Play in this article ↓BLACKPINK THE ALBUM: How You Like That, Ice Cream and the First Full-Length Record
- Category: Album & Song Guide
- Artist: BLACKPINK
KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked October 25, 2026
BLACKPINK waited four years to release a full-length album, and YG planned the rollout in three steps. A pre-release single in June. A collaboration in August. The album in October. By the end of that month, YG counted more than 1.2 million copies sold, making THE ALBUM the first K-pop girl group album to pass a million.
A plan announced in advance
In early June 2020, YG laid out the schedule on its official blog: a pre-release title track in June, a special second song around July or August, and the first full-length album after that. On June 10, it posted a teaser poster with a single date: “2020.06.26 6PM.” YG LIFE: comeback teaser
| Date (KST) | Release |
|---|---|
| June 26, 2020, 6 p.m. | How You Like That, the pre-release title track |
| August 28, 2020, 1 p.m. | Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez) |
| October 2, 2020, 1 p.m. | THE ALBUM, with the title track Lovesick Girls |
| October 6, 2020 | The physical album |
The last two releases came out at midnight on the U.S. East Coast, 1 p.m. in Korea, so they would land worldwide at the same time. YG LIFE: Ice Cream announced, YG LIFE: Lovesick Girls teaser
How You Like That: the opening shot
YG’s official description calls How You Like That a hip-hop song that shows BLACKPINK’s personality and charisma. It opens with a mystical, grand orchestral sound, then an explosive drop “turns the mood on its head.” The message: move forward without giving in to any dark situation, and soar higher. YG: How You Like That
The credit poster YG posted on June 22 named TEDDY and Danny Chung as lyricists, TEDDY, R.Tee and 24 as composers, and R.Tee and 24 as arrangers. YG LIFE: credit poster
According to YG, the video passed 100 million views in about 32 hours, the fastest of any music video posted on YouTube up to then. YG LIFE: 100 million Its dance performance video, posted ten days after the song, later reached 1.8 billion views by YG’s count, more than the music video’s 1.3 billion. YG: Pink Venom 1 billion
Official video · YouTube / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗Ice Cream: with Selena Gomez
YG announced the collaboration on August 12, 2020. A YG official said the two acts had long been fans of each other and that “a dream they had shared finally came true,” adding that BLACKPINK were thankful to Selena Gomez and happy to share the song. YG LIFE: Ice Cream announced
YG’s description calls Ice Cream a light, refreshing dance-pop song for a hot summer. Its lyrics compare someone to ice cream: cold on the outside, sweet inside. TEDDY produced it with Tommy Brown, Mr. Franks and 24. YG: Ice Cream
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗Lovesick Girls and the eight-track album
YG revealed the title track on September 28 and the full track list the next day. YG LIFE: track list
| # | Song |
|---|---|
| 1 | How You Like That |
| 2 | Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez) |
| 3 | Pretty Savage |
| 4 | Bet You Wanna (Feat. Cardi B) |
| 5 | Lovesick Girls (title) |
| 6 | Crazy Over You |
| 7 | Love To Hate Me |
| 8 | You Never Know |
Track order: YG official discography
YG’s introduction describes Lovesick Girls as a sophisticated melody over country-style guitar, with a retro mood, built around one question: why do people keep looking for love even though it hurts? It was the first time JISOO and JENNIE took part in writing a BLACKPINK song. The track-list poster credited both as co-lyricists and JENNIE as a co-composer. The fourth track, Bet You Wanna, features the American rapper Cardi B. A week after release, the channel posted a
Official video · YouTube / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗.
Official video · BLACKPINK / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗Our take: Put How You Like That and Lovesick Girls side by side, and you hear the album’s range in two songs. One opens with an orchestra, the other with a country guitar.
How it did
YG released the sales figures itself:
- First day: about 590,000 copies on Hanteo Chart after the physical release on October 6. YG said exports to the U.S. and Europe weren’t fully counted. YG LIFE: first day
- Million-seller: by October 26, 1,209,543 copies: about 871,355 in Korea and 319,300 in the U.S. and Europe. The limited-edition LP, 18,888 copies, had already sold out. That made THE ALBUM the first K-pop girl group album to pass a million. YG LIFE: million-seller
- Charts: the album entered both the Billboard 200 and the UK Official Albums Chart at No. 2, as reported on YG LIFE. YG LIFE: Billboard 200
YG also noted that the four members’ Netflix documentary, BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky, premiered on October 14, two weeks after the album. YG LIFE: Lovesick Girls teaser
Official videos from this era
| Date (KST) | Video |
|---|---|
| June 26, 2020 | How You Like That M/V |
| July 6, 2020 | How You Like That dance performance video |
| August 28, 2020 | Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez) M/V |
| September 30, 2020 | Lovesick Girls M/V teaser |
| October 2, 2020 | Lovesick Girls M/V |
| October 9, 2020 | Lovesick Girls dance practice |
All are on the official BLACKPINK YouTube channel. Dates are upload dates in Korea time.
The release at a glance
| Format | 1st full-length album, eight songs |
| Released | October 2, 2020, 1 p.m. KST (physical: October 6) |
| Pre-releases | How You Like That (June 26), Ice Cream (August 28) |
| Title track | Lovesick Girls |
| Guests | Selena Gomez, Cardi B |
| Sales | 1,209,543 copies by October 26, 2020, per YG |
How to listen for the first time
- Watch the three videos in release order. How You Like That, Ice Cream, then Lovesick Girls.
- Then play the album from track 1. The first two tracks are the pre-releases, so you’ll hear them again in their album setting.
- Find Bet You Wanna. It’s the Cardi B feature, track 4.
Where to go next
- Before this: KILL THIS LOVE, the 2019 mini album.
- After this: BORN PINK, the second full-length album, two years later.
- New to BLACKPINK? Our beginner guide has a card for each member.
Sources
- YG Entertainment discography: How You Like That, Ice Cream, THE ALBUM
- YG LIFE (YG’s official blog), 2020: comeback teaser (Jun 10), credit poster (Jun 22), 100 million (Jun 28), Ice Cream announced (Aug 12), Lovesick Girls teaser (Sep 28), track list (Sep 29), first day (Oct 7), Billboard 200 (Oct 13), million-seller (Oct 26)
- YG Entertainment news: Pink Venom 1 billion (Aug 4, 2025)
- BLACKPINK official videos: see “Official videos from this era”