Calling all die-hard Blinks to enjoy Jennie’s most iconic moments on her birthday on January 16
Be it her chart-topping and record-setting solo single or the way she embodies the vintage yet timeless Chanel spirit, Jennie Kim of K-pop girl group Blackpink knows how to make a splash.
The singer and rapper, not to mention a captivating dancer, is often making headlines for her impeccable fashion sense or when she is headlining world tours with her fellow Blackpink bandmates. Whatever the occasion, whatever the reason, the songstress seems to possess the uncanny ability to delight her fans and endear herself to her audience every single time. As she gears up to release her new album in 2025, we raise a toast to the birthday girl by looking at the most memorable moments that have made us all love her.
1. When Jennie sported blonde hair at Paris Fashion Week
Jennie at Paris Fashion Week (Photo: Getty Images)
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Blackpink’s Jennie made a lot of heads turn when she made her appearance at the Grand Palais during Paris Fashion Week in blonde hair and mint-green hot pants. Though netizens were divided about this new look, Jennie has always been known to push fashion boundaries and what better place to do that than at the Paris Fashion Week? This stylistic deviation from her usual dark tresses has also kept the audiences guessing about what music content she’s planning in 2025. What a smart move!
2. When Jennie formed her own record label
All of the former Blackpink members have built thriving solo careers, and Jennie is no exception. In 2023 she set up her independent record label Odd Atelier, through which she collaborated with American rapper Matt Champion on the song Slow Motion in March 2024 and released a new single Mantra in October 2024—which is expected to be the lead single in her upcoming album in 2025. We can’t wait.
3. When Jennie collaborated with Gentle Monster on Jentle Salon
Blackpink’s Jennie signed up for a collaborative project titled Jentle Salon with eyewear brand Gentle Monster. After Jentle Garden and Jentle Home, this is the third collab between the accessories label and the K-pop star. The website collection page reveals an eyewear collection in a range of hues, from classic black to pastel pink and green. Meanwhile, an unboxing video that Gentle Monster shared on its Instagram page featured the Korean celeb unwrapping a gift box which contained sunglasses, reading glasses and cute charms.
4. When Jennie was the first Blackpink member to make her solo debut
Jennie went solo in November 2018 with her first single, simply titled Solo, thrilling fans with her unique vocal skills and topping charts in South Korea and the US. The official music video reached 450 million views on YouTube within six months—a record-setting achievement by a K-pop female soloist at that time—and Jennie went on to win Song of the Year at the 2019 Gaon Chart Music Awards and Best Digital Song (Bonsang) at the 2020 Golden Disc Awards, both major music awards in South Korea.
5. When Jennie wore her mother’s old Chanel T-shirt to Paris Fashion Week
Jennie is famous for her love for all things Chanel, so much so that she has been affectionately nicknamed the “human Chanel” by her followers. She became Chanel’s official brand ambassador in 2017 and has since popularised the vintage Chanel look in K-fashion. She gets a lot of love whenever she takes to social media wearing the brand, but fans loved it when she revealed during an interview with Elle Indonesia at 2018 Paris Fashion Week that she was wearing her mother’s old Chanel T-shirt to the Chanel by the Sea show, and even kickstarted the “opening mum’s closet” trend.
6. When she encouraged her fans to prioritise their wellbeing
It’s no secret that being a K-pop idol comes with a lot of pressure. There are strict rules that govern everything from their appearance and behaviour to their diet and exercise routines. All of which can be detrimental to one’s mental health. Queen Jennie, however, is not shy about putting her mental and physical wellbeing first. In a 2017 post on the Blackpink Instagram account is a photo of Jennie practising aerial yoga and it’s captioned, “For a peaceful mind and a healthy me”, inspiring millions of her fans to put their health first.
In the Netflix documentary Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, Jennie says that “Some days, just like every other human being, you feel extra happy, and some other days you’re feeling down. We always have to be on stage looking perfect—it’s like working out for two hours every day. It never gets easy; it gets harder, actually”. The same documentary also shows that Jennie takes great care of her physical health with sessions with her Pilates instructor Jessie Yeo every day, and the two have even developed a sweet friendship, with Yeo saying the superstar is “like my little sister”.
7. When Jennie met her idol Rihanna
Ask Jennie who her role model is and she’d say, “Rihanna”. Indeed, when she auditioned for YG Entertainment, the production company behind Blackpink, she sang RiRi’s Take a Bow. Understandably then, it was a dream come true for Jennie when the two met at a Fenty Beauty event in Seoul in 2019. And as expected, when the pictures from the party landed on social media, it promptly broke the internet.
8. When she had no time for trolls going for Lisa
Jennie and fellow Blackpink member Lisa’s friendship is well known—the two even call themselves “JenLisa”—so it’s hardly surprising when Jennie publicly supported Lisa when the latter was subjected to online racism due to her being the only Blackpink member who is not ethnically Korean. (Lisa is Thai.) Addressing the crowd during their 2019 concert in Bangkok, Jennie said that they should all be “proud of Lisa”. Not only that, when Lisa debuted her single Lalisa in 2021, Jennie—as well as Jisoo and Rosé—posted videos on Instagram of their attempts at the dance routine featured in the Lalisa music video, which morphed into a social media dance challenge. Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé were even wearing matching sweatshirts with “Lisa” written on them. Here’s to sisterhood, we say.