17 Hidden Messages Inside BLACKPINK’s “DDU-DU DDU-DU” Music Video
To celebrate BLACKPINK achieving 900 million views on “DDU-DU DDU-DU”, here are 17 secret messages they hid in their music video.
1. Lisa smoke wings
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A burst of pink smoke gives Lisa wings, which represent flight and freedom. This strongly connects her and the pink cockatoo that appears later on.
2. Queen Jennie
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Jennie is dressed as a colourful queen, high above the other chess pieces, which suggests that the black and white rules of chess don’t apply to her. This suggests that Jennie has decided to live her life by her own rules and will play the game her own way.
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As queen, Jennie is in a position to defend the black king while putting the white king in check. She easily takes out the white king, winning the game.
3. The fennec fox
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The fennec fox represents a person’s core values, and indicates a solitary or independent individual. Someone with a fennec fox personality, like Jennie, is both a pioneer and a leader. These people can thrive in society while also living their life in their own unique way. In some dream symbolism, a fennec fox serves as a warning to watch out for false friends.
4. Lisa’s pink cockatoo
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BLACKPINK has included bird symbolism throughout this music video. First, Lisa appears with smoke wings, then she appears with a cockatoo, followed by Rosé swinging on a chandelier like a bird in a cage. In general, birds can represent freedom, but cockatoos have their own unique meaning. Cockatoos are associated with change and the celebration of self-love. Their flashy crest encourages other the show their true colours. In this case, that colour is pink! Rose-coloured cockatoos symbolize spontaneity and fearlessness.
5. Lisa’s BLACKPINK katana
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Historically, the katana was the best-known weapon of the samurai, a powerful class of warriors from ancient and feudal Japan. Lisa may be channeling her inner samurai here, or be making a reference to the badass, katana-wielding heroine of the film Kill Bill. Either way, this sword represents strength and the determination to face one’s battles head-on.
6. Escape from Camp 14
In this scene, Lisa is surrounded by an eclectic collection of objects, including a shelf full of books.
One of these books is Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West. This book tells the true life story of a man who escapes from a North Korean prison camp. This adds to the video’s themes of perseverance and freedom.
7. The blackboard
Behind Lisa is a blackboard loaded with BLACKPINK hints, messages, and references to previous songs, such as “As If It’s Your Last”.
8. BLACKPINK’s lightstick
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Lisa wields BLACKPINK’s unique lightstick like a hammer. Like the katana, this lightstick adds to the video’s fight imagery.
9. Rosé on a pedestal
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Two Rosés star in this scene. The Rosé in black looks up at the Rosé in white, who is on display like a beautiful statue. The white Rosé has, quite literally, been put on a pedestal and represents the version of herself that the public sees. This Rosé is covered in crystals and has been crowned like a queen. She looks too perfect to be real.
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The Rosé in black represents Rosé’s true self. She moves through the scene like a shadow, dressed in a much simpler outfit. This Rosé is not crowned because, underneath all the glamor, she is just an ordinary human being.
10. Jisoo’s umbrella
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Lisa plays the offense with her sword and hammer lightstick, while Jisoo uses her umbrella as a shield. Jisoo’s umbrella protects her from the sparks that try to burn her. She stands glamorous and strong in black mourning clothes. This suggests that she has, and will continue to, survive every trial the world throws at her. At the end of it all, she will walk out of the wreckage, unscathed.
11. Jennie’s glam tank
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Jennie’s glam tank is yet another weapon that supports this video’s battle imagery. Like Rosé, she is divided into a black self and a white self. Her white self gives off frivolous, diva vibes, while the black self demands to be taken seriously. White Jennie rejects her own stereotype by throwing down her expensive goods and allowing Black Jennie’s tank to crush them.
12. Jisoo’s mural
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In this scene, we see two Jisoos. One is an unchanging, infallible image. The other is a living, breathing, real person.
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Fans take admiring photos of her image, but as soon as she makes a mistake, the “fans” turn their phone on her like guns.
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This symbolizing how photos and social media can be used to build someone up as easily as they can tear someone down. It also shows how one little mistake can damage an idol’s image and turn admirers against them.
13. Rosé’s chandelier
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Rosé swings on this chandelier like a bird in a cage. As she swings, she causes the power to flicker, suggesting that the situation may be becoming precarious. She may keep swinging until the power completely goes out, the chandelier falls, and she breaks free of her cage.
14. Pink wisteria
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Since wisteria vines bloom in spring and early summer, these flowers symbolize new life. Pink wisteria can also symbolize blossoming feelings of love. The wisteria in BLACKPINK’s video, however, are growing outside of their natural environment in near darkness. In spite of this, the flowers are thriving while changing the world around them into a more beautiful place.
15. Black vs White
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Black traditionally represents evil while white represents good, but BLACKPINK seems to have altered their meanings. In this video, white may represent a beautiful and beloved, but also false, self, while black represents the members’ true selves.
16. Time
A pocket watch can be seen on the desk during Lisa’s blackboard scene.
An hourglass can also be seen during her cockatoo scene. These symbols may indicate that times are changing for BLACKPINK, or that this moment is their time to shine.
17. The colour pink
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Throughout the video, pink symbolizes strength and gives the BLACKPINK members the power to take control of their situations.
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Jennie’s pink throne literally elevates her to the rank of queen, the most powerful game piece in chess.
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For Lisa, pink becomes a weapon in the form of a katana. The money she surrounds herself with is also pink; wealth symbolizes power.
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Queen Rosé wears a sheer, light pink cape as part of her regal ensemble.
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Traditionally, brightly coloured hair has been seen as a sign of rebellion. Jisoo’s pink hair helps her to rebel against her own image and the people who have placed expectations on her based on this image.
Check out the “DDU-DU DDU-DU” music video to see what other hidden meanings you can uncover!
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