Ever since she debuted in the internationally known K-pop group BLACKPINK in 2016, Jennie Kim — mononymously known as JENNIE — has become a ubiquitous force of nature as the ultimate “it girl.” As the face of Coco Chanel and Calvin Klein in addition to her singing career, she is an undeniable conversation starter across pop culture. In her debut solo project “Ruby,” JENNIE redefines and solidifies her pop culture iconography across 15 tracks that reflect on her life, relationships, self-worth and fame.
With the release of the album’s lead single in 2024, “Mantra,” a dance-pop track that lacked depth behind its self-love affirmations, it was unclear whether JENNIE’s future releases would be anything more than just a collection of catchy tracks.
However, in “Ruby,” there’s a stark contrast between the public persona of JENNIE and who she is off the stage. She’s fully aware of her star power in the track “like JENNIE,” which is a hype song for the image she’s created. She plays off her global influence with lyrics like “Who wanna rock with JENNIE? / Keep your hair done, nails done like JENNIE / Who else got ‘em obsessed like JENNIE?” On the track, “with the IE (way up),” she samples Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block” while dismissing haters — “It seems I got a chokehold on ‘em / Everybody’s cool, but when I do it I’m the problem.”
JENNIE perfectly balances this larger-than-life persona with her own personal life and the sense of apprehension that comes with fame, crafting a complex picture of who the singer is. There’s no shortage of songs commenting on her love life — she and Dua Lipa sing about their tendency to fall too deeply in love too fast on the R&B-infused “Handlebars.” She sings with Dominic Fike on the slow-burn track “Love Hangover,” reflecting on an on-again-off-again relationship — as quickly as she promises, “I swear I’ll never do it again,” she returns to, “Yeah, you know I’m gonna do it again.”
While JENNIE is curious and playful on the romantic tracks, other songs on the album showcase a profound feeling of introspection, illustrating how she’s lived much of her life in the spotlight, under constant scrutiny about everything from her dating life to her performances. In “Ruby,” she finally shares her life on her terms. On “Starlight” and “Filter,” JENNIE emphasizes that she can still love the most authentic version of herself, even if the public has misconceptions about who she is underneath her piercing stage persona. On the acoustic album closer, “twin,” JENNIE repeatedly sings, “It’s like I’m writing a letter, but I’m writing a song” as she mourns the connection of an ex-best friend, hoping that they’ll make up when they get older. Although her songs clearly come out of contemplation of her relationship with fame, a universal sense of relatability shines through.
The R&B-inspired sound on many of the tracks is a testament to the extent of JENNIE’s experimentation as an artist on this album. “F.T.S.” sounds like it comes straight from the pages of Ariana Grande’s “I Don’t Care” off of “Dangerous Woman,” and “start a war” sounds like it could easily belong in SZA’s “SOS.” Still, there’s an undeniable sense of vision and originality in the ways that JENNIE explores her musicality on this record. In her collaboration with Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis, “Damn Right,” JENNIE fits right in with the two artist’s previous works, proving that her versatility shines across all genres.
“Ruby” could have easily been a victory lap celebrating JENNIE’s fame and influence, but her solo project delivers a culmination of JENNIE’s polished aesthetics and artistic vision that shines through in all aspects of the release. Unlike her former bandmates, who seemed to stick to what they know best on their solo projects, JENNIE subverted audience expectations by expanding upon her usual repertoire of dance-pop and self-love tracks with both ease and charisma, turning “Ruby” into a must-listen project.
Contact Amelia Knust at [email protected].