The fierce look and confidence of BLACKPINK, a four-member K-pop girl group, opened my eyes to K-pop when I was in sixth grade. Now, during my senior year, JENNIE marked the official start of BLACKPINK’s solo careers by releasing her solo album, “Ruby,” on March 7.
I was ecstatic when I first heard BLACKPINK’s members were going to debut as individual artists. The prospect of new music from BLACKPINK was especially appealing, as the group released few songs during their career. Additionally, the potential for the members to show a side I have not seen in the past reminded me of a forgotten curiosity.
Thankfully, every member lived up to these hopes and explored new genres in their albums, and JENNIE is no exception.
The album trailer, which reveals the album’s concept, is out of this world. The album’s red accent in its music videos and cover are unique, perfectly complementing the album’s name.
Moreover, JENNIE proves she owns the color red by embracing it in her unconventional red micro bang haircut.
Starting off strong with “Intro : JANE with FKJ,” JENNIE repeats seemingly meaningless lyrics. Though the lyrics may make it seem like the song has no direction, the gentle vocals and repetition is something innovative.
Additionally, I enjoy how this song dramatically contrasts the aggressive side of JENNIE YG Entertainment fostered.
When JENNIE raps in BLACKPINK, it feels like she toned down her character. For example, in their hit song “DDU DU DDU DU,” Jennie’s rap felt unnatural and forced because her voice lacked emotion.
In her own album, she makes sure to put her aggressive, swaggy side in songs such as “ExtraL” and “like JENNIE,” enhancing the album’s quality.
A highlight of “ExtraL” is the collaboration with Doechii, a popular American rapper. The build up to Doechii’s rap verse starts with a crowd chanting “Do my ladies run this?” which adds contrast to the song.
Additionally, once the rap portion of the song starts, she repeats the phrase “Give me…” with a word following after. This makes the song feel empowering and fun.
Though “ExtraL” is a great song to showcase JENNIE’s talent for rapping, “like JENNIE” outdoes it. “like JENNIE” is a rap-filled song that shuts haters down with its intense instrumental and lyrics like “I think I really like JENNIE / Haters they don’t really like (JENNIE…) / ‘Cause they could never be (JENNIE…).” Moreover, the second verse surprises me because she raps in Korean, reminding viewers of her heritage while spitting bars.
One of my favorite songs from the album is “Love Hangover,” which has blown up on social media. The fast singing at the beginning of the song is addictive, and its theme surrounding the emotions of a love-hate relationship encompasses modern dating culture.
The music video production team portrayed this meaning in the music video by having JENNIE go on seemingly innocent dates, each of which end in an unexpected, humorous death, making for a notable creative decision.
Altogether, this album is more than enough proof that YG Entertainment sheltered JENNIE. After putting her BLACKPINK songs besides the ones from “Ruby,” it becomes clear JENNIE only needs herself to shine bright.
