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"The Happiest Girl" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It is the sixth track on group's second studio album, Born Pink (2022), which was released on September 16, 2022, through YG and Interscope. The track was composed by its writers Teddy Sinclair, Willy Sinclair and Paro, as well as 24. "The Happiest Girl" is a piano ballad that emphasizes the group's vocals, with melancholic lyrics about trying to be happy after a breakup.

"The Happiest Girl" was positively reviewed by critics for Blackpink's vocal delivery and the vulnerable lyrics. The song peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Global 200 and was a top-ten hit in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Background

On July 31, 2022, YG Entertainment officially released the album trailer video on the group's official social media accounts, announcing that the group's new world tour would start in October, following a pre-release single in August and the album itself in September. "The Happiest Girl" was announced as the sixth track of Born Pink on September 7, 2022, through the group's official social media accounts. The song was released alongside the album on September 16, 2022 by YG and Interscope.

Lyrics and production

"The Happiest Girl" was written by pop-star couple Teddy Sinclair and Willy Sinclair as well as Paro, and composed by them alongside 24. It is a downtempo piano ballad which places emphasis on Blackpink's vocals over grand piano instrumentals. The song is performed in the key of C major with a tempo of 91 beats per minute in common time.

Lyrically, "The Happiest Girl" sees Blackpink sing openly about their desire to be happy after losing a special person. The group sings about trying to find solace from heartbreak through drinking and swallowing the pain away, with the song's hook repeating, “I can stop the tears if I want to.” The song offers a glimpse into their devotion to love and the pain it can bring in vulnerable lines such as "My heart only wants you."

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics for the vulnerable lyrics and Blackpink's vocal delivery. Jeff Benjamin from Billboard ranked "The Happiest Girl" as the second best song on the album for allowing the group to demonstrate their "full-fledged vocal performance." In particular, he lauded Jisoo's "gorgeous head voice" for shining with a "new vulnerability" as well as Lisa, who usually raps, for showing off her "mature, steady delivery" on the track. Park Jun-hee of The Korea Herald praised each member's performance on the song, stating that Jisoo and Rosé's falsetto made the song feel "soothing" and left a "deep impression on listeners", while Lisa and Jennie forsook their forte of rapping in order to "tug at people's heartstrings" with their low tones. Similarly, Vince Ferreras from CNN Philippines complimented the track for highlighting the group's vocals and noted Lisa's performance as its "biggest revelation." The Harvard Crimson's Alisa S. Regassa commended Blackpink for stepping outside of their comfort zone and breaking their usual girl crush concept to showcase themselves in a "more raw and authentic light." She concurred with other critics that Lisa and Jennie replacing their usual rap verses for a lyrical ballad was a "novelty" and praised Lisa's "beautiful singing voice." Tanu I. Raj from NME praised the song's initial "simple, poignant piano melody", but felt that the song "loses its charm with repetitive arrangements." Writing for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield opined that the song was the "only bummer" on the album and preferred their more joyous songs.

Commercial performance

"The Happiest Girl" debuted at number 34 on the Billboard Global 200 and at number 22 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. In South Korea, the song debuted at number 134 and peaked at number 89 on the Circle Digital Chart. It also peaked within the top ten on Billboard's Philippines Songs, Malaysia Songs, and the Vietnam Hot 100, as well as the RIAS top streaming chart.

Accolades

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Born Pink.

Recording

• Recorded at The Black Label Studio (Seoul)
• Mixed at Gudwin Music Group Inc
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

• Blackpink – vocals, creative directors
• Teddy Sinclair – lyricist, composer
• Willy Sinclair – lyricist, composer
• Paro – lyricist, composer
• 24 – composer, arranger
• Nohc – arranger
• Youngju Bang – recording engineer
• Josh Gudwin – mixing engineer
• Chris Gehringer – mastering

Charts

See also

• List of K-pop songs on the Billboard charts

References

1. Robinson, Ellie (July 31, 2022). "Blackpink share snippet of fiery new song in 'Born Pink' teaser video". NME. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
2. "Blackpink Reveals 8-Song Tracklist for Sophomore Album 'BORN PINK'". Billboard. September 7, 2022. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
3. Bowenbank, Starr (September 16, 2022). "Blackpink's Second Album 'Born Pink' Has Arrived: Stream It Now". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
4. Stanciu, Raul (September 17, 2022). "Blackpink – Born Pink". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
5. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (September 16, 2022). "Every Song Ranked on Blackpink's 'Born Pink': Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
6. Yeung, Neil Z. (September 16, 2022). "Born Pink – BlackPink". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
7. ^ Raj, Tanu I. (September 23, 2022). "Blackpink – 'Born Pink' review: K-pop titans consolidate their identity". NME. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
8. "Key & BPM for The Happiest Girl - From Born Pink by Blackpink". Tunebat.com. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
9. "Blackpink – Born Pink | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. September 16, 2022. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
10. ^ Ferreras, Vince (September 17, 2022). "Blackpink shows growth, maturity in 2nd album 'Born Pink'". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
11. ^ Sheffield, Rob (September 16, 2022). "'Born Pink' Is the Landmark Pop Album Blackpink Were Born To Make". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
12. ^ Jun-hee, Park (September 16, 2022). "[Album Review] Worth the wait: Diving into Blackpink's 'Born Pink' like biting into trick candy". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
13. Regassa, Alisa (October 4, 2022). "'Born Pink' Album Review: Blackpink Is The Evolution Of K-pop". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
14. Frankenberg, Eric (September 29, 2022). "Here's Where Every Song on Blackpink's 'Born Pink' Debuts on the Global Charts". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
15. "2022 Week 39 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Circle Chart. September 18–24, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
16. "The Artist of this Year - Global Digital Music Nominees". Circle Chart Music Awards. December 17, 2022. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
17. Blackpink (2022). Born Pink (liner notes). YG Entertainment. YGP0181.
18. "Blackpink Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
19. "Blackpink Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
20. "Blackpink Chart History (Hong Kong Songs)". Billboared. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
21. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
22. "Blackpink Chart History (Indonesia Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
23. "Blackpink Chart History (Malaysia Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
24. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 26, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
25. "Blackpink Chart History (Philippines Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
26. "Blackpink Chart History (Singapore Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
27. "RIAS Top Charts Week 38 (16 - 22 Sep 2022)". RIAS. September 27, 2022. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
28. "2022 Week 39 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Circle Chart. September 18–24, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
29. "Blackpink Chart History (Billboard Vietnam Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
30. "Circle Digital Chart – September 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.

• 2022 songs
• 2020s ballads
• Blackpink songs
• South Korean pop songs
• English-language South Korean songs