Profile and Career Journey of Jennie BLACKPINK From Predebut to Becoming Famous - Almost Became a Lawyer?

Kapanlagi.com - Written by Devie Vyatri Permata Cahyadi

Jennie officially debuted as a member of BLACKPINK on August 8, 2016. Starting her career as the main rapper in BLACKPINK, Jennie's name has now skyrocketed and become very famous both in the South Korean music industry and in Hollywood. The beautiful rapper, whose full name is Kim Jennie, has become the most popular member of BLACKPINK.

Jennie achieved fame like she is now through her profession as a K-Pop Idol. However, Jennie's struggle to debut was not easy. When she was young, Jennie only focused on studying in New Zealand and stayed there for quite a long time.

Finally, in 2010, Jennie decided to audition for YG Entertainment. This was the first step for Jennie to enter the highly competitive entertainment industry in South Korea. Before becoming famous, Jennie had a touching and inspiring story because now she can show her talent and become one of the most popular K-Pop idols in history.

Let's take a look at Jennie BLACKPINK's career journey from beginning to end.

1. Kim Jennie

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Kim Jennie is an only child born in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, on January 16, 1996. Although she is of pure Korean descent, many people often mistakenly assume that Jennie is mixed race. This is because her stage name, Jennie, sounds like a foreigner's name. However, the name Jennie was given by her mother for a unique reason. The beautiful rapper revealed that her mother was a big fan of senior actor Lee Jung Jae, who was starring in the drama HOURGLASS (1995) at that time, and played the character Jae Hee.

So, Jennie's mother decided that if she had a son, she would name him Jae Hee. "At that time, my mother decided that if she had a son, she would name him Jae Hee. But instead, a daughter was born. So she chose the name Jennie because it sounded similar to Jae Hee," Jennie concluded as quoted from an interview with Soompi on Sunday (10/18/2020).

Jennie herself is known as a cheerful child who always obeys her parents. In addition, since she was a child, Jennie has been included in the category of smart and high-achieving children.

2. Moving Abroad

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When she turned 8 years old, Jennie and her family went to New Zealand for a vacation. At that time, her mother asked if Jennie liked New Zealand and if she wanted to live there. Feeling comfortable with the environment in New Zealand, Jennie accepted her mother's offer. When she turned 9 years old, Jennie attended ACG Parnell College in New Zealand. There, Jennie did not live with her parents.

"The most enjoyable part is that I stayed in a homestay for Koreans. So, I was also surrounded by South Korean culture all the time. I also always listened to Korean music, watched Korean films. So, you could say that I was in between Western culture and Korean culture," said Jennie BLACKPINK during her interview with BBC.

Because she was born into a Korean family, Jennie certainly faced difficulties in interacting with her New Zealand schoolmates. However, Jennie shared that some friends taught her to learn English.

3. Almost Becoming a Lawyer

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After 5 years of studying in New Zealand, her mother plans to send Jennie to Florida to attend law school. For your information, Jennie's mother initially wanted her daughter to become a lawyer. However, at that time Jennie admitted that being a lawyer was not the dream job she wanted.

"I want to do it in the field of music, I want to learn how to dance. So, I told my mother that instead of going to a new school, why don't I just go back home (South Korea) and do something that I enjoy throughout my life. Hearing that, my mother felt happy and has been supporting me until now," Jennie said in one of the radio broadcasts in America.

4. Jennie's Predebut

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In July 2010, Jennie participated in a talent search audition organized by YG Entertainment. At that time, Jennie performed Rihanna's song titled Take a Bow. From the audition, only 40 contestants were selected out of more than 5000 people who registered. However, Jennie was the only contestant who successfully passed the debut stage out of the previous 40 contestants.

And because Jennie passed the initial stage, she had to undergo monthly evaluations for 6 years. In those evaluations, Jennie and other trainees had to perform one solo song, one group song, and one dance performance. For your information, Jennie had the longest trainee period compared to other BLACKPINK members.

5. Most Popular Trainee

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Kim Jennie herself is already famous, even before she debuted with BLACKPINK in 2016, Jennie was the most popular trainee at YG Entertainment. This is proven by the many fans who enthusiastically gave Jennie gifts during her trainee days.

In addition, Jennie was the most anticipated trainee debut by many coaches at YG Entertainment, as well as her seniors. In fact, Jennie has collaborated on 3 songs with her seniors. Some of the songs during her pre-debut period are Special - Lee Hi feat Jennie, GG Be - Seungri feat Jennie, and Black - GDragon feat Jennie.

6. Jennie's Rap Ability

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Jennie herself holds two official positions in her group, namely as the main rapper and lead vocalist. It is no longer a secret that Jennie BLACKPINK's rap ability is extraordinary. Jennie's rap is known for its swag and unique flow as well as its fast beat. In fact, Jennie once rapped while sitting down with 68 syllables in just 8 seconds.

Not only that, most of BLACKPINK's songs are filled with impressive rap performances by Jennie. Like during BLACKPINK's concert in Japan, Jennie successfully rapped in the song DDU-DU DDU-DU with a very stable and amazing voice.

7. Debut Solo

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On November 12, 2018, Jennie officially debuted solo with a song titled Solo. Through her solo debut, Jennie's name became even more famous among international fans. In fact, the song Solo was very successful both domestically and worldwide. At that time, many fans and even other K-Pop idols were also caught up in the Solo fever from Jennie. The shoulder movement in the Solo choreography is really addictive. In addition, the catchy beat and song make Solo a huge hit during its time.

Here's a fun fact for KLovers, Jennie actively participated in writing the lyrics and choreographing her song Solo. This proves that besides her excellent rap and dance skills, she is also talented in music production.

8. Becoming a Global Ambassador for a Famous Brand

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As we know, Jennie is nicknamed as "Human Chanel". This is due to Jennie's undeniable popularity. Besides being a globally recognized K-Pop idol, Jennie is often invited to collaborate with many luxury brands who want her to be their product model.

Specifically, Jennie has achieved various impressive accomplishments. For instance, when Jennie was appointed as the first Asian global ambassador (GA) for the brand Calvin Klein. Jennie also became the first Korean celebrity to model for an automotive brand, Porsche. Not only that, Jennie has also been chosen as the face of several other famous brands such as Chanel, Gentle Monster, Hera, Tamburins, Chum Churum Soju, Maison Kitsune, and many more.

9. Diving into the Acting World

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Following her success as a K-Pop idol, Jennie is now expanding her horizons in the acting world. In 2023, Jennie made her acting debut in the series THE IDOL. Her appearance in several scenes at that time shocked many people. Jennie showcased a hot yet charismatic image.

Through her acting debut, Jennie became one of the invited guests at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival 2023. Together with other cast members, Jennie held a premiere show for THE IDOL. In addition, her collaboration song with The Weeknd and Lily Rose Depp titled One of the Girls also received positive responses from many people.

10. Establishing Her Own Agency

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Jennie has been a part of BLACKPINK under YG Entertainment for 7 years. However, at the end of 2023, all four BLACKPINK members announced that they would not renew their contracts with the agency. Through their official announcement, YG Entertainment emphasized that BLACKPINK would not disband as the group's activities would still be managed by YG Entertainment in the future.

In other words, Jennie, Jisoo, Rose, and Lisa will continue their solo activities independently. On December 23, 2023, Jennie became the first BLACKPINK member to announce the establishment of her own music label. Her agency is named OA, which stands for Odd Atelier.

With a strong vision and mission, OA is projected to be a platform for Jennie and other talented musicians to express their talents and create high-quality works.

(kpl/dvp)