Summer is wrapping up, but there’s still plenty of sunny days and steamy nights left. So, what’s a better way to cool off than with a tasty treat from BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez? The K-Pop group — Lisa, 23, Jisoo, 25, Jennie, 24, and Rosé, 23 – teamed with the “Rare” singer to offer two scoops of fun with “Ice Cream” and it’s everything that BLINK (the name of BLACKPINK’s fans) and Selenators thought it would be. Of course, no music video about ice cream wouldn’t be complete without an ice cream truck and its driver — a role that Selena took over!
Selena commanded the truck in a candy stripe bikini and sailor’s hat, complete with white gloves and a bold red lip. The BLACKPINK ladies‘ outfits delivered just as much of a sugar rush; standout pieces included Rosé’s Dalmation puppy corset, Lisa’s Phillies-printed jeans, Jennie’s Care Bears dress and Jisoo’s flower-shaped hip chain. Selena enjoyed a few outfit changes herself, wearing a Puma bodysuit with a green visor in one scene, and a yellow gingham print dress in another!
Ahead of the song’s release, Selena shared stills from the then-unreleased music video, teasing fans for what they could expect when the visual arrived. On Aug. 17, she posted a license plate that read SELPINK, attached to what looked like an old Chevrolet ice cream truck. Four days later, she shared a shot of her licking an ice cream cone while dressed like she had stepped out of Grease, with curly hair tied up in a headscarf, chunky earrings, and an off-the-shoulder white top. The most tantalizing tease, though, came when she shared a shot of her serving ice cream while wearing the red-and-white striped bikini you see above.
After rumblings that Selena, 28, would be teaming up with the four-member K-pop band –– both BLACKPINK and Sel confirmed the collaboration on Aug. 11. This song comes from BLACKPINK’s self-titled debut studio album, Blackpink: The Album, which is scheduled to be released on Oct. 2 from YG Entertainment and Interscope Records. This track also follows another sweet-themed, high-profile collaboration. Earlier in the year, BLACKPINK was featured on Lady Gaga’s “Sour Candy,” which netted the K-Pop group its highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., coming in at No. 33.
“Ice Cream” could also be considered an Ariana Grande collaboration. Producer and songwriter Tommy Brown worked on the song, and he uploaded the single’s artwork to his Instagram on Aug. 21. “Produced and written be(sic) me and some of my awesome friends,” he said while tagging BLACKPINK, Selena, Victoria Monet, Bekauh Book, Mr. Franks (aka Steve Franks), and … Ms. Grande. Ariana confirmed that she had a hand in this song, per Soompi. She shared the single’s artwork to her Instagram Story, adding that she was “proud of the squad … and so excited for this!!! So much love for this team and these ladies!”
Selena also celebrated her collaboration with BLACKPINK by launching a new flavor or ice cream, according to Variety. Selena has up with Serendipity to release “Cookies & Cream Remix,” a mixture of pink vanilla ice cream, cookie bites, and fudge. The flavor, which runs $5.99 a pink, is available on Aug. 28, the same day as “Ice Cream.” No word if every pint comes with a download of the song.
Can the combined might of the BLINK and Selenators propel this track to No. 1? Collaboration has been the key to a Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper in 2020. Out of all the 15 different songs to hold the top spot this year so far, half of them were solo acts: Mariah Carey (“All I Want For Christmas Is You”), Post Malone (“Circles”), Roddy Ricch (“The Box”), Selena’s ex The Weeknd (“Blinding Lights”), Drake (“Toosie Slide”), Selena’s bestie Taylor Swift (“Cardigan”), and Harry Styles (“Watermelon Sugar”).
Selena was able to get a No. 1 with “Lose You To Love Me” in 2019, but the other singles from Rare, her 2020 album, failed to replicate that success.