Jisoo
Kim Ji-soo, known mononymously as Jisoo, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to prominence as a member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, which debuted under YG Entertainment in August 2016 and became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
In March 2023, Jisoo released her debut single album Me, which became the best-selling album by a female soloist in South Korea and the first to sell over a million copies. Its lead single "Flower" was a commercial success, peaking at number two on the Billboard Global 200 and the Circle Digital Chart and breaking the record for the highest-charting song by a Korean female soloist on the Canadian Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart at the time. After establishing her own label named Blissoo in 2024 and signing with Warner Records in 2025, she released the EP Amortage and its single "Earthquake", which became her first number one on the US Billboard World Digital Songs chart.
Outside of music, Jisoo made her acting debut with a cameo role in the 2015 series The Producers. She played her first leading role in the JTBC series Snowdrop, for which she won the Seoul International Drama Award for Outstanding Korean Actress. She has since starred in the series Newtopia and the film Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy. With over two million album sales, Jisoo is the best-selling female Korean soloist in Circle Chart history, as well as the most-followed Korean actress on Instagram. Her accolades include two Golden Disc Awards, three MAMA Awards, a Circle Chart Music Award, and two Seoul International Drama Awards. Among her endorsement deals, she is a global ambassador for Dior.
Life and career
1995–2015: Early life and career beginnings
Kim Ji-soo was born on January 3, 1995, in Gunpo, South Korea. She has an older brother and sister. As a child, she played basketball and practiced taekwondo. She dreamt of becoming a painter and writer. She was a fan of the Korean boy group TVXQ. Jisoo attended high school at the School of Performing Arts Seoul; in 11th grade, she joined a drama club at the school and earned more experience in the entertainment industry by attending auditions. Until her professional debut, Jisoo lived with her parents, siblings, and grandparents. In addition to her native Korean, Jisoo has learned to speak Chinese and Japanese.In 2011, Jisoo joined YG Entertainment as a trainee after passing its auditions. In October 2014, she appeared in Epik High's music video for "Spoiler + Happen Ending" as a heartbroken girl. The same year, she starred in Hi Suhyun's music video for "I'm Different" as Bobby's girlfriend. In 2015, Jisoo made a cameo appearance in the KBS2 drama The Producers with labelmates Sandara Park of 2NE1 and Kang Seung-yoon of Winner.
2016–2022: Debut with Blackpink, solo endeavors and acting
Jisoo debuted as one of the four members of girl group Blackpink on August 8, 2016, alongside Jennie, Rosé and Lisa. The group's debut single album Square One featured the singles "Whistle", which topped the charts in South Korea, and "Boombayah." In 2018, Blackpink signed with Interscope Records in a global partnership with YG Entertainment.From 2017 to 2018, Jisoo joined Inkigayo as a host alongside Got7's Jin-young and NCT's Doyoung. She first ventured into acting in 2019 with a short cameo appearance in the tvN fantasy drama Arthdal Chronicles as Song Joong-ki's love interest. In June 2020, Jisoo's style in the teasers for Blackpink's single "How You Like That" went viral on social media. Celebrities and influencers in South Korea, China, Thailand, and Vietnam replicated her "two-bow hairstyle" and makeup, which Jisoo created herself. Her "dot style", a makeup idea she originated, trended on social media platforms such as Instagram to promote the challenge among overseas fans. Jisoo took part as writer on "Lovesick Girls," the third single from Blackpink's first studio album The Album.
In 2021, Jisoo had her first leading role in the JTBC television series Snowdrop, helmed by Sky Castle writer Yoo Hyun-mi and director Jo Hyun-tak. She played a college freshman, Eun Yeong-ro, who is held hostage by her love interest Lim Soo-ho, a North Korean agent portrayed by Jung Hae-in. The show ranked number one on Disney+ in four out of the five countries it was made available in, including South Korea. In September 2022, Jisoo was awarded Outstanding Korean Actress at the Seoul International Drama Awards for her role in Snowdrop.
Jisoo contributed songwriting credits to "Yeah Yeah Yeah," the fourth track from Blackpink's second studio album, Born Pink.
2023–present: ''Me'', film debut and independent label
On January 2, 2023, YG Entertainment announced that Jisoo would debut as a solo artist within the year and was in the process of recording music for her album. 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 have ever invested into a Blackpink music video. Jisoo's single album Me was released on March 31, 2023, containing the lead single "Flower" and B-side track "All Eyes on Me."Me debuted at number one on the Circle Album Chart with 1.03 million copies sold in the first week of release. It broke the record for the best-selling album by a K-pop female soloist and became the first to sell a million copies in history. The lead single "Flower" was a commercial success in South Korea, peaking at number two on the Circle Digital Chart and remaining in the top ten for 12 weeks. Internationally, the song debuted at number two on the Billboard Global 200 and earned the third-largest streaming start for an artist's debut track in the chart's history. It also became the highest-peaking song by a Korean female soloist on the Canadian Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Jisoo promoted "Flower" by performing it on SBS's Inkigayo and went on to achieve nine music show wins on South Korean cable music programs, including Triple Crowns on Inkigayo and Show Champion. She performed the song during Blackpink's headlining concerts at Coachella in April and BST Hyde Park in July.
Jisoo made a special cameo appearance as a Korean traditional fairy in the film Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman, which was released on September 27, 2023. On November 22, Jisoo was invested by King Charles III as an Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire alongside her bandmates during a special investiture at Buckingham Palace which was also attended by South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol. On December 5, YG Entertainment announced that Jisoo along with the other members of Blackpink had renewed their contracts for group activities and that the members' individual contracts were still under discussion. YG Entertainment subsequently confirmed on December 29 that Jisoo and the other Blackpink members agreed not to proceed with a contract with the label for individual activities.
On February 21, 2024, Jisoo established her label Blissoo. On January 28, 2025, it was announced she signed a global label deal with Warner Records for her solo music. She released her first EP Amortage through Blissoo and Warner on February 14. The album sold 385,501 in its first day in South Korea, breaking the record for the highest sales debut of the year by a Korean solo artist. As of April, the EP sold 462,057 copies on the Circle Album Chart. Combined with 1.5 million sales of Me, Jisoo became the top-selling female K-pop soloist on the Circle Chart, with cumulative solo album sales exceeding 2 million. Amortages lead single "Earthquake" was released alongside the EP and became her first number-one song on the US Billboard World Digital Songs chart.
Jisoo's next acting project was the lead role alongside Park Jeong-min in the zombie comedy series Newtopia. An adaptation of the novel Influenza by Han Sang-Hoon, the series was written by Han Jin-won, the writer of Parasite, and Ji Ho-jin and directed by Yoon Seong-hyun. The series aired from February to March 2025 at Coupang Play. Jisoo made her big screen debut in the action fantasy film Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy, the film adaptation of the webtoon Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, of which she is said to be a fan. The film was released on July 23, 2025 and marked her first leading movie role as Lee Ji-hye alongside actor Lee Min-ho.
On October 10, 2025, Jisoo released the single "Eyes Closed", a duet with English singer Zayn. The song debuted at number 72 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned Jisoo her first entry on the chart as a solo artist. It also debuted at number 37 on UK Singles Chart and surpassed "Flower" as Jisoo's highest-charting entry on the chart. Globally, the song debuted at number ten on the Billboard Global Excl. US, becoming Jisoo's second top-ten hit after "Flower" and Zayn's first.
Impact
Jisoo was ranked as the 10th most popular K-pop idol in 2018 and 17th in 2019 in annual surveys conducted by Gallup Korea. In 2019, she was ranked as the sixth most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers doing mandatory military service in South Korea. During the same year, Jisoo was the only one of two Korean singers added on the BoF 500 list, a "definitive professional index" of people shaping the $2.4 trillion fashion industry. In December 2022, Time recognized Jisoo as the most-followed Korean actress on Instagram, with over 66 million followers at the time. She is also the fourth most-followed K-pop idol behind bandmates Lisa, Jennie and Rosé, achieving 79.5 million followers on the platform as of October 2024.Jisoo was included in the ranking for the top ten celebrities and influencers leading the world of cosmetics for the first five months of 2020. Women's Wear Daily, a fashion industry trade journal, revealed that Jisoo led the ranking in average engagement per post, followed by Rihanna and Kylie Jenner. She placed 7th in the overall ranking despite having the fewest posts at just 12 in total. Jisoo was the only East Asian on the list.
Jisoo ranked first in the girl group's personal brand reputation list created by Korea Enterprise Research Institute, which analyzed data from brands and online consumers habits to measure those with significant impact on brand consumption and interest. Director of the Korean Language Research Institute Seong-sun Lim noted the Korean wave in the global community was rapidly destroying the conventional Western cultural dominance, naming Jisoo and Jungkook as standards for world beauty over actors Olivia Hussey and James Dean.
In 2020, Dior's increase in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea was also attributed to a marketing campaign with Korean pop singers, including Jisoo. She appeared in promotions for Dior's new Bobby bag alongside other prominent influencers such as Chiara Ferragni and Kat Graham. At the brand's Spring/Summer 2021 collection showcase, Jisoo garnered attention as a Korean representative. Her attendance at the showcase earned Dior its highest rated post, with average 33% MIV, since its Fall 2020 show. In March 2021, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri revealed that Dior's Autumn/Winter 2021 collection was inspired by Jisoo. It was also revealed that one of ten shades of Dior Addict Lip Glow lip balm, #025 Seoul Scarlet, was inspired by Korean women such as Jisoo.
Her attendance at the Dior Spring/Summer 2022 collection show generated buzz both inside and outside of the Jardin des Tuileries venue. Jisoo became the public figure that generated the most media impact value throughout Paris Fashion Week, with four photos on her personal Instagram valued at $1.84 million. Furthermore, she was the top celebrity for Dior's MIV, making up $15.7 million of the total $39.1 million generated with just two posts. In March, she generated the highest media impact value for a social media post during Dior's Autumn/Winter 2022 fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, with one photo valued at $1.74 million. For the Fall/Winter 2024 season, Jisoo's three Instagram posts on Miss Dior-themed show generated approximately $11.8 million worth of Earned Media Value for Dior, representing 26% of the brand's total EMV. Vogue Korea reported that, as a global ambassador for Cartier, Jisoo contributed 45% of the brand's total EMV in 2022 through 12 Instagram posts and 24 Instagram Stories. In 2024, Lefty named Jisoo the top fashion influencer in luxury, announcing that she had generated an average engagement rate of 5% and a total of $227 million in EMV. At the Spring/Summer 2025 New York Fashion Week, Jisoo's collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger generated $8 million in EMV, accounting for 6% of the event's total media impact.
In March 2021, the KartRider Rush+ app's ranking increased to 11th place after the announcement of design cooperation with Jisoo. The collaboration she participated in also received a positive response from users.