Getting real! BLACKPINK‘s Jennie Kim has started to open up about her life as a K-pop idol and being apart of the biggest girl group in the world. Keep reading to see her honest quotes on BLACKPINK, fame and the world of K-pop.
Who Is Jennie Kim?
Jennie was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, on January 16, 1996. She moved to New Zealand when she was just 9 years old, before moving back to South Korea at age 14 in order to achieve her dream of becoming a K-pop star.
The K-pop singer debuted as a member of the South Korean girl group BLACKPINK in August 2016 under the music label YG Entertainment. Jennie was the first member of BLACKPINK to be revealed, followed by Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa.
A main rapper and singer of the group, Jennie quickly rose to fame for her stage presence, visual and fashion sense. She became the first member to debut solo in November 2018, with her aptly named song “SOLO.”
Along with music and acting, Jennie is also instrumental in BLACKPINK’s fashion image and has been nicknamed “Human Gucci” and “Human Chanel” by fans. A regular at fashion shows, Jennie is the global brand ambassador for Chanel. Jennie told Elle in September 2020, “Fashion definitely empowers us [BLACKPINK] as much as music does.”
She made her acting debut in HBO’s The Idol in June 2023, where she played a character named Dyanne.
Lisa (Lalisa Manobal) wearing Celine, Jisoo (Kim Ji-soo) wearing Christian Dior, Jennie (Jennie Kimm) wearing Chanel and Rose wore Saint Laurent with Tiffany & Co jewels and Rosé (Rose, Roseanne Park) of BLACKPINK arrive at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Prudential Center on August 28, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey, United States.
2022 MTV Video Music Awards – Red Carpet, Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, United States – 29 Aug 2022 SHUTTERSTOCK
Jennie Kim Quotes on Breaking K-Pop Norms
The Korean artist opened up about the tight restrictions K-pop stars often face while speaking to Dua Lipa on her BBC Sounds “Dua Lipa: At Your Service” podcast.
“Starting my career in Korea as a K-pop artist has restricted so many sides of me, where it wasn’t just allowed to be shown because I’m a K-pop idol,” she told Dua. “And I was scared, I think, also to express myself. And as things grew, over time, I was able to express myself and people would see it as breaking the boundaries rather than ‘she’s doing something that she’s not allowed to do’ and being able to open a new chapter for people that are starting in the business in Korea.”
She continued, “That’s when I realized I want to break more boundaries for people in my culture to understand that expressing yourself as however you want – there shouldn’t be a standard. There shouldn’t be a reason to judge, and [rather to] just see it as, ‘oh, that’s how that person expresses themselves.'”
Click through our gallery below to see all of her honest quotes about stardom and being a K-pop idol.
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