final show of the Deadline tour in Hong Kong, a behind-the-scenes clip showed her looking around and saying, “Who knows when we’ll be able to use this again?” .
The line spread fast. Some fans saw it as proof that the members are exhausted and ready for another long hiatus. Others argued she was simply emotional about the tour ending. But combined with the limited lines on the new album, it adds to the uneasy feeling among her supporters that she is being pushed away from the group’s music .
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BLACKPINK’s Deadline is out now everywhere, giving fans around the world a chance to hear the new direction for themselves and decide if the distribution of parts truly honors all four members.
