BLACKPINK On Working With Selena Gomez, Plus The Record-Breaking Achievement Of "Ice Cream"

Even though you can't quite put your finger on this brand new flavor you're tasting, you just know that it's good. (One more scoop, perhaps, with all the sprinkles on top?). 

Or in this case, your ears perk up from the new tune you're hearing and while it sounds both familiar and unfamiliar and strange and catchy all at once, here you are, putting it on repeat. Sing with us, "Ice cream chillin’, chillin’, ice cream chillin’ / Ice cream chillin’, chillin’, ice cream chillin!’"

Finally, this long-awaited, clashing of east and west pop worlds collab has arrived—Selena Gomez and BLACKPINK are here to serve you a seriously original bop and it goes by the name of something seemingly sweet but tart and flirty and underneath. 

Enter "Ice Cream," the #SELPINK single that's uniting Selenators and Blinks from all corners! 

In case you missed it, the song's release had a pretty epic build-up to it.

BLACKPINK released a teaser poster all the way back in July announcing a surprise collab with a mystery artist, and fans' guesses ranged from everyone to Charlie Puth and Ariana Grande, but in the end, it turned out to be their fellow queen of pop, Selena Gomez.

The American singer and Korean K-Pop quartet reportedly have been fans of each each other for quite some time, making the project special to them both. 

With the song and its music video released on August 28, Friday, it would be an understatement to say that it was a record-breaker—or rather, a record-breaker again for BLACKPINK.

The girl group broke their own record (and that of all K-Pop girl groups, in history) of racking up 10 million views for a new song in less than three hours; their first single for the year "How You Like That" that premiered last June 26 reached the same record, albeit within three hours and 40 minutes. As of this writing, the official music video of "Ice Cream" now has 81 million views on YouTube. Meanwhile, the official music video of "How You Like That" on YouTube now has more than 472 million views.

And don't even attempt to ask #SELPINK fans what their favorite part of the collab is; you'll only be met with a chorus of indiscernible words because there will be way too many fans saying way too many things all at the same time. 

Something that seems to be universally appreciated, however, is how the song shows all five of the girls' ranges as artists. BLACKPINK listeners, for example, have definitely noticed how the sweetness of "Ice Cream" and girly-girl aesthetic differed sharply for the edginess and bad girl feels of "How You Like That." There's also how the song drew on Lisa, Jisoo, Rosé, and Jennie's musical strengths, showing once again why four of them, put together, make such an impressive whole. 

Here's what some fans had to say about the hit single: 

"Ice Cream" is the second single to end BLACKPINK's new material drought. Their sophomore album is set to come out in October, two years after their first record came out.

The next thing fans will be longing for is an international tour, but it goes unsaid that they'll just have to wait a little longer for the chance to see BLACKPINK live on stage. They won't have to worry, though, as BLACKPINK is just as pumped about returning to live performances as soon as possible—they even have their fingers crossed that they'll one day be able to sing "Ice Cream" with Selena herself!  

In the meantime, they're happy gushing about the opportunity to collaborate with an international artist. 

In an interview, the BLACKPINK girls were totally up front with their admiration for Selena, mentioning that although they never got the chance to meet in person for the collab, they were appreciative of her humility and willingness to make suggestions. 

They all definitely agreed that they were able to give fans a little something to help them chill out in the summer's final leg; as hot as it is outside, Selena and BLACKPINK are a hundred percent confident about "Ice Cream" being exactly what their audiences need to still enjoy the season. 

Now to everyone hoping that Ariana Grande would be BLACKPINK's mystery collab, there really is no need to feel bad about it. 

Turns out, Ariana still played a part in the song, as it looked like she co-produced or co-wrote it! The Grammy Award-winning singer shared her excitement over the song's release on Instagram, showing that she had no qualms about not being front and center for the project. (If this isn't girl power, what is?). 

"Ice Cream" definitely packs a punch, if not in its vocals and melody, but in what it represents for the future of music—that geographical boundaries, language differences, and genres are no limits at all for the most creative, most talented minds in the industry!

Congratulations to Selena and BLACKPINK! #SelPink

Photos from @selenagomez @blackpinkofficial