YG Entertainment requests retrial after KBS demands lyric change for BLACKPINK’s “BOOMBAYAH”

The Korean Broadcasting System, or KBS, has deemed the lyrics of “BOOMBAYAH” to be unsuitable for television, demanding a change of lyrics from YG Entertainment before allowing the song to air nationwide through their system.

Earlier, KBS’s music department reviewed the song “BOOMBAYAH”, sung by YG Entertainment’s newest girl group BLACKPINK, and claimed that the lyrics of the track contained the name of a specific brand, as well as a reference to English profanity, concluding that the song is unsuitable to air on television.

In response to this, a representative of YG Entertainment told Star News on the 17th that, “We are currently discussing with KBS the matters regarding the verdict we received about BLACKPINK’s song being unsuitable for broadcast and are negotiating a reconsideration for the change of lyrics request.”

The KBS staff explained that the phrase, “Bottle full of Henny“, can be heard in the rap of the song, in which the word ‘Henny’ is a shortened, slang term used when referring to the famous liquor brand, Hennessy. The staff then stated that, “It falls under the use of a specific, copyrighted brand name,” which causes issues when it involves television broadcasting.

The staff also claimed that the phrase, “Middle finger up, F U, pay me”, is considered a profanity. Thus, it cannot be deemed suitable to air on television and a change of lyrics must be made on YG Entertainment’s behalf before being re-approved.

BLACKPINK is YG Entertainment’s first girl group to debut in seven years since their predecessors, 2NE1, in 2009. The rookie group, who debuted on August 8th, consists of four members, Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, and Rose. Despite being a brand new rookie group who hasn’t even promoted for a full two weeks, BLACKPINK has achieved a perfect all-kill, beating out senior artists such as G-Friend, TWICE, and Cjamm.

Source: Star News