#NEWMUSIC: ZAYN X JISOO – “EYES CLOSED”

Today, South Korean superstar singer, actress, and international style icon JISOO unites with multi-platinum recording artist, songwriter, producer, and philanthropist ZAYN to release the epic new collaborative single “EYES CLOSED.” Set to expansive, genre-swirling production, the duet captures the nervous anticipation and thrilling freefall of diving into new love without looking back. Listen to “EYES CLOSED” HERE via Warner Records.

The momentous team-up arrives as JISOO continues to delight audiences on BLACKPINK’s Deadline World Tour, which has sold out stadiums on multiple continents already — check out the full, ongoing itinerary below. Meanwhile, ZAYN is set to kick off 2026 with his first-ever Las Vegas residency, marking the beginning of what will be a massive year as he gears up for his next chapter. Tickets are on sale now — go HERE for details.

“EYES CLOSED” opens on a tender moment. “Time is standing still and I don’t want to leave your lips / Tracing my body with your fingertips,” sings JISOO, and ZAYN replies, “I know what you’re feeling and I know you want to say it / I do too, but we gotta be patient.” Their cinematic story unfolds as the soundtrack deepens — warm keys and raw acoustic guitar mix with throbbing bass synth, and loads of gravity-free atmosphere. Together, their soulful vocals make a vow as they build into the huge chorus: “Say, oh, we should fall in love with our eyes closed / Better if we keep it where we don’t know / The beds we been in, the names and the faces of who we were with / And oh, ain’t nobody perfect but it’s all good / The past can’t hurt us if we don’t look / Let’s let it go, better if we fall in love with our eyes closed.”

Earlier this year, JISOO released her highly anticipated debut mini album AMORTAGE led by the singles “earthquake” and “Your Love,” which she’s been performing during her solo set on tour with BLACKPINK. AMORTAGE is JISOO’s most comprehensive solo work yet and marked a “rebirth” of the global superstar. Taking its name from a fusion of “amor” and “montage,” the four-song set explores the emotional stages of love and the many vivid moments of a relationship. The release debuted at #1 on the South Korea Albums Chart and also spawned the dancefloor-shaking Sam Feldt remix of “earthquake.” Listen to AMORTAGE in full HERE.

AMORTAGE has also solidified JISOO as a bona fide solo force of nature. Beyond generating nearly half a billion streams in less than 6 months, the set earned widespread acclaim. NYLON hailed it as “big, euphoric bubblegum pop that falls somewhere between Kylie Minogue and Carly Rae Jepsen,” and hypebae applauded how “the EP explores the different waves of love — from passion to heartbreak.” EUPHORIA. gave the mini album 4/5 stars, highlighting the way “the record speaks of the flaming nature of that oft-referenced and sung-about emotion we call love. In one, her love is so strong it could produce an earthquake and in another, cosmic laws are broken just because they’re together.” Plus, Billboard raved, “The BLACKPINK superstar delivers sonic surprises, confident vocals and radio-ready tracks to prove her global pop star status,” while NME proclaimed, “It’s refreshing to see JISOO make music as playful as her personality.”

ZAYN, known for his skyscraping vocals and hybrid style of pop and R&B, has left an indelible mark on pop culture. He made history with his debut solo album Mind of Mine, becoming the first UK male solo artist to debut at No. 1 on both the UK and US album charts in its first week of release. The album’s lead single, “PILLOWTALK,” hit #1 in 68 countries around the world and has since been certified 5x platinum by the RIAA. In 2024, he released his raw and revealing fourth studio album, ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS, via Mercury Records to critical acclaim, and embarked on his first-ever solo tour across the US, UK, and Mexico. Most recently, ZAYN collaborated with Borderlands 4 to release “Break Free,” an original song created for the latest installment in the popular video game franchise.

Attracting over 79 million Instagram followers and generating billions of streams, JISOO launched her meteoric solo rise in 2023. She earned accolades and made history with her debut single album, ME, which immediately became the best-selling album by a solo female artist in South Korea and the first to sell more than 1 million copies. With her breakout single “꽃 (FLOWER),” JISOO also became the first female K-pop solo artist to achieve 1 million preorders — before tallying the highest first-week sales by a female solo artist to date and the highest 24-hour viewership of any K-pop music video in all of 2023. The song also broke records for the highest-charting hit by a solo Korean female on the Canadian Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Stateside, it catapulted to #2 on the Billboard Global 200 and #1 on the Global Excl. U.S. Chart.

Along the way, JISOO’s influence has also spread across fashion and culture. She has served as a global ambassador for Dior, Cartier, and Dyson in addition to being named the face of ALO Yoga in 2024. That same year, she made waves as “the most-mentioned celebrity during New York Fashion Week” on social media. Plus, she stars in the K-Drama series Newtopia, streaming now on Prime Video. And, of course, she launched her career as part of global girl group BLACKPINK, selling out stadiums, winning numerous awards, and captivating millions of fans worldwide.

BLACKPINK Deadline World Tour

10/18 – Kaohsiung, Taiwan @ Kaohsiung National Stadium

10/19 – Kaohsiung, Taiwan @ Kaohsiung National Stadium

10/24 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Rajmangala National Stadium

10/25 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Rajmangala National Stadium

10/26 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Rajmangala National Stadium

11/1 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

11/2 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

11/22 – Bocaue, Philippines @ Philippine Arena

11/23 – Bocaue, Philippines @ Philippine Arena

11/28 – Kallang, Singapore @ Singapore National Stadium

11/29 – Kallang, Singapore @ Singapore National Stadium

11/30 – Kallang, Singapore @ Singapore National Stadium

1/16 – Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Dome

1/17 – Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Dome

1/18 – Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Dome

1/24 – Kowloon, Hong Kong @ Kai Tak Stadium

1/25 – Kowloon, Hong Kong @ Kai Tak Stadium

1/26 – Kowloon, Hong Kong @ Kai Tak Stadium

ZAYN AT DOLBY LIVE AT PARK MGM (LAS VEGAS) DATES:

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026

Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026

Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

Friday, Jan. 30, 2026

Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026

#FIRSTLOOK: “SNOWDROP”

By Mr. Will Wong

Based on the massive popularity of Squid Game, the world has shown it’s ready for K-Drama. Disney+ take a leap of faith on JTBC Series SNOWDROP, which just finished its televised run in its native Korea, the transcendent star power of its two leads prove that powerful storytelling and performances knows no boundaries of language.

The story is set in the late ’80s as South Korea is about to undergo a major political revolution. We witness mass protests calling for democracy, calling-out the dictatorship that ruled the nation and its unfair election practices. We meet Eun Yeong-ro (Blackpink‘s Jisoo), a student at the Hosu Women’s University trying to abide by the strict regulations at the dorm and doing her best not to get her and her roommates kicked-out. The girls agree to go on a group blind date with some neighbouring male students. Quite instantly, Yeong-ro finds herself drawn to Lim Soon-ho (Jung Hae-in) who is posing as a graduate student, but unbeknownst to Yeong-ro, he is a North Korean agent on a mission. Through kismet, she finds him unconscious and bloodied one day in her dorm room, just as the Agency for National Security Planning are in hot pursuit of him. Together with her roommates, Yeong-ro must find a way to hide Soon-ho within the school, keeping him safe from the ANSP and also other students who could leak his whereabouts.

Unfolding over 16 episodes at 90 minutes apiece, each meticulously-styled episode of SNOWDROP feels like a Feature Film in itself. Under tight and focused direction by Jo Hyun-tak, the Series is equal parts gripping Political Drama and Romance, and it is effective on both levels. We aren’t too familiar with Korean history, but are well aware of some of the controversy surrounding the Series and its historical accuracy. We recognize this Series recalls a painful part of Korea’s past in which hundreds, potentially thousands, dead in the fight to end dictatorship in South Korea, and understand why this is a sensitive topic. This is a story to be told in its own due right. SNOWDROP however is imagined.

Despite its criticism, we can evaluate the Series based on its merit as Fiction and we were charmed by the beauty of this doomed love story, where our hero and heroine have seemingly impossible obstacles to overcome. There is an imminent sense threat lurking, whether it be from within the walls of the school or from external forces. Writer Yoo Hyun-mi builds an interconnected world of characters, giving us a sense of the power dynamics and what’s at stake for them whether we’re seeing tension between the higher-ups at the ANSP and drama among their wives. And of course, ultimately what this means for our two central characters.

Jisoo possesses a natural charisma and is just enchanting. It is hard to believe this is her first starring role. Her Yeong-ro is virtuous, nurturing and just learning to navigate the complicated truth that life is about to throw her way at her young age. Jung Hae-in delivers an understated performance as Soon-ho, giving us a sense of mystery and it becomes our mission to uncover his intriguing truth as the Series progresses. Other standouts include Yoon Se-ah as the stern Headmistress at the Women’s University, Pi Seung-hee and it is a pleasure seeing her story unfold as we figure where her loyalties lie. Jung Yoo-jin also leaves an impression as Jang Han-na, a rookie and first ever female ANSP agent, perhaps a little too eager. While we’ve only seen part of it, we can tell we’re going to love this already and are prepared for this to get real emotional.

The first two episodes of SNOWDROP are available now to stream now on Disney+, with new episodes arriving weekly on Wednesdays.

#FIRSTLOOK: “SNOWDROP” COMING TO DISNEY+

Blinks, we’ve got something exciting for you! SNOWDROP which stars Blackpink‘s Jisoo is coming soon to Disney+! The 16-episode Series begins streaming February.

Synopsis:

When a blood-soaked man (Jung Hae-In) bursts into the dormitory of a women’s university in Seoul, Korea, Eun Yeong-ro (Jisoo) will go against her better judgement and risk being expelled to hide the man from his attackers and tend to his wounds. Unbeknownst to Yeong-ro, the man has a harrowing secret that threatens to put her friends’ and family’s safety at risk, and the two young lovers will have to work together to overcome the obstacles.

Centered around the forbidden romance of a young couple, “Snowdrop” features Jisoo’s debut-starring performance in a Korean drama that will take viewers on an emotional rollercoaster full of excitement, action, and romance.  The series follows Yeong-ro as she goes against her family and her country to help the man she loves, while Jung Hae-In puts everything on the line to save the only thing he loves more than his country, Yeong-ro.

“Snowdrop” was written by Yoo Hyun-mi and directed by Jo Hyun-tak, the duo behind the 2018 thriller “Sky Castle.” 

The first two episodes of SNOWDROP arrives February 9, 2022 on Disney+, additional episodes arriving weekly.

(Photo credit: Disney)