5 Reasons That Make BLACKPINK's "Light Up The Sky" Netflix Original Documentary A Must-Watch

1. It's the first Netflix Original Documentary that features a K-Pop group.

In the past, Netflix created original documentary films with American singers Lady Gaga ("Gaga: Five Foot Two," 2017), Beyoncé ("Homecoming," 2019), and Taylor Swift ("Miss Americana," 2020). This is the first time that this streaming platform tapped a K-Pop group to star in a documentary, and this historic achievement means a lot for each member of BLACKPINK as they get to be on the same level with these huge artists in this aspect.

Jisoo said in the virtual press conference to promote the documentary, "First, it's an honor to be in line with the global female artists such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga. The four of us have come a long way and we will continue to work hard to show more of us to our fans." And by "more," that means a deep dive into their personas, showcased through genuine and honest conversations between the girls.

2. It shows lots of never-before-seen moments.

This documentary doesn't just show a compilation of clips from their concerts, music videos, and various appearances, it also actually features rare glimpses of their training days as well as a behind-the-scenes look on their numerous engagements (plus, fresh interviews, of course). These will give fans a newfound appreciation for each member of BLACKPINK, as they will get to know more of these ladies through a raw and unfiltered perspective.

On why they agreed to do this documentary, Jennie mentioned that it made them feel like it will bring them closer to their fans, and after working on it, they realized it brought them closer to each other as well. Working on this project also gave them a chance to take a break and look back on the past that helped shape their present and will continue to contribute to their success in the future. Jennie said, "So we were able to go back to times that we even forgot ourselves and that brought back a lot of memories in a sense, our training period to debut up to today. We wanted to show all the hard work manifested on the glamorous stage of BLACKPINK while also sharing the authentic, the more original moments onstage that we didn't really get to share with the fans before."

3. There's a charming multilingual layer to it.

BLACKPINK may be a K-Pop group that's currently based in South Korea, but they're actually not all Koreans. Jisoo is South Korean. Jennie was born and raised in South Korea but she lived in New Zealand for several years. Rosé was born in Auckland, New Zealand to South Korean immigrant parents then her family moved to Melbourne, Australia. Lisa was born and raised in Thailand. They speak different languages (Korean, English, and Thai) so, in a way, seeing them converse in the languages they're most comfortable with in this documentary gives a sense of authenticity to the piece. It gives a feel of how these girls would normally talk to each other not just as colleagues but friends who are like sisters as well. Apart from that, this element also further proves that there is (and there must be) no language barrier in music. Music is universally appealing, as their global fandom shows.

Rosé shares, "All of our members, when we were having the interview, we were able to, you know, open up and share some of our genuine thoughts. And we were speaking in the language that we were most comfortable in. And for myself and Jennie as well, we grew up abroad. And so we spoke a lot in English, Jisoo spoke a lot in Korean, Lisa spoke in Thai. So there are a lot of languages that are included in the documentary, but I think that in itself symbolizes a part of BLACKPINK. And I think that is an aspect that the fans will like as well... That's what happens everyday amongst our members. We can speak in any language, and we understand each other."

4. It humanizes BLACKPINK as it showcases their "authentic and genuine" aspects.

For this documentary to come to life in the most authentic and genuine way possible, director Caroline Suh had a crew follow the girls around, to capture what each member is all about and what makes their dynamic as a group work. Director Caroline Suh said that it was easy to work on this documentary film because the environment during filming was fun in that each member of BLACKPINK is cool. Caroline shared, "It was really a very kind of fun film to work on. It was very positive and, obviously, BLACKPINK is very charming and fun and smart, so it made it very easy... We were interested in telling the story of how BLACKPINK came together and how these four girls kind of each had a path that brought them to BLACKPINK, and then what it's like to be part of this huge phenomenon. We really wanted to tell the story from the point of view of the members and hear from them, their thoughts and perspectives about what that journey was like."

On the experience of being followed by a filming crew, Lisa said, "At first it was a little bit awkward. We were not really familiar having cameras all around us 24/7, but I think we got more comfortable and later on, we will [sic] forget that there was a camera or a filming crew that was shooting us, and we would start getting more playful. And I think that environment was created by director Caroline Suh. So I think that was something that I wanted to thank her for."

5. It not only magnifies BLACKPINK's passion for their craft but also their friendship.

Among the factors behind BLACKPINK's continued success are, of course, their talent, passion, and professionalism. But they wouldn't have been able to exude such positivity with their music if not for the genuine friendship that bonds them together. While filming, Director Caroline also saw just how deserving BLACKPINK is of the overwhelming love and support from their fans and the praises and awards they've been receiving. She said, "Something I learned about their story was that, you know, their success is [a] very hard one. They worked very hard for it, and each one of the members is very strong-willed and fierce and kind of went after their dream and worked very hard for it."

When asked what motivated them to keep going in their careers, Jennie said, "I think all four of us had a very clear purpose of what we wanted to achieve as members of BLACKPINK. And with every moment that we went through together to achieve that, we wanted to make sure that all four of us, none of us became tired of it. I think we were all in it together. Although we all have different styles, we have different strengths, but I think we learned how to bring that in harmony and communicate with one another to achieve a common goal."

Scroll through this gallery for more photos of BLACKPINK, as seen in their Netflix Original Documentary...

Photo Credit: Netflix

Photo Credit: Netflix

Photo Credit: Netflix

Photo Credit: Netflix

Photo Credit: Netflix

Photo Credit: Netflix