Jennie of Black Pink promised fans better performances after the band took a year-long break.

Black Pink met with the press in southern Seoul Friday, a few hours before the official release of its new EP “Square up.” Its previous record was released about a year ago. The band’s break was longer than expected, as rookie girl bands usually release new records between six to seven months.

“Six to seven months is a long time for us too. Taking a break for a year, we were able to shoot our first reality show ‘Black Pink House,’” Jennie said.

“We prepared a lot for the new EP. ‘Square Up’ has four songs, but there were originally more that we prepared. We want to show fans a better performance on the stage,” she added. “Coming back after a year, we should be thankful for people just listening to our songs. If they like them, we should be grateful.”

When the members first listened to the lead track “Ddu-du Ddu-du,” they all thought, “This is it,” Jennie said, adding that she will be the happiest when the songs are officially released to the public.

The EP “Square Up” will be released on Friday 6 p.m.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)