BLACKPINK members have managed to sustain their global popularity despite a dearth of actual music. The long wait between releases adds mystique to their name, ensuring every group or solo track incredible chart success. In Lisa’s case, a song doesn’t even have to be an official single to smash. 2021’s Money trended for many months after its a-side companion LALISA made waves. New single Rockstar arrives after a lengthy solo hiatus as the first music from her self-established LLOUD management company.
Here’s where I preface my thoughts by saying I’m probably not Rockstar‘s target audience. I’m all for a good hype song, but these “look at me, I’m so cool” singles rarely do much for me. It’s an “if you’ve heard one, you’ve heard them all” situation. Unless an artist does something super interesting within the music itself, even the cleverest of boasts feel like bluster.
Lisa segues effortlessly between rap and vocals on Rockstar, powered by a sharp, combative instrumental that melds aggressive percussion with frantic electronic blips that circle like synth mosquitoes. Occasionally, the production swerves into undulating interludes with a resonant texture reminiscent of church organ. I wish these segments were accompanied by an equally dramatic hook. There’s only so much you can wring from “Baby, I’m a rockstar” repeated over and over.
This brings me to my biggest issue with Rockstar. It’s fun hearing Lisa flow over the track, but the hooks are too flat and repetitive to match her charisma. Like so many songs of this era, Rockstar seems to exist mostly so fans can shout things like “ooh, she ate!” or “this went hard af” or “slaaaaayyy.” I can’t deny any of those reactions, but with so much music in the world (and so little of it coming from BLACKPINK), Rockstar needs to go beyond general badassery to offer something more enduring and distinctive. The song is fun, but doesn’t quite get there.
Hooks
7
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
7
RATING
7.5