Summary

Blackpink's Jennie Kim discusses her acting debut, the pressures of being a K-pop idol, and her personal journey as an artist in Dua Lipa's BBC Sounds podcast.

Abstract

In a recent episode of Dua Lipa's BBC Sounds podcast "Dua Lipa: At Your Service," Blackpink member Jennie Kim candidly shares her experiences with the intense training process for the K-pop industry, her struggle with self-expression within the idol constraints, and her transition from trainee to global star. Jennie reflects on her acting debut in HBO's "The Idol," detailing her desire for an authentic acting role and the serendipitous offer from director Sam Levinson. She also delves into her internal conflict with being typecast as a rapper in Blackpink despite her passion for singing, and how she has navigated her identity and artistic expression both within the group and as an individual.

Opinions

Jennie values authenticity in her acting roles, as evidenced by her hesitation to take just any role and her deep connection to the character she plays in "The Idol."
The K-pop training system is seen as both a rigorous process that can lead to global fame and a potential cause for losing one's identity, with Jennie emphasizing the importance of maintaining authenticity throughout.
Jennie experienced a period of confusion and burnout when she was expected to rap, a role that didn't align with her self-perception or passion for singing.
Self-expression for K-pop idols can be limited, but Jennie found confidence through fan reception of Blackpink's song "Tally," which allowed her to overcome her initial hesitation with using strong language in performances.
Jennie has a personal drive for continuous learning and self-improvement, enjoying activities like pottery and language learning during her downtime from Blackpink.

The Pressure of Being a K-Pop Idol: Blackpink’s Jennie Opens Up

Blackpink member Jennie Kim opens up on Dua Lipa’s BBC Sounds “Dua Lipa: At Your Service” podcast about her acting debut, K-pop idol pressures, and journey as an artist.

Growing up in both Korea and New Zealand shaped Jennie, who joined the YG talent academy as a teenager and debuted with Blackpink in 2016. The girl group’s success catapulted them to global fame.

Jennie now stars as Jennie Ruby Jane in HBO’s “The Idol”, where she plays a backup singer to Lily-Rose Depp’s pop star character.

In the podcast, Jennie discussed her acting debut and approach to the role. She said acting was something she had always wanted to pursue but knew she needed to do it right. For her first acting job, she wanted an authentic opportunity rather than just grabbing any role. When she met with director Sam Levinson in LA, he talked her through the role he envisioned which touched her deeply.

The opportunity came about very quickly when Levinson offered Jennie the role via text. Jennie said this casual yet sincere offer felt authentic and gave her the courage to believe it was meant to be.

Training for Blackpink took nearly 6 years. Jennie said the members who maintained their authenticity made it through, while others lost themselves trying to please their company.

“I’ve actually never really broken down how I did it. But the 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. So you get really drawn into the lifestyle that they put us in,”

About “Tally”, the song where Blackpink uses strong language, Jennie said restrictions as a K-pop idol limited her self-expression. Fans loved the song and gave her confidence to fully enjoy performing it. “So I think the song ‘Tally’ was one of the first songs that we actually say the F-word. And at first when I started performing the song, I couldn’t even say it out loud. I was like, ‘oh can I move away from the mic?’ Do people think this is like, not right? And then more fans were loving the song, and I was connecting with Blinks” Said Jennie

Ruby Jane also opened up about struggling to find her musical identity when Blackpink first debuted. Although she was initially designated as one of the rappers in the group, Jennie realized that singing was her true passion.

Jennie explained to Dua Lipa that during Blackpink’s debut, she rapped on about 6 songs. However, over time she started feeling confused as she came to realize her love for singing.

“I actually never had the chance to really explore that as a trainee, because I got told that I should be a rapper,” Jennie said.

“there was a phase where I would hate to rap. Like, 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 season.”

Lipa noted Jennie’s artistic transformation when performing rap-heavy songs like “DDU-DU DDDU-DU.” However, Jennie has grown into her role as a rapper in Blackpink.

On her life outside of Blackpink, Jennie said: “I think honestly, I’m a nerd. I truly believe I’m a nerd, like, I love learning new things. And experimenting with new experiences. When I’m off work, I would randomly go to a pottery class or learn French, I just constantly like to challenge myself with new environments, maybe because of how I grew up.” She enjoys seeing herself adjust to new situations she puts herself in.