The Problem With BLACKPINK’s Tour

The name of BLACKPINK’s 2025 world tour was just announced, but instead of excitement, fans are raising red flags. Whispers of money problems at YG, talk of the members being forced to join, and suspicions about strange timing have taken over. Was this tour really planned for BLACKPINK… or is there something YG doesn’t want us to know?

Table of Contents

• The Suspicious Tour Announcement and Timing
• Contract Renewal Drama and Solo Success
• YG’s Financial Crisis Exposed
• Company Restructuring and Damage Control
• Were the Members Forced to Participate?
• The Damning Blind Item
• Fan Pushback and Defense of YG
• Is This BLACKPINK’s Final Tour?
• Comeback Rumors and Leaks
• What’s Next for BLACKPINK?

The Suspicious Tour Announcement and Timing

On February 5th, a teaser dropped hinting at a much-anticipated BLACKPINK 2025 tour, but with zero dates or details, fans were left confused, and the timing made it even weirder. The members were still focused on solo projects, so a group tour wasn’t something anyone saw coming. On top of that, YG hadn’t even said anything about a comeback yet, so to a lot of fans, it felt rushed—like YG was scrambling and threw out the tour announcement without a real plan.

A commenter wrote: “You know it’s so soon considering they didn’t even give a name to the tour. It’s just 2025 World Tour.”

Official Tour Schedule Released

On February 19th, YG finally released the actual tour schedule: BLACKPINK would kick things off in Goyang on July 5th and 6th, then head to North America by the end of July, and hit Europe starting August 2nd in Paris at Stade de France. Things wrap up with a three-day finale at Tokyo Dome in January 2026. Some extra dates were added, as well, thanks to high demand.

But even with all that info, fans were still uneasy. With no comeback announced, the whole thing felt off. Was this just a repeat of their last tour with a few tweaks? Would they be performing new songs before even releasing them? Or was YG planning to drop something unexpected in the middle of the tour? No one really knew what to expect, and that only added to the confusion.

Contract Renewal Drama and Solo Success

As you may know, BLACKPINK’s contract situation dominated headlines in 2023. With their YG deals ending in September, everyone was waiting to see if they’d stick around or walk away. Fans figured YG would fight to keep them, as they were the company’s biggest act, but it was also obvious the girls were craving more freedom, especially with how little control they seemed to have over their music and promotions.

In the end, they made a surprising but smart move: they stayed together as BLACKPINK, but split off for solo careers. And that decision paid off fast. Within months, three members launched their own labels, dropped solo music at a pace that blew BLACKPINK’s group discography out of the water, and made huge waves both in Korea and globally.

The Solo Release Timeline

By late 2024 and early 2025, solo releases were flying out one after another. Rosé’s Rosie arrived in December, Jisoo dropped Amortage on February 14, Lisa’s Alter Ego followed on February 28, and Jennie’s Ruby hit on March 7. Jisoo and Jennie also went on mini tours, Lisa and Jennie performed at Coachella in April, and it looked like things would quiet down just in time for the summer.

At first glance, it seemed like BLACKPINK was gearing up to promote as a group again, seeing as they renewed with YG for group activities, but behind the scenes, that might not have been the full story. To a lot of people, this wasn’t some carefully planned comeback tied to their contract renewal and it wasn’t happening because the members were eager to reunite. More and more fans started to believe the real reason is simple: YG might just be in trouble, and this tour could be their last-ditch effort to fix it.

YG’s Financial Crisis Exposed

Everyone knows BLACKPINK is the backbone of YG. Even though groups like TREASURE and BABYMONSTER debuted after them, none have come close to BLACKPINK’s level of success. So when the members decided not to renew their solo contracts with YG, the company was bound to take a hit. And they did—big time.

In February, it was revealed that YG had a tough year in 2024. For the first time ever, they ended the year with an operating loss. Despite pulling in 365.8 billion KRW, or about 250 million USD, in revenue, they still lost 23.9 billion KRW, or around 16.4 million USD, in operations and ended up with a net deficit of roughly 500 million KRW, which is over 340,000 USD.

While they’d seen a dip in net income before, like in 2019, this was their first recorded operating loss. It was a serious financial blow, and it made one thing clear: YG couldn’t afford to wait. They needed a quick solution, and many now believe that rushing out BLACKPINK’s tour was their way of trying to stay afloat.

Company Restructuring and Damage Control

To cut their losses, YG made a bold move at the start of 2025: they shut down their entire acting division. On January 17th, the company announced it would part ways with all its actors, explaining that it wanted to shift its focus entirely back to music. In their statement, YG thanked both the actors and fans for their support, saying they’d continue managing them until their current contracts expire, but none would be renewed.

That meant big names like Lee Sungkyung, Jang Kiyong, Lee Soohyuk, and Son Naeun were all being let go. Just a few days later, on January 21st, YG tried to change the narrative by launching something new: the “2025 YG NATIONAL AUDITION TOUR.” The company began a major talent search across six cities, running from February 7th to 23rd, with seven audition dates in total.

It was a clear push to rebuild—new faces, new energy, and maybe a fresh start. Rumors also started flying that YG was planning to debut a new boy group this year, though nothing’s been confirmed yet. Still, between closing an entire division and launching a nationwide search, it’s obvious the company is scrambling to recover itself.

Were the Members Forced to Participate?

Looking at everything that’s happened, it’s not hard to see why some people feel BLACKPINK may have been pushed into this group tour. The members have been thriving individually and some would argue they’re even bigger solo than they were as a group. That kind of shift likely made investors uneasy, especially with YG already under financial pressure.

But instead of rushing out a group release and short promo cycle, YG went straight for the big money: a tour. Live shows bring in way more revenue than album sales, so launching a tour first could’ve been their way of stabilizing things fast. There’s also the concern that fans might focus more on buying solo albums or merch, leaving less excitement and money for the group’s comeback.

By putting out the tour announcement early, even before a single comeback detail, they lock in ticket sales and create breathing room. Some believe this means the album wasn’t even ready, and YG needed time to stall. But this way, fans start saving and spending on the tour first, guaranteeing income upfront before anything else drops.

The Damning Blind Item

What really fueled the belief that this tour wasn’t planned from the start was a blind item dropped during the Oscars. If you’re not familiar, blind items are basically gossip leaks that spill the tea without saying any names. But this one had enough clues for fans to connect the dots: the timing, the wording, everything about it screamed BLACKPINK.

The blind in question read: “This foreign-born one named singer says she and other members of the group didn’t want to tour this year, but were forced. They are essentially being blackmailed.”

Although the blind item didn’t directly name anyone, it was pretty obvious that the foreign artist mentioned was Lisa and that the story was about BLACKPINK’s upcoming tour. This revelation sparked a lot of anger, with many accusing YG Entertainment of deliberately interfering with the members’ solo careers to force group activities.

For example, fans pointed out that tickets for the tour went on sale just one day before Lisa’s album release, which only added to suspicions that the company prioritized the group’s comeback over individual promotions, with a commenter writing: “YG is always announcing group events or schedules whenever she releases something, they put tickets on sale for BLACKPINK’s world tour cinema exactly on the release of her first solo too.”

Fan Pushback and Defense of YG

On the other hand, many fans dismissed these worries, thinking that people were just reading too much into the situation. They pointed out that Yang Hyunsuk had mentioned a BLACKPINK world tour way back in the summer of last year, suggesting this wasn’t a last-minute push by YG. The tour likely had been part of the group’s contract talks from early on, not a sudden pressure tactic.

People also say the solo projects seemed rushed because the whole timeline was planned long ago, over a year and a half, in fact. The members themselves shared in interviews that they intended to spend one year focused on solo work and then come back together for group activities. But starting their own agencies and working on full albums took more time than expected. So, to keep everything on track, they ended up releasing their solo projects close together just before the tour was announced.

Is This BLACKPINK’s Final Tour?

However, there’s a recent growing fear that this could be BLACKPINK’s final run as a group. Even though the members clearly care about each other and want to work together, their solo careers and personal projects seem to be thriving far more, and feel like a better fit for them right now.

The tour’s title, “Deadline,” has only fueled these worries, making fans think this might just be a way for BLACKPINK to wrap up their contract with YG and say a proper goodbye before everyone moves on. Fans have also picked up on the lack of effort in the tour’s poster and even the choice of the name itself, seeing it as a sign that this tour was rushed and not planned with much care, with a user saying: “You tell me, it took them a whole year to come up with this lame poster with the same ‘design’ and font as last tour’s?”

No Comeback Announcement in Sight

Not to mention, the tour kicks off in July, yet there’s been no official comeback announcement from the group. Earlier this month, Lisa mentioned they’d been in the studio recently and were excited to reunite and tour, which led fans to wonder what’s next.

Some think new music might drop either after the tour begins or just before it starts, while others believe the tour won’t feature any new group songs at all. Instead, they expect the shows to mainly spotlight solo tracks from each member, with the last 30 minutes reserved for BLACKPINK’s biggest hits. If this really is a farewell tour, that setup would make a lot of sense.

Comeback Rumors and Leaks

A leaker who had some correct info before about BLACKPINK’s comeback, like hints about songs and lyrics, shared new details about the next comeback, but none of it is confirmed, so keep it in mind. According to this source, the group actually finished recording their next release back in April. So when Lisa said they were in the studio recently, it was just for small fixes, things like tweaking beats and background vocals.

The leaker added that some parts were recorded together, while others were done separately because of their busy schedules. They also claimed the comeback was supposed to drop in May, but YG delayed it because of their usual mishandling and said that the comeback announcement should come soon.

The leaker described the new concept as similar to How You Like That but bigger and better, moving beyond just a girl crush vibe. Earlier, this same leaker shared a picture they said was from a BLACKPINK recording session in April and even posted a bit of a lyrics teaser. But again, nothing is confirmed. In fact, many fans think the members haven’t even recorded new group songs recently and that the upcoming release might just be old, scrapped tracks put out to fill the gap.

What’s Next for BLACKPINK?

With no comeback announcement in sight, BLACKPINK fans are growing increasingly frustrated by the agency’s silence and lack of clarity. At this point, all they can do is wait, patiently or not, for any official update or a confirmed date. But knowing YG’s history, it seems likely that fans might be left waiting a long time yet again.

Whether this tour represents a financial lifeline for YG, a farewell gesture from BLACKPINK, or simply the next chapter in their group activities remains to be seen. What’s clear is that the controversy surrounding the announcement has exposed deeper tensions between the company’s financial pressures and the members’ individual success. Only time will tell if the “Deadline” tour lives up to its ominous name or marks a new beginning for the world’s biggest K-pop girl group.