Jennie Proves Her Global Solo Power with “Like Jenny” – Celebrity-Heavy Concert Held

Jennie of BLACKPINK once again demonstrated her influence as a top global singer with her new song “Like Jenny.” On the weekly fandom chart released by K-pop Radar on the 14th, Jennie topped the list with this new track, clearly showcasing her strong solo presence. The music video for Jennie’s “Like Jenny” accumulated 23.48 million views during the second week of March (March 6–12). Her Spotify follower count increased by 231,000, far exceeding the K-pop average of 1,800. During the same period, her Instagram followers rose by 294,000, and her X (Twitter) followers increased by 21,000—figures that are dozens of times higher compared to the K-pop averages of 3,900 for Instagram and 148 for X. K-pop Radar commented, “Jennie set astonishing records befitting a top global singer, achieving outstanding results right alongside her solo comeback.” To celebrate the release of her solo album “Ruby,” Jennie held the “The Ruby Experience” concert series. After performances in Los Angeles and New York, the final show took place in Incheon. Dozens of celebrities attended, including ROSÉ of BLACKPINK, all members of NewJeans, IRINE and YERI of Red Velvet, actress Kim Ji-won, entertainer Yoo Jae-suk, HYERI of Girl’s Day, SEUNGHUN and SEUNGYUN of WINNER, DAESUNG of BIGBANG, MEOVV, ZICO, and actor Lee Dong-hwi. This event clearly illustrated Jennie’s influence as the “idol of idols” within the K-POP industry. However, criticism was raised regarding the concert’s production quality. An IMBC reporter noted in an article that the concert started 10 minutes late due to confusion among attendees caused by identity checks of the celebrities. The reporter praised Jennie’s live performance skills and the fresh arrangement of her new song but criticized the stage design for lacking creativity. Aside from basic stage setups and graphics displayed on screens, there were few additional effects, and the screen size was noticeably smaller compared to other concerts. Given that ticket prices ranged in the hundreds of thousands of won, the production level was deemed unsatisfactory. The reporter also pointed out that a scheduled fan interaction segment was removed, meaning Jennie did not speak to the audience until about 40 minutes after taking the stage. While the concert’s production might have been an intentional artistic choice, the reporter argued that more refined stage elements such as wire work, stage transitions, and special effects could have made the live show even more impressive. Jennie’s solo comeback achieved exceptional success in terms of musical metrics, but it also revealed a duality, with gaps between expectations and reality noted regarding the quality of her live event production.