Happy birthday Jennie of BLACKPINK! How the fiercest K-pop girl left Lady Gaga in the dust
K-pop superstar, known as ‘Human Gucci’ by her adoring fans – because of her love for branded clothing – celebrates her 23rd birthday
Colourful outfits and addictive dance moves spring to mind whenever we think about South Korean pop culture. Girl supergroup BLACKPINK is changing the face of the male-dominated K-pop industry with their signature hip-hop infused music, impeccably choreographed dance routines and edgy fashion styles.
Today, we celebrate Jennie Kim’s 23rd birthday by looking at how this New Zealand-raised K-pop artist became one of the fiercest female artists out there, inspiring audiences around the world.
Solo debut
Branching out from the comfort of an established group is a risky move for any artist. The opportunity Jennie took late last year when she became the first member to explore a career as a solo artist, while remaining part of the group, helped her career and gained even more international recognition.
Within 16 hours of her debut single Solo appearing on YouTube in November last year, the video had surpassed 9.8 million views. It topped Korea’s major music charts including Melon, the largest music subscription service in South Korea, and went to No 1 on worldwide iTunes music, eclipsing works by Lady Gaga and Sam Smith.
At the last count, the video had a whopping 164 million views on YouTube.
Rap goddess