Jennie (singer)

Jennie Kim (; born January 16, 1996), known mononymously as Jennie, is a South Korean singer and rapper. Born and raised in South Korea, Kim studied in New Zealand at the age of eight for five years, before returning to South Korea in 2010. She debuted as a member of the girl group Blackpink under YG Entertainment in August 2016. In November 2018, Jennie made her debut as a solo artist with the single "Solo". The song was a commercial success domestically and internationally, topping both the Gaon Digital Chart and "Billboard's" World Digital Songs chart.
Early life.
Jennie Kim was born in the Seoul Capital Area, South Korea on January 16, 1996, as an only child. When she was eight years old, she went on a trip with her family to Australia and New Zealand. While in New Zealand, her mother asked her if she liked the place and if she wanted to stay, Kim replied "yes". A year later, she was sent to study at Waikowhai Intermediate School in Auckland, New Zealand and lived with a home-stay family. Kim spoke about her experiences on learning a new language on MBC's special documentary "English, Must Change to Survive" (2006). During her adolescent years, she dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer. After completing Intermediate, she enrolled into ACG Parnell College.
Kim heard of K-pop while residing in New Zealand, particularly finding an interest in YG Entertainment's music. Her mother planned to transfer her to the United States in Florida at the age of 14 to continue her studies leading to an occupation of a lawyer or teacher, however, the idea wasn't to her liking as she may not find work she liked while residing alone; her family supported her decision and soon had her moved back to South Korea in 2010. Kim auditioned to join YG Entertainment that same year and performed Rihanna's "Take a Bow", later succeeding in joining the label as a trainee. Through "High Cut" Korea, she once revealed how she was afraid of strangers and terrible at taking initiative and so could barely greet during her audition. Initially auditioning as a vocalist, the company believed she should embrace the role of a rapper as at the time she was the only trainee capable of speaking English, while most songs she covered included raps. She attended Cheongdam Middle School for her studies.
Career.
2012–2017: Career beginnings and debut with Blackpink.
On April 10, 2012, Kim was introduced to the public through a photo titled "Who's that girl?" via the official blog of YG Entertainment. Her photograph gained interest from netizens, soon becoming the most searched-after topic on portal sites under the name "Mystery Girl". On August 30, YG Entertainment released a YouTube video through their blog titled ""YG Trainee - Jennie Kim".", covering B.o.B.'s song "Strange Clouds" featuring Lil Wayne. On September 1, Kim was given the opportunity to make her first public appearance as the lead actress in G-Dragon's music video "That XX" from his extended play, "One of a Kind." On January 21, 2013, another video titled "Jennie Kim - YG New Artist", covering the song "Lotus Flower Bomb" by rapper Wale was released. In March, Lee Hi featured Kim on her B-side track, "Special" from her debut album, "First Love", while in August she featured on Seungri’s B-side track "GG Be" for his extended play, "Let's Talk About Love." In September, she featured on G-Dragon's B-side track "Black" and recorded the hook in less than five days before the release of his album, "Coup d'etat". On September 8, she made her first stage appearance alongside G-Dragon on SBS' "Inkigayo".
On June 1, 2016, Kim was the first to be revealed for YG Entertainment's newest girl group, seven years after the debut of 2NE1. On August 8, 2016, she debuted as a member of girl group Blackpink with the release of their single album "Square One" alongside double A-side singles, "Boombayah" and "Whistle" . According to band-mate Jisoo, she is responsible for the general duties and decision making of the group. Kim recalled her six-year experience as a trainee through V Live, stating each month a group, dance and solo song had to be performed where the CEO, producers and artists of the company would watch and evaluate the progress of their training. She further explained that many things had to be done each month, from preparing outfits and songs to making the accompaniment, and practicing choreography.
2018–present: Rising popularity and solo debut.
Jennie appeared with fellow Blackpink member Jisoo on "Running Man" in July 2018. A video of her crying after going through a horror room with Lee Kwang-soo went viral within South Korea, gaining over one million views on a portal site, and a combined total of over three million views throughout more portal sites, VODs, and social media. She went on to being selected as one of the best variety star of 2018 discovered by "Running Man". Jennie was then invited again after attracting attention through her previous appearance. Jennie was said to rank first among casting choices and received multiple proposals from broadcasters for variety shows. On October 1, Jennie was confirmed to join as a cast member for SBS' new variety show, "Village Survival, the Eight." This marked her first permanent casting for a television series.
In mid-October 2018, an announcement of Jennie's official solo debut was made. Following a series of promotional teasers, it was revealed she would release a single album titled "Solo" with a lead single of the same name. In the midst of preparation for her debut, it was decided that her single "Solo" would first be revealed through Blackpink's "In Your Area" tour in Seoul on November 10 ahead of release two days later. Jennie explained how "Solo" became the song for her debut through her press conference on November 12, stating: "When I'm at Teddy's studio, he'll make a song and I'll just record the guide for it. It wasn't that he was working on a solo track for me. He just said, 'I have something new, let's try it.' So I recorded the song he had, and it happened to be a great fit." The song was described as a "hip hop track with pop elements", and is designed to showcase the co-existence of Jennie's external and internal characters of a "delicate girl" while in contrast an "independent woman".
Upon release, domestically her single, "Solo", debuted on Gaon Music Chart at number one and achieved a triple crown for simultaneously topping the digital, download, and streaming charts. The lead single remained the on the digital and mobile charts for a further two consecutive weeks, while on the streaming chart for a further three consecutive weeks. "Solo" went on to becoming certified platinum for streaming by the KMCA, and soon earning her the "Song of the Year – November" at the 8th Gaon Chart Music Awards as well as the "Digital Bonsang" award at the 34th Golden Disc Awards. Overseas, she topped the "Billboard"'s World Digital Songs chart. The single also went on to being featured in the New York Times's playlist. At the time of its release, "Solo" became the most viewed music video by a female Korean solo artist of all time within a 24 hour period on YouTube. She then became the first and only female Korean solo artist to surpass 300 million views on the platform within a time-span of six months since release. Jennie's first appearance as a solo artist on SBS' "Inkigayo" and MBC "Show! Music Core" was postponed as broadcasters had cancelled all the performances scheduled for that week, so YG Entertainment uploaded "Solo" choreography videos as an alternative for fans. As further promotions, YG Entertainment released "Jennie – 'Solo' Diary" on YouTube, sharing glimpses of her journey throughout the promotion period of her release. On November 25, Jennie received her first music show win as a solo artist on "Inkigayo".
In April 2019, she became the first Korean solo artist to perform at Coachella. Her performance was listed under "The 10 Best Things We Saw at Coachella 2019", with "Billboard" describing it as "mind-blowing" and "stunning" for fans and casual passersby. Jennie co-wrote her group's single "Lovesick Girls", which was released on October 2, 2020, as the third single off the group's first Korean-language studio album, "The Album".
Artistry.
Influences.
When Jennie first began to rap, she studied artists such as Lauryn Hill and TLC, whose work she admires and respects. Jennie cited Rihanna as her main influence and role model.
Jennie has been reading fashion magazines and looking at different clothing styles since she was a child. Her interest in fashion came from her mother. Jennie says that Chanel has been part of her life since she was young and still remembers her first memory with the label founded by Gabrielle Chanel. "I remember when I was little, I look through my mother's wardrobe, and search for whatever "vintage" Chanel I could find" she told "Elle" Indonesia.
Fashion.
For her solo debut, she was very involved in the production of the outfits, concept, and choreography. Jennie put together more than 20 outfits for her music video. She recalled in an interview with "Billboard" that during the process she had thought about the way each outfit would accompany the song and what she could do differently, helping her to learn many different ways of approaching fashion. Vocal coach Shin Yoo-Mi, who's worked with Blackpink for six years until they debuted, had trained Jennie during preparations for her solo debut. In an interview, she described Jennie as a multi-player who is good at singing, rapping, and writing lyrics.
Impact and influence.
Jennie, instrumental in Blackpink's fashionable image, has been nicknamed "Human Gucci" and "Human Chanel". Her style portfolio ranges from Gucci and Saint Laurent to niche labels such as Marine Serre and Richard Quinn. Jennie's sense of fashion earned her invitations to fashion events such as Saint Laurent's "'Summer 17 Collection Launch Party'" by Anthony Vaccarello, Chanel's "'Mademoiselle Privé'" exhibition, and Prada's "'Comics Collection Launch Party"'. House of Chanel chose Jennie as "House Ambassador" after eyeing the ripple effects she had. She has significant selling power; photos on her social media become articles and the items she shows become trends. The hairpins Jennie wore in a 5-by-5 partition during her performances of her debut single "Solo" instantly became a trend in South Korea and were referred to as "Jennie's hairpins" due to their popularity.
Jennie's first magazine cover and a solo pictorial were for "Dazed" Korea with Saint Laurent in April 2017. She was the first Korean celebrity to model for "Boucheron Paris", a 160-year-old luxury jewellery brand; it was said that Jennie's "elegant" and "luxurious" atmosphere moved Boucheron to focus more on image marketing. The pictorial, presented in the high-end membership magazine "Heren" in 2017, was described as "art that embodies light". Jennie has since appeared on the cover of numerous fashion magazines, including "Dazed", "Harper's Bazaar", "Elle", "Marie Claire", "High Cut", "W", "Cosmopolitan", and "Billboard".
Although Jennie has been noted for her chic and strong image on stage, she has a captivating, cute personality and reversal charm off-stage. She describes herself as "quiet" and "shy", especially around strangers. "My personality may be what people think about my personality. But rather than being a person that other people have branded me as, I want to be a good individual who thinks for herself" she said in an interview with "Harper's Bazaar" when questioned about her personality. The producer of "Village Survival, the Eight," Jung Chul-Min described Jennie as being "really funny", stating that, "Contrary to the charisma she shows on stage, she is a shy person who has girlish, baby-like charms. Jennie gets more comfortable with each episode, she brings out more fun and enjoys it even more".
She is known for her brand recognition and marketing power, having placed first on the Korean Business Research Institute's monthly "Individual Girl Group Members Brand Power Ranking" numerous times. In 2018, she ranked second, receiving 12.2 percent of the votes in the "Most Favorite Idols" survey conducted annually by Gallup Korea that involved 1,501 Korean male and female respondents aged 13 to 29. Instagram awarded Jennie as the "Most Loved Account of 2018" in South Korea based on the number of views and likes received by her Instagram stories and posts that year.
"Forbes" acknowledged that Jennie has been "gaining a new foothold in Korea's beauty trends" and cited it as one of the reasons why Blackpink topped "Forbes" Korea Power Celebrity in April 2019. Jennie was the most-searched female K-pop idol of 2019 according to Google's mid-year chart. That year, Jennie was also ranked as the seventh most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers completing mandatory military service in South Korea.
On January 16, 2021, Jennie commenced her official YouTube channel, coinciding with her 25th birthday. Her channel quickly gained 1 million subscribers in less than seven hours and became the fastest channel to do so on the platform. Within 24 hours, she accumulating over 1.75 million subscribers, and became the second most subscribed YouTube user within the timeframe, following Brazilian singer Marília Mendonça.
Other ventures.
Endorsements.
In 2019, Jennie became the face of Hera, a South Korean luxury beauty brand owned by Amore Pacific. They chose Jennie to represent their brand due to her "elegant and luxurious" image. Hera's first lip advertisement with Jennie, called the "Red Vibe" lip series, saw an increase in sales five times higher than Hera's previous lip product. Due to the growing popularity, they were dubbed "Jennie's lipsticks". In 2021, Hera launched their Rouge Holic line on Amazon with Jennie serving as their global ambassador.
KT Corporation, South Korea's largest telephone company, recruited Jennie as an endorsement model alongside Soojoo for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Aura Red and Blue respectively in February 2020. For marketing purposes, the product was also dubbed as "Jennie Red", similarly to the previous campaign of Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Aura Red, "Daniel Red". It was launched exclusively for KT customers residing in South Korea. On June 11, 2020 Lotte Confectionery announced Jennie as their brand endorser for their latest snack product, "Air Baked". A representative revealed they believed Jennie is considered "trendy" within their targeted customer demographic among women in their 20s and 30s for their latest product.
On February 2, 2021, Jennie was announced as the face of "Chum Churum", a soju brand under Lotte Corporation. On February 10, Lotte Chilsung released Jennie's promotional material for the brand for the first time. The brand suffered losses due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but after securing the singer to promote their product, it was reported that sales had recovered by 14-15%. In March, Jennie became the new advertisement model of Kwangdong Vita500, a popular vitamin drink brand under Kwangdong Pharmaceutical. In April, Dashing Diva, a global nail brand, introduced Jennie as their new brand model.
Fashion.
Jennie was chosen as the new model for Chanel Korea Beauty and shot her first pictorial for the brand with "Harper's Bazaar" Korea as their new muse in January 2018. Jennie became the Ambassador of Chanel Korea in June. A spokesperson from Chanel Korea explained that Jennie's loyalty to the brand as well as her trendy style is in line with Chanel's image, as they seek to target young and trendy millennial's in addition to current consumers. Jennie attended the launch of Chanel's new fragrance "Les Eaux De Chanel" in Deauville, France, that same month. She met and interviewed Chanel's in-house perfume creator, Olivier Polge, and shot a pictorial for his new collection of fragrances with "Cosmopolitan" Korea. In October, she became the Global Ambassador for the French fashion house, joining label-mate G-Dragon. She attended her first Chanel fashion show as a Korean representative during Paris Fashion Week, sitting front row next to Pharrell Williams and Pamela Anderson.
On February 19, 2021, Jennie became one of the fashion editors for Vogue Korea's March issue. According to the magazine, she has participated in photoshoots as a planner and deciding on the concept, hair and makeup drafts, including styling.
Collaborations.
On April 15, 2020, it was announced that Jennie collaborated with Gentle Monster, a South Korean luxury eyewear brand. The collaboration was titled "Jentle Home" and was inspired by Jennie's childhood memories. The collections were designed by herself and features glasses, sunglasses, eyewear chains and others. In May 2020, Gentle Monster and Jennie opened a dollhouse-themed pop up store in Gangnam, Seoul.
Philanthropy.
Jennie has been part of the Cheongdam Woori Animal Hospital's "Protect Our Family" campaign since 2017, which helps to protect pets and rescue abandoned dogs.