Jennie’s “Ruby” Named Rolling Stone’s Best Album of 2025 — Only K-POP Release on List

Jennie of BLACKPINK has become the only K-POP artist to appear on Rolling Stone’s list of the 66 best albums released in 2025, thanks to her debut solo album “Ruby.” In the list published on the 5th (local time), Rolling Stone described “Ruby” as “reinterpreting in an interesting way the ideas that dominated R&B-centered pop music in the 2000s and 2010s.” The magazine also mentioned the influence of Barbadian pop star Rihanna, stating that Jennie not only possesses an impressive ability to dominate candy-coated pop R&B but also delivers moments reminiscent of Rihanna’s second generation of self-reflection seen in her landmark 2016 album “Anti.” Previously, Jennie received a high rating of 7.1 points from the respected American music criticism magazine Pitchfork. On Pitchfork’s 10-point scale, this score ranks as the eighth highest among all K-POP albums to date. For comparison, American pop star Ariana Grande’s seventh studio album “Eternal Sunshine” (2024) received 7.2 points, while Billie Eilish’s third studio album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” (2024) scored 6.8 points. Released in March, “Ruby” — named after Jennie’s middle name — was produced by her agency Odeh Antlie to express her identity and infinite musical potential. The album draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” and explores themes of “birth, love, faith, and peak.” Jennie participated in producing all 15 tracks on the album and collaborated with global artists such as Grammy-winning rapper Doechii, American alternative musician Dominic Fike, Childish Gambino, Dua Lipa, French electronic musician FKJ, and singer-songwriter Kali Uchis. This achievement demonstrates that Jennie’s musical status has reached a global level, not only as a member of BLACKPINK but also as a solo artist.