According to Korea Times, as her global influence is expanding, Jennie (Blackpink) is actively incorporating Korean language and cultural heritage into her solo projects - not just decorative details, but core elements of contemporary aesthetics with her personal mark.
Jennie's artistic vision was clearly demonstrated at the 2025 Melon Music Awards (MMA), where the female singer won 3 awards, including Record of the Year Daesang.
However, not the trophies, her solo performance based on her image and Korean visual elements is the most notable.
At the ceremony, Jennie performed a cover of the songs Seoul City, ZEN, and Like Jennie, included in the studio album Ruby released in early 2025.
costumes and stage design play a central role in shaping the theme of the performance.
In the opening part of Seoul City, Jennie appeared under a 15-meter-long veil engraved with the letter Hangeul (Korean letterboard), on the stage with a deep blue color inspired by the Korean flag.
To realize this idea, Jennie cooperated with the Korean fashion brand LEJE - the unit that designed the unique outfit for the MV ZEN. After the awards ceremony, LEJE revealed that the outfits at MMA 2025 reflect Jennie's "long-standing interest in Korean culture and language".
According to LEJE, the veil is decorated with excerpts from Cheonggu Yeongeon, a collection of 18th-century songs, considered the earliest collection of recorded Korean lyrics.
For ZEN, the costume design combined with thin silk comes from traditional Korean costumes with a Western corset structure. In the final stage, Jennie wore a custom-made jacket, engraved with her name more than 2,000 times, taking more than 200 hours to prepare.
The key inspiration for the dress performed at the awards ceremony was the symmetrical balance of Seokgatap Stone Tower, a Silla-era tower, expressed through the details of excavation and hand-loading.
LEJE said that the designs aim to "reinterlate traditional Korean aesthetics using contemporary visual language", formed from a joint creative process between artists and brands.
Jennie's management company - Odd atelier - added that the performance demonstrated Jennie's "continuous efforts to consider Korean identity as part of a broader artistic framework".
The Blackpink singer has also incorporated Korean identity into independent brand and creative collaboration projects, including releasing free Hangeul backgrounds.
In September, she collaborated with Stanley to launch a special edition of the thermal drink, integrating design elements inspired by traditional Korean indigo wood carving techniques, incorporating cultural motifs into an everyday consumer product.
In October, Jennie continued to release a Korean document called ZEN SERIF, on the occasion of Hangeul holiday - the national holiday commemorating the birth of the Korean character.
From topping domestic and international charts with the album Ruby, to her appearances at Met Gala and Coachella, Jennie has constantly expanded her influence - not only as a global fashion and music icon, but also an artist proactively spreading Korean culture with her sophisticated, modern voice.
