BLACKPINK’s Jennie Recalls Facing Burnout As K-pop Idol: ‘I Was Under So Much Pressure’
Published By: Chirag Sehgal
Last Updated: July 15, 2023, 11:34 IST
Jennie also opened up about the moment that made her cry.(Credits: Instagram)
Jennie, who recently made her acting debut in The Idol, reflected on her journey during an appearance on the Dua Lipa: At Your Service podcast.
K-pop idol Jennie is a member of the globally famous band BLACKPINK, which became the first female act to garner one billion views on YouTube. Since their debut in 2016, they have also risen to be one of the most followed girl groups on Spotify. The road to their success was filled with pressures and constant burnout of being a K-pop idol and Jennie recently reflected on her journey during an appearance on the Dua Lipa: At Your Service podcast. The musician spoke candidly about bagging her first acting project in The Idol and recalled the time she was told to rap. Jennie nearly trained for six years before making her debut with the group.
She believes only those who managed to retain their real self during the vigorous training made it into the group. Jennie explained many people get lost in the K-pop world because they can’t remember and identify their true selves. “People who knew the importance of keeping their own identity and character within the training system are the people that are in the group right now – a lot of people got lost on the way because we were so focused to satisfy the people that we were working with, but we weren’t sure who we were doing it for, and how it can identify us in the future. Because it’s literally years of training, it’s not just a couple of hours,” she said.
Jennie also opened up about breaking barriers be it using the F-word in the song Tally or performing a provocative role in Sam Levinson’s The Idol. She admitted feeling restricted ever since the beginning of her career. Jennie claims there are so many sides to her that she wasn’t allowed to be shown because she’s a K-pop idol. Initially, she remembers feeling scared but with them, things changed and there grew space to express herself artistically. This transformation also led her to an inner realization of breaking more boundaries for people in her culture. She explained, “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. That’s when I realized I want to break more boundaries for people in my culture to understand that expressing yourself however you want – here shouldn’t be a standard. There shouldn’t be a reason to judge.”
Each member in the group plays their own role, while some are popular for their dancing and rapping skills, others dominate the music world with their melodious vocals. But initially, Jennie hit a bit of a snag when she was pushed to rap for the group. She confirmed about failure to develop a true passion for rapping which made her feel exhausted for a long time. She remembers doing serious rap for about six songs after her debut. “I kind of got confused because I came to realize that there’s a big side of me inside that loves to sing, but I actually never had the chance to really explore that as a trainee because I got told that I should be a rapper, you know? So there was a phase where I would hate to rap. I was like, ‘This isn’t me like, this isn’t the journey that I envisioned in my head like, I don’t think I’m a rapper.’ So there was definitely a burnout.”
When talking about her feature as Dyanne, a backup dancer in The Idol, Jennie stated she always wanted to explore the acting field. But she always knew if she ever decides to give it a go, she’ll need to do it right. She continued, “I wanted the new acting part of my life to be authentic, rather than just me trying to grab any opportunities that came to me – I really was being patient with my first-ever acting job.” Her first meeting with Sam Levinson remains surreal and it was the way the director envisioned her character that ended up moving her heart.
Earlier BLACKPINK also reigned on the stage of Coachella and bagging the massive opportunity literally made her burst into tears. Though there was pressure, the experience was emotional for her. She shared, “I was under so much pressure, I think it was my first time crying. Just as soon as I was off stage, I just burst into tears. It was so emotional. I was so proud. And the hard work that we put on and just the overwhelming feeling that we got from the crowd. It was just a lot.”
Jennie hasn’t only made her acting debut but she also appeared on the red carpet of Met Gala and Cannes Film Festival for the first time this year.
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