BLACKPINK’s Jennie Releases Solo Debut Album “Ruby,” Marking Her Transition as a Global Pop Star

Jennie, the 29-year-old member of BLACKPINK, released her solo album “Ruby,” becoming the final member of the group to make her solo debut. This follows Rose’s “rosie,” Jisoo’s “Amortage,” and Lisa’s “Alter Ego,” completing the transition of all four group members into individual artists. “Ruby” consists of 15 tracks, featuring collaborations with top Billboard artists such as Dua Lipa, Dominic Fike, Childish Gambino, and Doechii. Notably, it includes a track titled “Handlebars” in collaboration with Albanian pop star Dua Lipa. Jennie shared the album’s production process with her fans by releasing photos from the filming of music videos like “ExtraL” and “Love Hangover.” Charles Melton appeared in the music video for “Love Hangover.” To celebrate the release of “Ruby,” Jennie held an intimate concert at the Picoct Theater in Los Angeles, with an additional encore show scheduled for Friday. It is reported that Jennie invested meticulous attention throughout the album’s production process. She continued to refine the tracks until shortly before recording ended and even designed a “Ruby Jane” nail art featuring her fingerprint as part of the album’s photoshoot.

The solo activities of BLACKPINK members intensified after the group’s contract renewal in 2023. Jennie, Jisoo, Rose, and Lisa each joined new agencies and began releasing solo songs one after another. They are striving to transform their identities into global pop stars by introducing tracks with English lyrics and planning performances targeted at Western markets. In particular, Lisa declared a new milestone as a global pop star through the music video for “Rockstar,” which featured Thailand’s Yaowarat Chinatown as the setting and included Thai dancers and transgender celebrities to emphasize Thai cultural identity. Recently, Jennie revealed her admiration for other celebrities during her appearance on BBC’s “Chicken Shop Date.” While trying to describe how excited she was when she met Rihanna, she admitted with a laugh that she “couldn’t even speak properly” and “couldn’t talk about Rihanna adequately.” Meanwhile, Spotify held a “Rubify” listening event in Seoul to celebrate the release of Jennie’s “Ruby.” The event invited 200 fans to listen to the album first, showed Jennie’s interview footage, and provided merchandise and a photo zone to connect with the audience. The group’s world tour is set to begin in July.