Play in this article ↓BLACKPINK KILL THIS LOVE: A Midnight Release, Coachella and the First World Tour
- Category: Album & Song Guide
- Artist: BLACKPINK
KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked October 25, 2026
Most K-pop releases came out at 6 p.m. Korea time in 2019. KILL THIS LOVE came out at midnight. According to the announcement on YG’s official blog, the timing was set so the second mini album could launch around the world at once, at the request of Universal Music Group. A week later, BLACKPINK were on stage at Coachella.
Ten months after SQUARE UP
YG released KILL THIS LOVE, BLACKPINK’s second mini album, on April 5, 2019. YG’s official introduction says that with “charismatic raps and vocals” and an “earnest and emotional variety of music,” BLACKPINK reached “a higher level of quality.” YG: KILL THIS LOVE
The members talked about the wait in their teaser announcements. JISOO said she was nervous coming back after nine months, and excited to perform an intense song and stage with fans. YG LIFE: JISOO teaser ROSÉ said she focused most on fitting each song’s concept, because every song had such a clear one. YG LIFE: ROSÉ teaser
The countdown
| Date | What YG posted |
|---|---|
| April 1, 2019 | Track list poster and the release time: midnight, April 5 |
| April 1–2, 2019 | Member teasers: LISA, JENNIE, JISOO, then ROSÉ |
| April 3, 2019 | The Kill This Love M/V teaser |
| April 5, 2019, midnight KST | The album and the Kill This Love video |
| April 23, 2019 | The physical album |
Sources: YG LIFE: track list, YG LIFE: JISOO teaser, YG LIFE: ROSÉ teaser, YG LIFE: physical album
YG LIFE’s reports add that the night before release, at 11 p.m., BLACKPINK held a countdown live on V LIVE. YG LIFE: MV teaser
Kill This Love: the title track
TEDDY and Bekuh BOOM wrote the lyrics, and TEDDY, R.Tee, 24 and Bekuh BOOM composed it, according to the credits YG announced. The track-list announcement describes the song as built on a lead brass line and big drums, with the members’ rap and vocals cutting through. YG LIFE: track list The day after release, the channel added a
from the video shoot.
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗The dance: four choreographers
YG posted the dance video on April 9. The choreography was put together by four choreographers working together, as YG LIFE reported. YG LIFE: dance video
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗Our take: Watch the moving version after the music video. Without the sets and effects, it’s easier to follow how the four of them share the stage.
Five tracks
| # | Song | Notes, per YG’s announcement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kill This Love (title) | Lead brass and big drums |
| 2 | Don’t Know What To Do (sub-title) | Calm, dreamy chorus that builds to an explosive drop; wistful lyrics |
| 3 | Kick It | — |
| 4 | Hope Not | — |
| 5 | DDU-DU DDU-DU (Remix) | A remix of the SQUARE UP title track |
Track order: YG official discography · Notes: YG LIFE: track list
The track list named Don’t Know What To Do as the sub-title track, so it got its own spotlight. The BLACKPINK channel posted a moving-version dance video for it a week and a half after release.
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗The physical album came out in two versions, Pink and Black, with different photo-book images. YG LIFE lists a photo book, an accordion lyric sheet, posters, Polaroid photo cards and stickers inside. YG LIFE: physical album
Coachella and the first world tour
KILL THIS LOVE came with BLACKPINK’s first North American tour. Before it, they played Coachella on April 12 and 19, 2019, the first K-pop idol group to do so, as YG LIFE reported. YG LIFE: 24-hour record
Their tour then moved through North America, starting in Los Angeles on April 17 and covering six cities and eight shows, and on to Europe. The first European leg opened in Amsterdam on May 18 and ended in Barcelona on May 28, with stops in Manchester, London, Berlin and Paris. YG LIFE: Europe tour YG’s concert history lists this as the BLACKPINK [IN YOUR AREA] WORLD TOUR (2018–2020). YG: concerts
How it did
- YouTube: According to YouTube, the Kill This Love video drew 56.7 million views in its first 24 hours, the most of any video in that window at the time, as reported on YG LIFE. YG LIFE: 24-hour record
- iTunes: No. 1 on iTunes song charts in 37 regions, including the U.S.
- Billboard: the album reached No. 24 on the Billboard 200, and the song No. 41 on the Hot 100, in its first week. YG LIFE: Billboard
- Long run: by August 2025, YG counted 2.1 billion views for the Kill This Love video. YG: Pink Venom 1 billion Six years later, it opened the 2025 DEADLINE show at Wembley. YG: Wembley
Official videos from this era
| Date (KST) | Video |
|---|---|
| April 3, 2019 | Kill This Love M/V teaser |
| April 4, 2019 (11:58 p.m.) | Kill This Love M/V |
| April 6, 2019 | Kill This Love M/V making film |
| April 9, 2019 | Kill This Love dance practice (moving ver.) |
| April 16, 2019 | Don’t Know What To Do dance practice (moving ver.) |
All are on the official BLACKPINK YouTube channel. Dates are upload dates in Korea time.
The release at a glance
| Format | 2nd mini album, five tracks |
| Released | April 5, 2019, midnight KST (worldwide) |
| Title track | Kill This Love |
| Sub-title track | Don’t Know What To Do |
| Physical album | April 23, 2019 (Pink and Black versions) |
| Tour | BLACKPINK [IN YOUR AREA] WORLD TOUR |
How to listen for the first time
- Watch Kill This Love. Listen for the brass that opens it.
- Then Don’t Know What To Do. It was chosen as the sub-title track, so give it a real listen.
- Play the DDU-DU DDU-DU remix last. It links this album to the one before it.
Where to go next
- Before this: SQUARE UP, with DDU-DU DDU-DU.
- After this: THE ALBUM, the first full-length album, in 2020.
- New to BLACKPINK? Our beginner guide introduces the four members.
Sources
- YG Entertainment discography: KILL THIS LOVE
- YG Entertainment: concert history
- YG LIFE (YG’s official blog), 2019: track list (Apr 1), JISOO teaser (Apr 2), ROSÉ teaser (Apr 2), MV teaser (Apr 3), 24-hour record (Apr 8), dance video (Apr 9), physical album (Apr 23), Billboard (Apr 24), Europe tour (May 30)
- YG Entertainment news: Pink Venom 1 billion (Aug 4, 2025), Wembley (Aug 20, 2025)
- BLACKPINK official videos: see “Official videos from this era”