Throughout 2025, the music industry watched as numerous artists, famous for their roles in prolific bands, chose to pursue a solo career. Take Hayley Williams, the powerhouse vocalist for Paramore, who recently announced she will embark on her very first solo tour this spring to support her third solo album Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, released last August.
After making their explosive debut as the winners of Eurovision representing Italy in 2021, the rock group Måneskin spent the next several years keeping rock ‘n’ roll alive, soon releasing the album RUSH! in 2022 before each member decided to explore their own creative pursuits and put the band on hiatus. Most recently, guitarist Thomas Raggi released his inaugural solo album Masquerade, featuring collaborations with UPSAHL, Tom Morello, Chad Smith, and more.
MJ Lenderman also followed in this trend, announcing his departure from touring with his group Wednesday in 2025 so he could focus on his solo career. Other musicians, such as Nick Jonas and several members of BLACKPINK, have also chosen to focus more on their solo musical careers.
After their group contracts were set to expire in 2023, BLACKPINK decided they would renew their tenure on the condition that they would be allowed to release music as solo artists. Soon after, BLACKPINK’s Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban, Jennie Kim, Kim “Jisoo” Ji-soo and Roseanne “Rosé” Park all released solo projects.
In an interview with AnOther, Lisa spoke about the creative process behind her debut solo album Alter Ego, released in February of last year. In contrast to her work with BLACKPINK, Lisa said she was able to experiment more in terms of sound, something that was crucial for what some might consider a prominent concept album.
“If you listen to BLACKPINK music, you just know right away that it’s BLACKPINK,” she said…
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