"We stan representation": BLACKPINK receives praise for their display of Korean culture at Coachella 2023

On April 16, 2023, BLACKPINK was among the several artists that performed at Coachella 2023. While their performances in general had the audience in awe, their specific take on the presentation of K-pop and themselves earned respect and a lot of praise from people. Throughout the many songs and stages they put forth that night, the four-member K-pop girl group highlighted many elements of Korean culture.

The background patterns, the dance form they adopted, and also carrying the South Korean flag across the stage, the representation that the group put forth of their nation made many fans overflow with pride.

Fans praise BLACKPINK for their representation of Korean culture at Coachella 2023

Right from their introductory speech in Korean at a Western concert venue, BLACKPINK had fans appreciating them for their rightful representation of their Korean ethnicity. The respect that fans and the audience had for the band kept increasing as they saw more and more traditional Korean elements roll out during the performances.

All the members had their solo stages, performing their solo tracks, and the stage set for Jisoo's Flower performance caught the eye of many fans. The background flashed an image of a Dancheong, referring to the traditional Korean decorative roof. The same roof was also carried over to Jennie's solo stage as she rolled out the performance for her song, You & Me.

As BLACKPINK moved on to perform their recently released b-side track, Typa Girl, fans came across yet another element of Korean culture. While most of the performances proceeded normally with the continued presence of Dancheong in the background, the chorus shocked many. As the four girls stood at the center, their dancers rolled out Korea's traditional fan dance, buchaechum, around the group with their pink, feathery hand fans.

When BLACKPINK's show came to an end, they rolled one last song, Shut Down, before bidding farewell to the huge crowd present to see them. As the four girls walked down the stage, they proudly carried the South Korean flag.

While these were the majorly tangible Korean signification that the group displayed at Coachella 2023, their representation also comes in other ways.

Throughout the entirety of their show, BLACKPINK spoke only in Korean, be it their introduction for themselves or their farewell speech. Additionally, all the songs that the group performed that night were sung in Korean, despite the fact that they've got quite a handful of English songs in their discography.

Fans absolutely loved how BLACKPINK took the opportunity to perform at one of the biggest concerts of the year, Coachella, to rightfully communicate and represent Korean culture. While Twitter and other social media platforms have overflowed with praise and celebrations of the group for their appreciative actions, the venue itself was no different.

Seeing the display of Korean culture at worldwide events and at Western venues left many people from the audience emotional. Some were proud and happy at the sight of these representative elements, while some were left in a puddle of tears.

With BLACKPINK also becoming the first Asian act to ever headline Coachella, fans have quite a plateful of events to rejoice at.

About the author

Aishwarya is a pop culture writer who covers K-drama and K-pop at Sportskeeda. After completing her Bachelor's in English and Communication Skills, she sought a job that allowed her to explore her passion, and being a K-pop and K-drama reporter felt like the ideal fit. Aishwarya has 3 years of experience under her belt and previously took on several internships in the industry that further motivated her in choosing writing as a career.

Aishwarya believes in conducting extensive research and verifying facts with the help of reputable sources to produce accurate articles. She also spends a significant amount of time on Twitter to understand how netizens are reacting to the latest trends in the industry before crafting her content.

She admires SUGA from BTS for his dedication to his work and aspires to immerse herself into the things she loves, just like him. If she could go back in time, she would jump at the opportunity to be part of ""Reply 1988,"" a K-drama set in a time when neighborhood relationships were cherished and interpersonal connections were of utmost importance. Although she loves how technology has advanced, she would also love to experience living in an era before it was invented.

When Aishwarya's not writing and reading about the latest developments in the industry, she spends her time crocheting, sketching, cycling, reading Mangas, and cooking.

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