Billboard Korea has published the second issue of Billboard Artist, and this time, the spotlight is on the multi-talented artist and member of BLACKPINK, JISOO. JISOO continues to make a powerful impact both as a solo artist and as an actress. Her solo album AMORTAGE, released on Feb. 14, explores love with a cinematic touch. This special issue captures JISOO’s charm in a visual story, blending soft, delicate aesthetics with bold and independent imagery. Shot in unique settings like a terrarium and an aquarium, these visuals symbolize comfort and familiarity—contrasted by striking, avant-garde designs that push her artistry into new territory.
Unlike regular magazines, Billboard Artist is a large-format, unbound conceptual edition where each page feels like a collectible poster. This timeless collectible is an artistic deep dive into musicians’ creative worlds, featuring photography, essays, interviews and art for fans to enjoy. Available in English and Korean.
Why did you choose JISOO for the second issue?
Billboard Korea: The Billboard Artist aims to showcase musicians from fresh, unexpected angles going beyond their usual image to create something truly special. This process naturally leads to a process in which the musicians themselves have a moment of wanting to communicate through a new appearance and have a clear synergy with us. JISOO’s AMORTAGE project was the perfect fit, offering a cinematic and emotional take on love, far from completeness and perfection. Her vision aligned perfectly with our goal of reinterpreting artists in new ways, making her an ideal choice for this issue.
What aspects of JISOO did you focus on?
Billboard Korea: While JISOO is known for being BLACKPINK’s steady presence and for the massive success of her solo hit “Flower,” we wanted to explore the many sides of her personality, not just her elegance and grace, but also her passionate, vulnerable and even provocative moments. Through this issue’s photography and visual storytelling, we highlight her evolution as an artist and actress. She herself is the source and inspiration for Billboard Artists.
Why were the terrarium and aquarium sets used?
Billboard Korea: These small, enclosed ecosystems represent comfort zones, safe, self-sustaining spaces where everything is perfectly balanced. But stepping outside of them means facing the unknown, new challenges, unfamiliar environments and personal growth. We felt this concept beautifully symbolized JISOO’s artistic journey, as she steps beyond her comfort zone into new creative territories.
What did JISOO express through Billboard Artist?
Billboard Korea: We’d like to share some of our conversation about love from Billboard Artist.
Billboard Korea: Flowers often symbolize love in Korean literature. Your first solo album was released on Valentine’s Day, which is all about love. How do you define love?
JISOO: Flowers don’t just bloom and end, but they change themselves as they bloom and fall according to the seasons. Isn’t love like that? The thrill and intense emotions when love begins, the happiness felt as it deepens, the pain of separation and even liberation. I think love is more of a ‘journey’ than a single emotion. Through that journey, we grow and become more ourselves. That’s why love to me is ‘learning.’ It’s an emotion that I learn from my relationships with people, through music and through my fans. That’s why I want to say that love to me is not a simple emotion, but a process of maturation that I continue to experience and fill.
Billboard Korea: There are many types of love. What is the most precious type of love to JISOO?
JISOO: I don’t think it has to be defined in a specific way, but to me, the most precious love is ‘respectful love.’ It’s the heart that accepts and respects the other person as they are. I learned a lot about that kind of love while doing music. The warm gaze of fans on stage, the trust of colleagues who make music together and the process of accepting myself as I am. I think love is ultimately the power that helps each other grow.
Billboard Korea: Are there any scenes from JISOO’s all-time favorite movies that you would like to put together as a montage?
JISOO: Like AMORTAGE, which tells the story of a journey of love, I want to connect scenes that contain changes in emotion. For excitement, I would like the scene in Before Sunrise where the two people who first met have a conversation on the train. The unfamiliar but strongly attracted feeling resembles the beginning of love. For the moment of deepening, I would express it with the scene in La La Land where the two people dance under the night sky. I think it captures the moment when love shines the most. For the pain of separation, I would choose the scene in Eternal Sunshine where they look at each other on the beach right before their memories disappear. I was impressed by the movie because it expressed the emotions of separation so delicately. Finally, I want to connect the liberation and growth scene in (500) Days of Summer where Tom finally welcomes a new season. Tom experiences a breakup, gets hurt and wanders, but eventually grows as time passes and meets a new relationship called Autumn, not Summer. I thought of this scene because it captures the process of overcoming a breakup, finding oneself and moving forward again.
What’s inside Billboard Artist, JISOO edition?
Billboard Korea: The magazine opens with an extensive 30-plus page visual story of JISOO, photographed by Lucian Bor. It also features stunning artworks by Fabian Oefner, who captures essence by trapped objects in resin, and the “Bubble Flower” series by Azuma Makoto, a pioneer in plant sculpture. Additionally, it includes AMORTAGE, an essay exploring the complex and elusive nature of love, along with an exclusive interview with JISOO. The issue is available with four unique covers, each showcasing a different side of her.
