Deadline is the third Korean extended play (fourth overall) by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It was released on February 27, 2026, by YG Entertainment. Consisting of five tracks, the EP marks the group's first project since their second studio album, Born Pink, in 2022, and their first to be distributed by the Orchard instead of Interscope Records.
Deadline was preceded by the lead single, "Jump", which debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200 and topped the national charts in several countries. It also peaked at number two on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart and number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Go", was released alongside the album. Ahead of the EP's release, Blackpink embarked on the Deadline World Tour in July 2025, their first all-stadium tour.
Deadline received positive reviews from critics, who praised the group's musical evolution. Upon release, it broke the record for the highest first-day sales for a K-pop girl group in history, selling 1.46 million copies in its first day. The EP debuted at number one on the Circle Album Chart with 1.75 million copies sold in less than two days. In the United States, it became Blackpink's third top-ten album on the Billboard 200 at number eight.
In December 2023, YG Entertainment announced that Blackpink renewed their contracts for group activities and promised a new album and world tour to come. Yang Hyun-suk confirmed a 2025 comeback and world tour from the group in a July 2024 video detailing the label's upcoming plans. In May 2025, Lisa shared in an interview with Variety that they "were in the studio a few days ago" and that a new album was in development.
In August 2025, South Korean news outlet My Daily Korea reported that Blackpink was preparing an EP for release in November and had already completed a photoshoot for the album's jacket cover, to which YG Entertainment responded, saying they will announce it later through official promotions. In a YG Announcement video posted on YouTube on August 17, Yang Hyun-suk revealed that the group was currently in the process of working on a new EP with the hopes of releasing the project in November "at the latest".
In October, South Korean news outlet Xsports News reported that Blackpink was aiming to release their album in December; YG Entertainment responded that the date was yet to be confirmed. On October 20, the label confirmed that Blackpink would begin filming the music video for their new song that week and that the album was in its "final stages" of preparations to ensure the highest musical quality. In December, industry insiders indicated that the anticipated comeback had been postponed to January 2026. On January 14, Blackpink officially announced their third Korean extended play, Deadline, due for release on February 27 via YG Entertainment. Pre-orders for the extended play were made available later that day.
Following the announcement of Deadline on January 14, 2026, Blackpink released the first set of concept photos for the EP on January 29, featuring grayscale close-ups of each member in all-white outfits with their full faces hidden. On February 5, Blackpink revealed the EP's tracklist of five songs, including the album's second single and lead track "Go". On February 9, the group unveiled visual posters for each member labelled the "Statue" and "Red Light" versions, marking the first reveal of their complete portraits. On February 20, Blackpink released the "Deadline" version poster, featuring a full-group photo of the group in all-black outfits.
To celebrate the release of Deadline, Blackpink launched a collaborative project with the National Museum of Korea in partnership with Spotify, marking the first time a K-pop act participated in a large-scale collaboration with the museum. The museum's exterior and outdoor plaza was illuminated in pink lighting every night during the event period from February 27 to March 8, while inside a listening zone for the EP was set up at the museum's "Path to History" section. A reserved pre-listening session took place a day before the EP's release on February 26. Additionally, an audio guide recorded by Blackpink on eight select artifacts was made available, with Jisoo and Jennie providing Korean narration, Rosé in English, and Lisa in Thai. Pop-up stores will run from February 29 to March 8 in Seoul selling merchandise and a limited "Seoul Edition" of Deadline with an exclusive album cover mixing Blackpink's style with traditional Korean aesthetics. Further pop-up stores will also open in a number of cities including Hong Kong and Macau.
Deadline lead single "Jump" was released through YG Entertainment in a new distribution partnership with the Orchard on July 11, 2025. In an interview with Vogue Korea, Lisa announced that "Jump" was a pre-release single from the group's upcoming album. "Jump" debuted at number one on the Billboard Global 200, becoming the group's third number-one song. The song peaked at number one in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, and number two on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart. It also debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100, earning the group their milestone tenth entry on the chart. "Go" was released alongside the album on February 27, 2026, as the album's lead track and second single.
On February 19, 2025, YG Entertainment unveiled dates for a stadium tour with shows in South Korea, North America, and Europe, including London's Wembley Stadium, making them the first K-pop girl group to perform at the venue. On May 16, Blackpink announced Deadline World Tour as the tour's official title. Due to demand, additional shows were announced for Europe at Wembley Stadium and Paris' Stade de France. Shows were also added at Citi Field in New York City, Rogers Stadium in Toronto, and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles due to North American tickets selling out. On May 27, YG Entertainment announced dates for the Asia leg of the tour. The tour commenced on July 5, 2025, at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, South Korea, and concluded on January 26, 2026, at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. At the first show in Goyang, Blackpink debuted the EP's pre-release single, "Jump", for the first time.
The first track, "Jump", is a hardstyle, Eurodance, and dance pop song that incorporates elements of club music, synth-pop, techno, and EDM, and opens with a "striking guitar riff that evokes the feel of a Western film." Its lyrics describe the joy of a night out with the girls, discussing how sisterhood leads to liberation, and encourage everyone to get on the dance floor and jump.
In a review for the Associated Press, Cristina Jaleru rated Deadline four out of five stars, describing it as a "satisfying chapter in the band's discography". Robert Sheffield of Rolling Stone noted the group's evolution, observing that the members successfully integrated their individual artistic growth into their signature style. In a review for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung awarded the album four out of five stars, calling it "short and sweet" while noting that it highlights the "different styles and moods the quartet is capable of" while hinting at "exciting directions for a future full-length". Clash Robin Murray positively described the EP as a "perfectly judged return" for the group. He further highlighted the synergy of each member following each of their solo projects.
Jeong Harim of IZM praised the "strong charisma" of "Go" but criticized other songs for lack of individuality. Pitchfork Alex Ramos characterized Deadline as a formulaic, "bare minimum" effort that deviated from what he described as their signature K-pop style. Writing for Slant, Paul Attard was critical, giving the EP two-and-a-half stars out of five. While praising the first track "Jump", he argued that the rest of the project "steadily slumps in quality after its opening salvo".
Upon release, Deadline sold 1,461,785 copies in its first day and broke the record for the highest first-day sales for a K-pop girl group in Hanteo Chart history, surpassing Aespa's My World (2023). With this, Blackpink also became the first girl group in Hanteo Chart history to have two or more albums sell over 1 million copies on the first day of release, following Born Pink, which sold 1.01 million copies in 2022. Deadline debuted at number one on the Circle Album Chart with 1,756,992 copies sold in one and a half days of tracking. It also debuted at number one on the Circle Retail Album Chart, while Blackpink topped the Circle Social Chart. In response to the sales, YG Entertainment stated that "Global demand for the album has far exceeded our initial expectations, and we are currently in the process of additional production." In the United States, Deadline became Blackpink's third top-ten album on the Billboard 200, debuting at number eight with 52,000 album-equivalent units. The sum included 41,000 pure album sales, resulting in a number two debut on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, and 11,000 stream-equivalent sales from 11.46 million on-demand streams.
Credits adapted from Apple Music.