“Watch your mouth when you speak my name, Jennie!” - Boombayah
Jennie Kim (born January 16, 1996, in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, District, Seoul, South Korea), better known as just, Jennie, is a South Korean singer, rapper and dancer. Jennie is a member of BLACKPINK, as well as a soloist.
Life and Career
1996–2015: Early life and career
Jennie Kim was born as the only child of her parents. Her mother is a CJ & M Director and Shareholder, whilst her father owns a hospital. During her childhood, Jennie moved from her home to live in Auckland, New Zealand, where she spent five years and was a student at ACG Parnell College. During her time abroad, she learned to speak fluent English on top of basic Japanese and fluent Korean.
In 2010, Jennie moved to live in Seoul, South Korea and made a successful audition to YG Entertainment in the same year, becoming a YG trainee for six years.
During the six years Jennie spent training under the company, in 2012 she featured on labelmate Lee Hi's song Special, as well as made an appearance on Big Bang's G-Dragon's music video That XX. In 2013, she featured on G-Dragon's song Black and GG BE by Big Bang's Seungri.
2016–present: BLACKPINK and solo debut
In 2016, she became the main rapper and lead vocalist of the girl group, Blackpink, which debuted on August 8, 2016.
In Mid October 2018, an announcement of Jennie's official solo debut was made. In midst of preparation for her debut, it was decided that the track Solo will be first revealed at Black Pink's In Your Area tour in Seoul ahead of release on November 12th. "Solo" became the most viewed music video by a female K-pop solo artist of all time and in the first 24 hours of release. Kim then became the first and only female South Korean solo artist to surpass 300 million YouTube views within six months. In South Korea, "Solo" claimed the number one spot on the Digital and Streaming charts on Gaon Chart for two consecutive weeks. Kim later received her first-ever music show win as a solo artist on SBS' Inkigayo on November 25.
Endorsements
Kim was chosen as the new model for Chanel Beauty and shot her first pictorial for the brand with Harper's Bazaar Korea as their new muse in January 2018. Kim became the ambassador of Chanel Korea in June and attended the launch of Chanel's new fragrance "Les Eaux De Chanel" in Deauville, France. She met and interviewed Chanel's House perfumer, Olivier Polge and shot a pictorial for his new collection of fragrances with Cosmopolitan Korea. She became a Chanel Global Ambassador in October after establishing a relationship with Chanel Beauty, and attended her first Chanel fashion show as a Korean representative during Paris Fashion Week, sitting in the front row next to Pharrell Williams and Pamela Anderson. In March 2019, the French fashion house official announced Kim as the Global/House Ambassador of Chanel.
Hera, a South Korean luxury beauty brand owned by Amore Pacific, announced in January 2019 that they had chosen Kim as their new model due to her "elegant and luxurious image", and confidence. She will represent the brand alongside actress Jun Ji-hyun, as the company aims to expand its target audience through both models. Kim's first advertisement for the brand was in February for the Red Vibe lip series, the sales were five times higher than Hera's previous lip product and due to the growing popularity of the products they are referred to as "Jennie's lipsticks".
List
CHANEL (2018)
HERA (2019)
Gentle Monster (2019)
Amore Pacific (2019)
LOTTE 'Air Baked' (2020)
Chum Churum Philippines (2021)
Jentle Home
Main article: Jentle Home
Artistry
Influences
When Kim first began to rap, she studied artists like Lauryn Hill and TLC, whose work she admires and respects. Kim cited Rihanna as her main influence and role model.
Music videos, stage, and voice
For her solo debut, she was very involved in the production of the outfits, concept, and choreography. Kim put together more than 20 outfits, for her music video. She recalled in an interview with Billboard that during the process she had thought about the way each outfit would accompany the song and what she could do differently, helping her to learn many different ways of approaching fashion. Vocal coach Shin Yoo-Mi, who's worked with Blackpink for six years until they debuted, had trained Kim during preparations for her solo debut. In an interview, she described Kim as a multi-player who is good at singing, rapping, and writing lyrics.
In April 2019, she became the first Korean solo artist to perform at Coachella. Her performance was listed under "The 10 Best Things We Saw at Coachella 2019", with Billboard describing it as "mind-blowing" and "stunning" for fans and casual passersby.
Impact and influence
She is known for her brand recognition and marketing power, having topped "Individual Girl Group Members Brand Power Ranking" consecutively for months, the data is collected and published by the Korean Business Research Institute. In 2018, she ranked second in Most Favourite Idols survey conducted annually by Gallup Korea which involves 1,500 Korean men and women aged 13 to 29 as respondents.
Kim was awarded by Instagram as the "Most Loved Account of 2018" in South Korea, based on the number of views and likes received by Instagram stories and posts shared that year.
Forbes acknowledged Jennie's contribution of "gaining a new foothold in Korea's beauty trends", as one of the reasons why Blackpink ranked topped Forbes Korea Power Celebrity in 2019.
Philanthropy
Kim has been part of Cheongdam Woori Animal Hospital's "Protect Our Family" campaign since 2017, which helps to rescue and re-home abandoned pets.
On April 8, 2019, the Hope Bridge Association of the National Disaster Relief reported that Kim and her group members from Blackpink donated ₩10 million each to help the victims of the Gangwon Province, South Korea wildfire.
Discography
Singles
"Solo" (2018)
Features
Lee Hi – Special (2013)
Seungri – GG Be (2013)
G-Dragon – Black (2013)
Filmography
Music Video Appearances
G-Dragon – That XX (2012)
G-Dragon – That XX MV Making (2012)
Documentary
Jennie Kim MBC Special Documentary
PETS
Kuma
Kai