After dominating the K-Pop world and the music world in general for the second half of the 2010s and much of the first half of the 2020s, BLACKPINK has finally taken a break and decided to focus on their solo careers. Although the group is not broken up and(supposedly) plans on putting new music out in the future, the members of BLACKPINK are now doing their own thing, focusing on solo acting, music, and fashion endeavors. Every member of BLACKPINK has already put out solo music, and each release has had an amazing amount of success. The first member of BLACKPINK to release their own music was JENNIE back in 2018 when she put out ‘Solo.’ This was followed by ROSÉ with ‘R’ and LISA in 2021 with ‘LALISA,’ and also JISOO in 2023 with ‘ME.’ Since BLACKPINK has gone on their little hiatus, only one member of the group has actually released solo music so far, and that is LISA. She took the world by storm earlier this year with the release of her epic single ‘ROCKSTAR’(which won her another VMA, making her once again the only K-Pop female soloist to do so), and she dazzled once again with the release of ‘New Woman,’ which features Rosalía. Both of these songs are among my top tracks of the year, and they prove that LISA is just as great of a solo artist as she is a member of BLACKPINK. LISA recently released her third single of the year, which is titled ‘Moonlit Floor.’ In addition to LISA’s new track, we also have the first song from another member of BLACKPINK since the hiatus. JENNIE has returned to making solo music with her new single ‘MANTRA.’ Funnily enough, these two songs have almost opposite styles and auras, and it is cool to see the juxtaposition between two artists who are technically still part of the same group. Below, I wanted to briefly talk about LISA’s ‘Moonlit Floor’ and JENNIE’s ‘Mantra.’ Please let me know in the comments below what you think of these two tracks, and also comment the names of any other new K-Pop music you think i should check out!

As soon as I heard LISA’s ‘Moonlit Floor,’ I was hooked. This song samples an iconic 1990’s Slacker Rock song which happens to be a favorite of mine. Everything about ‘Moonlit Floor’ is an interpolation of ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None The Richer. From the melody to the literal hook, this song is directly inspired by that iconic hit. The instrumental from ‘Moonlit Floor’ literally just does feel like a sped-up, modern version of ‘Kiss Me.’ The synths that drive this melody are so bright, sweet, and groovy(I actually really like the live version of ‘Moonlit Floor’ as well, as the actual bassline that drives the track in the live version is even more enticing than the synths in the regular version). The synths are put on top of a pretty typical but smooth Synth-Pop beat that is soothing but also makes me want to dance. As fun as the instrumental is, LISA’s vocals are what makes this track so enticing. Her vocal performance throughout this one is great. From the soft and inviting tone, she sings the first verse and hook with to the slightly more bold way in which she raps the second verse, LISA does everything needed to make ‘Moonlit Floor’ very engaging. ‘Moonlit Floor’ is a lovely Synth-Pop banger with a nostalgic feeling that is pretty awesome. Like I said above, JENNIE’s new single, ‘Mantra,’ has a totally different sound energy to the release of her BLACKPINK counterpart. This song does feel like it is inspired by the 1990s, though; albeit, a very different kind of 1990s music. Jennie’s ‘Mantra’ feels like a fusion of Y2K-era R&B and New Jack Swing music and 1990s Hi-Nrg Dance music. There are elements of this beat that make me think of artists like New Edition, and there are other elements that make me think of artists like Real McCoy. I love how triumphant and big the melody is for this track. This melody is driven by synths that sound like huge horns which have a very dark yet grand feeling to them which just makes me want to party. JENNIE’s vocals on this track are just super solid. JENNIE demonstrates everything about what makes me a great vocalist on ‘MANTRA.’ Throughout the track, she shows off her range through the harmonies she sings with, giving the song so much life. Her rapping on this track is excellent as well. She raps with a level of emphasis that fits that high-key feeling of the song so nicely. Everything about this song makes me want to dance. The melody, beat, and vocals are so high-energy, and they are down to get any club jumping when this one comes. Overall, both LISA and JENNIE killed it with these latest releases. I can not wait to see what they both come up with next and until then, I know I will be bumping both of these tracks very frequently.