Flower (Jisoo song)

"Flower" is the debut solo single by South Korean singer and Blackpink member Jisoo. It was released on March 31, 2023, through YG and Interscope as the lead single from her debut single album, Me (2023). The song was written by Vince, Teddy, Kush, and VVN, while composed by the latter two alongside 24, who handled the production. Described as a mid-tempo dance, pop, and trap song that incorporates traditional Korean melodies and Caribbean elements, its lyrics are about overcoming a toxic relationship. The song marked Jisoo's only single release as a soloist under YG and Interscope, before her departure from the labels in December 2023.

"Flower" received favorable reviews from music critics, who complemented the poetic lyrics and fresh production, as well as Jisoo's vocals. The song was commercially successful and peaked at number two on the Billboard Global 200, becoming Jisoo's first top-ten hit on the chart. In South Korea, the song topped Billboard's South Korea Songs chart and peaked at number two on the Circle Digital Chart. It topped the charts in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and reached the top 10 in Hungary, Indonesia, MENA, and the Philippines. The track also entered the top 40 of the Canadian Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, making it the highest-charting song by a female K-pop soloist on both charts.

An accompanying music video was directed by Han Sa-min and uploaded onto YouTube simultaneously with the single's release. The video portrays Jisoo's journey through cinematic chapters, starting with her reflection on a breakup and culminating in her embracing her vulnerability and empowerment. To promote the song, the singer appeared and performed at the South Korean music program Inkigayo as well as Coachella in Indio, California. "Flower" won numerous accolades, including Best Music Video and Best Dance Performance at the 2023 MAMA Awards, and Best Digital Song at the 38th Golden Disc Awards.

Background and composition
Following the release of bandmates Jennie's solo single "Solo" (2018), Rosé's solo single album R (2021), and Lisa's solo single album Lalisa (2021), attention turned towards Jisoo as the final member of Blackpink to debut as a soloist. On January 2, 2023, YG Entertainment confirmed that Jisoo was in the process of recording music for her single album and had completed filming the album's jacket photo shoots. On February 21, her label revealed that filming for her music video was underway in a top-secret location overseas, with the highest production budget they had ever invested into a Blackpink music video. On March 5, YG Entertainment, dropped a poster confirming that Jisoo's solo would be released on March 31, 2023. On March 19, the album's lead single was confirmed to be "Flower" with a teaser poster including the title written in hangul in the shape of a flower. On March 28, the music video teaser for "Flower" was released. "Flower" was released alongside its B side "All Eyes on Me" for streaming as the lead single from Me on March 31, 2023, by YG Entertainment.

"Flower" was written by Vince, Teddy, Kush, and VVN, with composition from the latter two alongside 24, who also handled the production. Musically, it is a mid-tempo pop, dance, and trap song that incorporates traditional Korean melodies, indie, and Caribbean elements. It is characterized by a "distinctive" bass sound, minimal arrangement, poetic lyrics, and "Jisoo's unique vocals". The lyrics talk about overcoming a toxic relationship, "leaving behind nothing but the whiff of flora". The word "Flower" was used as a metaphor to describe the singer's heartbreak, with the line, "Nothing is left but the scent of flower." Eventually the "flowers come to their own and bloom" as the protagonists leave the toxic relationship and come to her own self, with the line, "Spring comes and we say bye bye bye." In terms of musical notation, the song was written in the key of A minor and has a tempo of 124 beats per minute.

Critical reception
Rhian Daly, writing for NME, praised the poetic lyricism as well as the fresh production of "Flower", naming it one of the best K-pop songs of the year. Daly noted that the song successfully managed "to mix elegance with inventiveness and elements of modern production with more traditional sounding sonics". For Rolling Stone, Tim Chan commended the song's "finger-snapping production" as well as Jisoo's confident vocal delivery, which he felt managed to make the lyrics feel very personal as well as keep the listener's attention. Samantha H. Chung for The Harvard Crimson labeled "Flower" a "classy, laid-back debut", with appreciation for the verses's "sophisticated, mature groove that creates an almost indie sound" and the song's "compelling hook". Chung found that the song was well-fitting for Jisoo and praised her "understated charisma" for carrying the track, although she criticized its "meandering cadence". Rolling Stone ranked "Flower" number 67 in their list of The 100 Best Songs of 2023, calling it a "sophisticated track with a staccato, Latin-tinged melody and Caribbean-inspired percussion" that "feels instantly familiar yet unlike anything else on the radio". Grammy included it in their list of the 15 K-Pop Songs That Took 2023 By Storm, calling it "elegant and delicate", highlighting the song's overall production, and Jisoo's solo potential.

Accolades
"Flower" won 9 first place trophies on music programs in South Korea, including two Triple Crowns at Inkigayo and Show Champion. It also won Song of the Year at the Asian Pop Music Awards and received three nominations for the same category at the MAMA Awards, Melon Music Awards, and Golden Disc Awards respectively.

Commercial performance
"Flower" debuted at number two on the Billboard Global 200 with 108.7 million streams and 21,000 downloads sold worldwide, marking Jisoo's first solo entry and top-ten song on the chart. It earned the third-biggest streaming start for an artist’s debut track, behind bandmate Lisa's "Lalisa" (2021) and Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" (2021). The song also debuted at number two on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. with 103.3 million streams and 16,000 downloads sold outside the U.S., marking Jisoo's first top-ten song on the latter chart as well. "Flower" surpassed 100 million streams on music streaming platform Spotify in just 32 days after its release, breaking the record held by Lisa for the fastest song by a female K-pop soloist to do so. In April 2024, it hit 400 million streams within 354 days of its release, setting a record as the most streamed song among Korean female solo singers on the platform. The song surpassed 1 million listeners on Shazam in March 2024, making it the most popular song by a Korean solo female singer in the past decade on the platform.

In South Korea, "Flower" debuted at number 33 on the 13th issued week (March 26–April 1, 2023) of the Circle Digital Chart, with less than two days of tracking. The following week, it rose to a peak at number two for the period dated April 2–8. On the Billboard South Korea Songs chart, it debuted at number one for the period dated April 15–21. The song also broke records on the South Korean music platform Genie, becoming the most streamed female solo debut song with 28.34 million streams by March 2024. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 38 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the first top-40 hit by a K-pop female soloist and breaking the record held by Rosé's "On the Ground" (2021) as the highest-charting song by a K-pop female soloist in history. The song debuted at number 40 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and number 33 on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart, making Jisoo the third Blackpink member to enter the top-50 on the latter. In the United States, "Flower" did not debut on the Billboard Hot 100, but entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at number four. It peaked at number ten on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart and number two on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart with 6,000 downloads sold. In Canada, "Flower" debuted at number 30 on the Canadian Hot 100 and surpassed "On the Ground" as the highest-charting song by a K-pop solo female artist in the country.

Background
A music video for the song was directed by Han Sa-min, and uploaded to YouTube in conjunction with the release of the single album. The video was preceded by a short music video teaser released two days earlier on March 28. Upon release, the music video garnered over 44 million views, topping the worldwide trending list on YouTube, and became the most viewed video in 24 hours by a K-pop act in 2023. It went on to surpass 100 million views in less than 8 days. On April 5, a dance practice video for "Flower" was released. In it, Jisoo, dressed in a white gown with flowers on her palm, is accompanied by a series of backup dancers wearing all black.



Synopsis
The video was filmed entirely in the United States, it features luxurious locations such as the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, and Universal Studios. it captures Jisoo's alter ego through different chapters in a cinematic style that is reminiscent of a movie. It begins with the singer wandering around her hotel room, surrounded by vases of pink flowers. After something gets her attention, the video cuts to "Chapter 1: Next Day", the morning after her breakup. She walks around the hotel wearing elaborate gowns while occupied in her thoughts, reflecting on her relationship, describing it as a "spark he simply couldn't handle". After that, Jisoo goes on her way to embracing her vulnerability as she "blooms" into a red flower and lets go completely of her past self. Following are "Chapter 2: Same Time" and "Chapter 3: Same Place", which showcase a new-found side of the protagonist that she's unlocked, where she symbolizes the ending by "donning" a funeral black lace gown and ripping the rosette choker from her neck to signify she's in full control.

Reception
Vogue Singapore highlighted how the video pays homage to 1940s pin waves that bring the glamour of old-school Hollywood. They also complimented Jisoo's "striking beauty looks", which included a floral-inspired updo, minimalist eyeliner, smokey eyes with face jewels, and pastel makeup with faux freckles. L'Officiel Malaysia remarked on Jisoo's fashion in the video and her showcasing of designer outfits from brands such as Dior, Versace, and the Korean designer Lee Y. GMA Network similarly noted how each of Jisoo's nine designer outfits showcase her evolving style and underscores her status as a fashion icon. Glitter Magazine drew attention to the symbolism in the video, including the use of floral imagery and outfit changes to depict themes of heartbreak and independence, showcasing Jisoo's growth and maturity. They also emphasized how this allows her to break free from her K-pop group image, highlighting her individuality and poise. The music video received a nomination for Best Music Video at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and won Best Music Video at the 2023 MAMA Awards.

Live performances
On April 8, 2023, Jisoo performed "Flower" for the first time live during Blackpink's concert at the Tokyo Dome as part of the Born Pink World Tour. She performed the single on SBS's Inkigayo on April 9, where she showcased a "strong presence with red and black accents", notably featuring a red flower hanging from her hand. Jisoo performed the song again on the same show on April 16, 2023. "Flower" was also performed by Jisoo during Blackpink's set as the headlining act of Coachella in Indio, California on April 15, 2023. On July 2, she performed the song during Blackpink's set as the headlining act of BST Hyde Park in London.

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ME.

Recording Personnel
 * Recording Studio – The BlackLabel (Seoul)
 * Mixing Studio – Gudwin Music Group INC, and The Lab Studio (LA)
 * Mastering Studio – Sterling Sound (NYC)
 * YG –executive producer
 * Jisoo  –  vocals, creative director
 * Vince  –  lyricist
 * Kush  –  lyricist, composer
 * VVN  –  lyricist, composer
 * Teddy Park  –  lyricist
 * 24  –  composer, arranger, record producer, keyboard
 * Lyn  –  background vocals
 * Youngju Bang –recording, production engineer
 * Josh Gudwin – mixing
 * Jason Roberts –mixing
 * Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer
 * Zach Szydlo  –  immersive mix engineering