Jennie (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jennie
Jennie in 2023
Born	Jennie Kim (1996-01-16) January 16, 1996 (age 29) Seongnam, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Other names	Jennie Ruby Jane
Occupation	Singer rapper actress
Organization	Odd Atelier
Works	Discography
Musical career
Genres	K-pop dance-pop hip hop
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2012–2013 2016–present
Labels	YG Interscope Odd Atelier Columbia
Korean name
Hangul	김제니
Revised Romanization	Gim Jeni
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Cheni
Signature

Jennie Kim (Hangul: 김제니; born January 16, 1996), known as Jennie, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and actress. She was born and grew up in South Korea and New Zealand. Jennie joined YG Entertainment in 2010. She later debuted as a member of the K-pop girl group Blackpink in August 2016. She also started acting in 2023. She used the name Jennie Ruby Jane in the HBO TV show The Idol.

In November 2018, Jennie released her first solo song, "Solo". It became number one in South Korea and on the US Billboard World Digital Songs chart. Its music video was the first by a Korean female solo artist to get over one billion views on YouTube. Her songs "You & Me" and "One of the Girls" were very popular worldwide in 2023. "You & Me" even reached number one on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart. In 2024, she started her own music company called Odd Atelier. She also signed with Columbia Records. Her song "Spot!" became her second number-one hit in South Korea. Her song "Mantra" became the highest-charting song by a Korean female solo artist on the UK Singles Chart. This song is the main single from her first album, Ruby, which will come out in 2025.

Jennie has won many awards, including four MAMA Awards. She is the most-followed Korean person on Instagram. Jennie is known for her different music styles and her fashion. People call her the "Human Chanel" because she is a global ambassador for the brand.

Jennie's Early Life and School

Jennie Kim was born on January 16, 1996. She is an only child. She first went to Cheongdam Elementary School in Seoul. Later, she moved to New Zealand. When she was eight, she visited Australia and New Zealand with her family. Her mother asked if she liked New Zealand and wanted to stay. Jennie said "yes". A year later, she went to Waikowhai Intermediate School in Auckland. She lived with a host family there. Jennie talked about learning a new language on a TV show called English, Must Change to Survive (2006). When she was a teenager, she wanted to be a ballet dancer. After intermediate school, she went to ACG Parnell College.

Jennie first learned about K-pop while in New Zealand. She really liked the music from YG Entertainment. Her mother planned for her to move to Florida in the United States when she was 14. She was supposed to study to become a lawyer or teacher. But Jennie didn't like this idea. She worried about not finding work she enjoyed while living alone. Her family supported her choice. She moved back to South Korea in 2010. There, she studied at Cheongdam Middle School. Jennie tried out for YG Entertainment that same year. She sang Rihanna's "Take a Bow". She successfully joined the company as a trainee. She later shared that she was shy and found it hard to introduce herself during her audition. She started as a singer. But the company thought she should be a rapper. This was because many songs she covered had raps. She was also the only trainee who spoke English well, besides her native Korean. She also knows some basic Japanese and French.

Music Career Highlights

Starting Out and Blackpink Debut (2012–2017)

Jennie performing with Blackpink in October 2017

On April 10, 2012, YG Entertainment showed a photo of Jennie. It was titled "Who's that girl?". People online were very curious about her. On August 30, YG Entertainment posted a YouTube video. It was called "YG Trainee - Jennie Kim". In it, she sang B.o.B.'s song "Strange Clouds". On September 1, Jennie appeared in G-Dragon's music video "That XX".

In January 2013, another video of Jennie singing was released. In March, Lee Hi featured Jennie on her song "Special". In August, Jennie was featured on Seungri's song "GG Be". In September, she was featured on G-Dragon's song "Black". She recorded the main part of the song in less than five days. On September 8, she performed on stage with G-Dragon for the first time.

On June 1, 2016, Jennie was the first member announced for YG Entertainment's new girl group. This was their first girl group in seven years. On August 8, 2016, she officially debuted with Blackpink. The group included Jisoo, Rosé, and Lisa. They released their first album Square One. It had the songs "Boombayah" and "Whistle". According to Jisoo, Jennie helped with the group's general duties and decisions. Jennie shared that for six years as a trainee, they performed songs for the company's CEO and producers every month. In 2018, Blackpink signed a deal with Interscope Records.

Growing Fame and Solo Debut (2018–2021)

Jennie appeared on the TV show Running Man in July 2018. A video of her crying in a horror room became very popular. It got millions of views. She was later chosen as one of the best new TV stars of 2018. She was invited back to Running Man and got many offers for other shows. On October 1, Jennie joined the cast of the TV show Village Survival, the Eight. This was her first regular role on a TV series.

Jennie at the Sprite Waterbomb Festival in 2018

In October 2018, it was announced that Jennie would release her first solo music. She released a single album called Solo with the main song "Solo". The song was first performed during Blackpink's tour in Seoul on November 10. It was officially released two days later. "Solo" is a hip hop song with pop parts. It was made to show Jennie's different sides. To promote the song, YG Entertainment released a YouTube series called Jennie – 'Solo' Diary. It showed her working on the song.

When "Solo" was released, it went straight to number one in South Korea. It was also number one on the digital, download, and streaming charts. The song stayed at the top for several weeks. "Solo" also topped the Billboard's World Digital Songs chart. Its music video became the most-watched by a female Korean solo artist in 24 hours on YouTube. Jennie was also the first Korean female solo artist to get over 300 million views on YouTube within six months. On November 25, Jennie won her first music show award as a solo artist. She won three times in a row.

On April 12 and 19, 2019, Jennie was the first Korean solo artist to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. She sang "Solo" during Blackpink's performance. Billboard called her performance "mind-blowing" and "stunning".

Jennie helped write the song "Lovesick Girls" for Blackpink. It was released on October 2, 2020. On January 31, 2021, Jennie performed a new version of "Solo" during Blackpink's online concert, The Show. This version had a new rap verse written by Jennie.

Acting Debut and New Company (2022–2023)

Jennie performing during the Born Pink World Tour in 2022

During Blackpink's Born Pink World Tour, which started in October 2022, Jennie performed a new solo song called "You & Me". She sang a remixed version of the song at Coachella in April 2023. On July 2, she performed this song and "Solo" at a concert in London.

In 2023, Jennie started acting in the HBO TV series The Idol. She used the name Jennie Ruby Jane for acting. The show was not very popular. However, Jennie's role as Dyanne, a backup dancer, received praise. A video clip of her in the show became very popular online. Jennie first hinted at a song with the Weeknd for the show's soundtrack. The song, "One of the Girls" by the Weeknd, Jennie, and Lily-Rose Depp, was released on June 23.

After the Born Pink World Tour ended, "You & Me" was officially released on October 6, 2023. The song reached number seven on the Billboard Global 200. It topped the Billboard Global Excl. US chart. This was Jennie's first solo number-one song on that chart. It also reached number four in South Korea. In the United Kingdom, it was number 39 on the UK Singles Chart. It became number one on the UK Singles Downloads Chart and UK Singles Sales Chart. This made Jennie the first Korean female solo artist to top those charts.

Jennie at the Met Gala in 2024

On November 22, 2023, King Charles III gave Jennie and her bandmates an award. They became Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at Buckingham Palace.

The song "One of the Girls" became very popular on TikTok. Fans loved Jennie's parts in the song. It was released as an official single on December 8. The song became her first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached number 51 in March 2024. This broke the record for the highest-charting song by a K-pop female solo artist. The song stayed on the chart for 20 weeks. This made Jennie the first K-pop female solo artist to do so. It also got over 1 billion streams on Spotify. Jennie became the first Korean female solo artist to get a platinum award from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In the UK, the song reached number 21. It also reached number ten on the Billboard Global 200.

On December 6, YG Entertainment said that Blackpink members renewed their group contracts. On December 24, Jennie announced she started her own music company, Odd Atelier. YG Entertainment confirmed on December 29 that Jennie and other Blackpink members would not sign individual contracts with YG.

New Album Ruby (2024–present)

Jennie worked with American rapper Matt Champion on the song "Slow Motion". It was released on March 8, 2024. On April 26, South Korean rapper Zico released the song "Spot!" featuring Jennie. Jennie also appeared in the music video. The song was very popular in South Korea. It became number one on the Circle Digital Chart. This was Jennie's second song to reach number one. Worldwide, it reached number 24 on the Billboard Global 200.

On September 8, it was announced that Jennie signed a solo artist deal with Columbia Records. This is in partnership with her company, Odd Atelier. On September 30, Jennie announced her new single, "Mantra". It was released on October 11. The song debuted at number three on the Billboard Global 200. It also reached number three in South Korea. It debuted at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart. This broke the record for the highest-charting UK single by a Korean female solo artist. Jennie won four awards at the 2024 MAMA Awards. Her first solo album, Ruby, will be released on March 7, 2025.

Other Projects

Working with Brands

Jennie promoting her Jentle Salon collection with Gentle Monster

On April 15, 2020, Jennie announced a collaboration with Gentle Monster. This is a South Korean luxury eyewear brand. They created a collection called "Jentle Home". It was inspired by Jennie's childhood memories. Jennie designed the items herself, including glasses and sunglasses. In May 2020, Gentle Monster and Jennie opened a pop-up store in Seoul. On February 18, 2022, Gentle Monster announced a mobile game called Jentle Garden. This was their second project with Jennie. The game was released on February 22.

On March 10, 2022, Jennie and Gentle Monster released their third collection, "Jentle Garden" eyewear. The photos for the campaign were taken by Hugo Comte. Days later, they opened another pop-up store in Seoul. Jennie designed the house at this store. In April 2022, they released a limited eyewear collection called Lesyeuxdenini. Jennie designed the packaging and a flower keyring for this collection. On October 12, 2022, Jennie started working with the German car company Porsche. She helped design a custom car for herself. It was named Jennie Ruby Jane.

Helping Others

Jennie has been part of the "Protect Our Family" campaign since 2018. This campaign helps protect pets and rescue abandoned dogs. In November 2023, she attended a charity event to raise money for breast cancer screening and treatment. In May 2024, she donated ₩100 million (US$74,400) to Habitat for Humanity in Korea. She made the donation in the name of Blink, Blackpink's fan club. This money will help build a school for young people.

Music Style

When Jennie first started rapping, she studied artists like Lauryn Hill and TLC. Jennie said Rihanna is her main musical inspiration. While working on Blackpink's The Album, Jennie listened to artists like Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish. Her vocal coach, Shin Yoo-mi, trained Jennie for six years. Shin described Jennie as very talented. She said Jennie is good at singing, rapping, and writing songs.

Jennie's Influence

Jennie in a video for Marie Claire Korea in 2020

Jennie is very important to Blackpink's fashion image. People have called her "Human Gucci" and "Human Chanel". Her style includes brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent. Jennie's fashion sense led to invitations to many fashion events. Chanel chose her as a brand ambassador. The hairpins Jennie wore during her "Solo" performances became a trend in South Korea.

Jennie's first magazine cover was for Dazed Korea in April 2017. She was the first Korean celebrity to model for Boucheron Paris. This is a 160-year-old luxury jewelry brand. Jennie's "elegant" and "luxurious" look helped Boucheron with their marketing. Jennie has appeared on many fashion magazine covers. These include Dazed, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, and Vogue.

Jennie is known for her strong brand power. She has often ranked first in surveys about girl group members' brand power. In 2021, she was the first Korean to get 50 million followers on Instagram. As of December 2023, she is the most-followed Korean person on Instagram. She is also the second most-followed K-pop idol after her bandmate Lisa. Photos from her social media accounts often become news. The items she shows become popular trends. In 2018, Jennie ranked second in a survey of favorite idols in South Korea. Instagram named Jennie's account the "Most Loved Account of 2018" in South Korea.

Forbes said Jennie was "gaining a new foothold in Korea's beauty trends". This was one reason Blackpink topped Forbes Korea Power Celebrity in April 2019. She was the most-searched female K-pop idol of 2019 on Google. In 2019, Jennie was also ranked as the seventh most popular female K-pop idol in a survey of soldiers. In a 2019 music poll, Jennie was voted the eighth most popular idol in South Korea. Jennie's "Jentle Home" collection, launched in April 2020, sold out very quickly. On December 2, 2020, Chinese singer Ye Ziming released a song called "Jennie". It had lyrics about how much he admired Jennie.

On January 16, 2021, her 25th birthday, Jennie started her official YouTube channel. It gained one million subscribers in less than seven hours. This made it the fastest channel to do so. Within 24 hours, she had over 1.75 million subscribers. Sales for Chum Churum, a soju brand, went up by 14-15% after Jennie promoted their product. Ace Bed's stock price also went up by 28.14% after Jennie became their new model.

Former K-pop idol Jung Ah called Jennie "baby Jennie". She said it was a "cute and pretty" name. In August 2021, Jennie was voted the sixth most well-rounded idol. She was the highest-ranking female idol on the list. In November 2021, Osen reported that Jennie was ranked sixth in celebrity earnings from endorsements. On February 23, 2022, her Jentle Garden app became number one in the Korean App Store. A video with Jennie as a special guest on YouTube got over 10 million views. The clothes she wore in the video also became very popular.

Many artists have said Jennie is an influence and role model. These include Dana from Hot Issue, Nana from Woo!ah!, and Lily from Nmixx. Olympic athletes Hwang Sun-woo and Kang So-hwi are also fans of Jennie.

Music Albums

• Ruby (2025)

TV Shows and Movies

Television

Web Shows

Music Video Appearances

Live Performances

Music Festivals

Award Shows

Television Shows and Specials

Awards and Honors

State Honors

See also

In Spanish: Jennie para niños

• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Downloads Chart