Jennie of BLACKPINK, who recently released her first full-length solo album 'Ruby', opened up about the challenges of living as a global star.
On the 9th, a video titled "Jennie's story that has never been told" was uploaded on the YouTube channel 'Fairy Jaehyung'. During the interview, host Jung Jaehyung asked, "Do you have time at home?" Jennie replied, "I really don't. In fact, I'm only in Korea for two days this time, but when I get home, I just think, 'Oh, home.'”
She continued, "The airport feels like home to me," adding, "The flight attendants greet me often, and we've gotten really close." Jung Jaehyung responded, "If you're on a plane that often, it must be exhausting."
Jennie shared, "Once, I had a schedule where I traveled to London, Paris, and the U.S. over three weeks, and I got completely burnt out. Because I was constantly moving across time zones, I lost my sense of time. When I finished work, it was time to sleep, and since I was changing countries so often, my body just couldn't keep up. After getting sick, I learned a lot from the experience."
She added, "I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but there were many times when I was incredibly busy while promoting with BLACKPINK. Most people would struggle just looking at a week's schedule, but I went through it all. And now, since this is my first solo album, I'm doing everything myself."
When Jung Jaehyung asked, "Aren't there people who say, 'I want to live like Jennie'?" she quickly waved her hand and replied, "No, really not."
She went on to say, "I only want to do this for this lifetime. There's so much to take in. Even if I have an afternoon schedule, 'Wow, I can sleep in the morning.' I don't think, ' Today, I woke up at 10, took a walk, and had gelato here, but I don’t even think about things like that."
Jennie then reflected on her trainee days, revealing that she had given up studying abroad in the U.S. at age 14 to train at YG Entertainment for six years before debuting with BLACKPINK at 21.
She recalled, "The evaluations were cruel, and my friends would leave after every round of evaluations. It was hard to accept at that age. When you're young, you're supposed to give and receive a lot of love, but trainee life was all about competition. I think I got trapped in a mindset where I only saw people as rivals because I was so focused on debuting."
She continued, "It was heartbreaking to see my close friends leave, but I had to wipe my tears and keep going. Still, I was determined to debut no matter what. It wasn’t that I thought I was exceptionally talented—I just believed this was my only path."
Jennie also opened up about struggling during her time in BLACKPINK. She admitted, "I wasn't taking care of myself. I was doing this because I wanted to, and I was happy performing, but I kept having negative thoughts." She reflected, "I started working too early. I didn’t even know myself yet, but I was already out in the world. It was difficult to keep going without knowing what I truly liked or disliked."
However, she shared that she used the COVID-19 pandemic as a time to focus on her health. "I think I’ve been pushing myself as much as my body allows because I’m still young," she said. "During my break, I took time to study myself as a person, and that has led me to where I am now."
Meanwhile, BLACKPINK has only renewed their group contract with YG Entertainment, while each member is pursuing individual activities under their own agencies.
According to her agency, OA Entertainment (ODDATELIER), on the 10th, Ruby, which was released on the 7th, has been gaining attention, ranking first on Bugs' real-time chart and topping the iTunes Top Album charts in 21 countries and regions, including the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore.
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