BLACKPINK's 'Whistle' tops 100 mln YouTube views

SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) -- The "Whistle" music video by BLACKPINK, one of K-pop's biggest breakout stars from last year, surpassed 100 million views on YouTube on Saturday, the group's agency said.

The video hit 100,143,704 views as of 7 p.m., eight months after it was uploaded on the global video sharing service last August, YG Entertainment said.

It became the third music video by the act to hit the milestone after "Boombayah" and "Playing with Fire."

BLACKPINK made its debut with "Square One" on Aug. 8, 2016, and became a notable rookie group with its two lead singles: "Whistle" and "Boombayah."

"This marks the first time that a rookie group with less than a year of experience has three music videos that have garnered more than 100 million views," the agency said.

"Whistle" swept the daily charts of multiple local mainstream music downloading and streaming services right after its release and topped various music charts for almost a month.

The four-member team, which includes Thai national Lisa, snatched up rookie honors at last year's Melon Music Awards, beating out strong competitors, such as I.O.I and the Korea-China team Cosmic Girls.

sshim@yna.co.kr
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