Ruby

EARLY REVIEW

JENNIE proves that she’s the next most exciting thing in Asian pop after NMIXX.

I’ve been following JENNIE since the early days of BLACKPINK. I’ve never been a fan of BLACKPINK or anyone in it, but I was impressed by their earlier work such as “BOOMBAYAH” and “AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST.” It’s not that any of the members’ first solo singles is that good either. I did think LISA’s single was the best of the four. It’s energetic. It’s not too generic. But I kind of knew that that’s a schtick more than a statement, which is proven to be true on her album ALTER EGO. “NEW WOMAN” and “BORN AGAIN” are quite good though.

JENNIE has never impressed me that much. Her single “SOLO” is the blandest song that she’s been a part of. So I was curious when I saw that many people have been praising this new album of hers, calling it the best BLACKPINK solo album thus far. I checked it out. And I am surprised and impressed I have to say. It is good. The production is great and not too trite. The songwriting is not amazing but good and I’d say most of the songs are at least listenable and melodic. It’s obvious that more thought, genuineness, and artistry are put into this compared to any of the recent works from the other BLACKPINK members. The album does lose steam in the back end though, but “like JENNIE” blows “LALISA” completely out of the water. I can’t think of many narcissistic self-titled songs in recent years that are this catchy and honestly badass crazy apart from “I’m Poppy” by Poppy.

I won’t say I have complete faith in JENNIE as a boundary pushing artist in Asian pop yet, but I’m certainly excited for whatever she puts out next. If she pushes herself even further in experimentation and trains herself into having a better ear for pop tunes, she can be the one to look out for.