BLACKPINK closed out their two-night takeover of London’s Wembley Stadium in true K-pop fashion — with a heartfelt nod to one of Britain’s most iconic girl groups, the Spice Girls.
The quartet’s Deadline World Tour stop marked their long-awaited return to the UK capital, following their 2023 sold-out headline show at Hyde Park. This time, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa didn’t just bring the bangers — they brought nostalgia.
Midway through the encore on Saturday (Aug 16), the group surprised fans with their own take on the Spice Girls’ debut hit Wannabe. Met with deafening screams from the 80,000-strong crowd, the moment was more than just a cover — it was a cultural bridge, connecting one generation of trailblazing girl power with the next.
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For BLACKPINK, this homage is personal. Back in 2023, the members performed Wannabe during a Carpool Karaoke session with James Corden, where LISA gushed over being a Spice Girls fan growing up, and JENNIE highlighted how she admired each member’s individuality. Corden even gave them their own honorary “Spice” titles: ROSÉ (Aussie Pink), LISA (Boss Pink), JENNIE (Shy Pink) and JISOO (Nail Pink).
And the references didn’t end there. Their latest single Jump, which recently stormed to No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, even slips in the phrase spice up your life — a cheeky wink to the Spice Girls’ 1997 anthem.
As BLACKPINK’s Wembley run proves, the group aren’t just global K-pop icons. They’re part of a larger story: Asian artists redefining pop culture on the world’s biggest stages, while paying respect to those who came before.
For fans, Saturday night was more than a concert — it was history repeating, but this time in pink.
Feature image: Resonate
