The all-female girl group, BLACKPINK, has become the first female music act to earn the highest following on YouTube, eclipsing the likes of Ariana Grande and potentially dethroning Justin Bieber.

The group's YouTube now shows they have 60 million followers and reports from YG Entertainment cited that BLACKPINK achieved the feat in the early morning of Tuesday, April 13. It won't be long before they reach Bieber's numbers, which has over 62 million.

According to Yonhap, BLACKPINK has become the second-largest South Korean global music group to have broken the record. Their total video views are at 17 billion.

The group's biggest hits on the video streaming platform include the 2018 release of "Ddu-du Ddu-Du," which has 1.5 billion views, and the 2019 release of "Kill This Love," which has gained 1.2 billion views.

Individually, BLACKPINK members are also surpassing other music talents on YouTube. The release of Rose's solo single "On the Ground," easily reached 41.6 million views in 24 hours. She broke the record for PSY, who released "Gangnam Style," South Korea's one-hit wonder, in 2012. PSY's single tipped at 36 million views in 24 hours.

Meanwhile, due to the group's global success, YG Entertainment has confirmed that they are running auditions for an all-male version of BLACKPINK. The agency is willing to sign up anyone from around the world via a Zoom session. Auditionees, however, have to be born between 2002 to 2010 and would be willing to undergo intensive training in South Korea.

YG Entertainment is looking for talents who can sing, dance and rap. They should prepare a routine of about a minute and a half for the auditions, which will be underway until May 23.

The agency will make the announcement on the successful auditionees by June 12 It's not known, however, if the boys will also carry the BLACKPINK name. Details will be confirmed in the company's Facebook page.

BLACKPINK, composed of Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa, was also formed with a tryout that started in 2010. The group took six years to become a full-pledged K-Pop group. Following their August 2016 debut, BLACKPINK's star power climbed the heights. The group earned their first number one single in the Billboard charts within weeks and quickly followed this up with another single that also became number one.

Named the biggest girl group in the world, BLACKPINK has been recognized by Rolling Stones, Forbes, Time and The Hollywood Reporter. YG Entertainment is hoping to replicate what the group has achieved with the new boyband, which will likely not debut until 2026. (Business Times)

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