Jennie (singer)
Jennie Kim (Korean: 김제니; born January 16, 1996), known mononymously as Jennie, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and actress.[2] Born and raised in South Korea, Jennie studied in New Zealand for five years before returning to South Korea in 2010. She debuted as a member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, formed by YG Entertainment, in August 2016. In 2023, she made her acting debut under the stage name Jennie Ruby Jane in the HBO television series The Idol.
"Jennie Kim" redirects here. Not to be confused with Jenny Kim.
Jennie made her debut as a solo artist in November 2018 with the single "Solo", which topped South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart and the US Billboard World Digital Songs chart; its music video was the first by a female K-pop soloist to surpass one billion views on YouTube. Her single "You & Me" (2023) reached number one on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and the top five in South Korea, while "One of the Girls" (2023) also entered the top ten of the Billboard Global 200 and became the highest-charting song by a female K-pop soloist on the US Billboard Hot 100. In November 2023, Jennie established her own label named Odd Atelier.
Jennie has received several accolades throughout her career, including a Gaon Chart Music Award and a Golden Disc Award. She is the most-followed Korean individual on Instagram, and her YouTube channel was the fastest in history to surpass one million subscribers. Jennie is renowned for her musical versatility and fashion image, and has been dubbed the "Human Chanel", for which she serves as a global ambassador.
Early life
Jennie Kim was born on January 16, 1996, as an only child.[3] She was originally reported to be born in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul,[4] but she later revealed in episode three of Apartment 404 that she was actually born in Bundang in Seongnam.[5] She initially attended Cheongdam Elementary School in Seoul before moving to New Zealand.[6] When she was eight years old, she went on a trip with her family to Australia and New Zealand. When her mother asked her if she liked New Zealand and wanted to stay, Jennie replied "yes". One year later, she was sent to study at Waikowhai Intermediate School in Auckland and lived with a home-stay family.[7] Jennie spoke about her experience learning a new language on the MBC's documentary English, Must Change to Survive (2006).[8] During her adolescent years, she dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer.[9] After completing intermediate, she enrolled at ACG Parnell College.[7]
Jennie first heard of K-pop while in New Zealand, particularly finding an interest in YG Entertainment's music.[10] Her mother planned to move her to Florida in the United States at the age of 14 to continue her studies to become a lawyer or teacher; however, she did not like the idea and was concerned about not finding work she liked while living alone. Her family supported her decision, and she moved back to South Korea in 2010, where she studied at Cheongdam Middle School.[11][10][12] Jennie auditioned for YG Entertainment that same year with Rihanna's "Take a Bow", succeeding in joining the label as a trainee.[13] Through High Cut Korea, she revealed because she was afraid of strangers and reluctant to take initiative, she could barely introduce herself during her audition.[14] Initially a vocalist, the company believed she should embrace the role of a rapper as most songs she covered included raps and she was the only trainee fluent in English at the time, along with her native Korean; she also knows basic Japanese and has learned French.[15][16][17]
Artistry and image
Influences and musical style
When Jennie first began to rap, she studied the work of artists she admired and respected, such as Lauryn Hill and TLC.[88] Jennie cited Rihanna as her main musical influence and role model.[89] While working on Blackpink's The Album, Jennie listened to artists such as Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Harry Hudson, H.E.R. and Kacey Musgraves.[90] Vocal coach Shin Yoo-mi, who worked with Blackpink for six years until their debut, trained Jennie for her solo debut. In an interview, Shin described Jennie as versatile, with talent for singing, rapping and songwriting.[91]
Other ventures
Endorsements
In 2019, Jennie became the face of Hera, a South Korean luxury beauty brand owned by Amore Pacific,[157][158] choosing Jennie to represent their brand due to her "elegant and luxurious" image.[157][158] Hera's first lip advertisement with Jennie, the Red Vibe lip series, saw an increase in sales by five times compared to Hera's previous lip product. Due to their growing popularity, they were dubbed "Jennie's lipsticks".[159] In April 2021, Hera launched their Rouge Holic line on Amazon with Jennie serving as their global ambassador.[160] In April 2022, Jennie promoted Hera's Silky Stay Foundation.[161]
KT Corporation, one of South Korea's largest telephone companies, recruited Jennie as an endorsement model alongside Soojoo for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Aura Red and Blue, respectively, in February 2020. The product, named "Jennie Red",[162] was launched exclusively for KT customers residing in South Korea.[163] On June 11, 2020 Lotte Confectionery announced Jennie as their brand endorser for their latest snack product, Air Baked. They considered Jennie to be "trendy" within their targeted customer demographic, women in their 20s and 30s, for the product.[164]
On February 2, 2021, Jennie was announced as the face of Chum Churum, a soju brand under Lotte Corporation.[165] On February 10, Lotte Chilsung released Jennie's promotional material for the brand for the first time.[166] On March 8, Jennie became the advertisement model of Kwangdong Vita500, a vitamin drink brand.[167][168] On April 8, Dashing Diva, a global nail brand, introduced Jennie as their new brand model.[169] On August 17, she became a model for South Korean bed and mattress brand Ace Bed.[170][171] In August 2022, Jennie became the face of soju brand Lotte Soonhari.[172][173] In September 2022, Jennie became a model for South Korean perfume brand Tamburins.[174]