STACK #257 March 2026

MUSIC FEATURE

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RED HOT A fter each member enjoyed solo success, some Blackpink fans feared that the group would never get back together. But fear not. Blackpink are back with the K-pop stars Blackpink release their third mini-album, Deadline .

Solo Blackpink

Rosé – Born in New Zealand, Rosé grew up in Melbourne, before moving to South Korea. Her solo collab with Bruno Mars, APT ., topped the Australian charts and her album Rosie hit number two. Jisoo – Jisoo’s four-track solo debut, 2023’s Me , sold one million copies in South Korea, becoming the biggest-selling release ever by a South Korean woman. Lisa – Lisa released her debut solo album, Alter Ego , last year. It hit the Top 10 in Australia and the US. Jennie – Jennie’s first solo single, Solo , became the first video by a South Korean female artist to be viewed one billion times on YouTube.

Deadline proved to be an ironic title, as it was initially tipped to be released in May last year, before being bumped back to December. Deadline is also the name of Blackpink’s latest world tour. The mini-album’s first single, Jump , is a celebration of the sisterhood, documenting the joy of a girls’ night out. “I’m with all of my sisters,” Lisa and Jennie sing. “Got ’em going insane, yeah. You know we’re on a mission – all gas, no brakes, yeah.” Jeff Jenkins Deadline is out now via Rocket

mini-album Deadline . Featuring five tracks, it’s the quartet’s first new music since their second album, Born Pink , in 2022. On her podcast Call Her Daddy , Rosé said she was relishing her return to the group after her solo success. “It’s an album that we’ve all kind of obviously come back from after that year of exploring and all being our individual selves,” she said. “I think it was really interesting to come back and see what was created after that. I really like all the songs there.

Blackpink

CHART FACT

Blackpink’s two studio albums – 2020’s The Album and 2022’s Born Pink – both hit number two in Australia. Their biggest single, Pink Venom , topped the charts in 2022.

CHARITY BEGINS IN THE STUDIO HELP(2) is the sound of indie coming together when it counts.

HELP(2) is out now via Remote Control Records.

T hirty-one years ago, Britpop’s finest first rallied together to record HELP . All proceeds went to War Child, a UK-based charity that supports and protects children affected by war and conflict worldwide. In 2026, War Child remains poignantly relevant, and a crop of established indie artists and newcomers has answered the call to record HELP(2) . Featuring a whopping 23

tracks, the diverse list of artists camped out in Abbey Road Studios for three days to deliver a compelling suite of new and cover songs for the album. The assembled luminaries include long-time supporters of the charity, Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Anna Calvi, Wet Leg, Fontaines D.C, Foals, Damon Albarn, Depeche Mode, and Olivia Rodrigo. The Arctic Monkeys, who

donated all proceeds from the 20-track album Live at the Albert Hall in 2018 to War Child said, “We are proud to support the invaluable work War Child do and hope the record will make a positive difference to the lives of children affected by war.” Paul Jones

THE CHARITY

THE ORIGINAL

War Child was formed in 1993 by filmmakers David Wilson and Bill Leeson, together with entrepreneur Willemijn Verloop. They were horrified by the violence they had witnessed in the Bosnian War and set up the charity to provide much-needed global support, resources and education for children affected by war.

A veritable who’s who of Britpop, the first HELP album featured a stellar cast from The Stone Roses to Oasis (and friends), Pulp, Radiohead, and Blur. The idea came from John Lennon’s thoughts around the release of Instant Karma that records should mirror newspapers and reflect events as they unfolded. Recorded in a single day, mixed the next day, and released a few days later, the album sales contributed more than £1.25 million to War Child.

40 MARCH 2026

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