Korean singer Jennie (Blackpink) recently appeared on the popular online entertainment show Hot Ones. Here, she shared about the process of creating and completing her first solo album Ruby.
According to the program's format, Jennie answered 10 questions, including some personal questions, some work-related questions and some random questions, combined with eating chicken wings with spicy sauce at many levels.
In the second "death wing", the host asked Jennie if there was anything special about the album "Ruby" in which she struggled and felt proud.
Jennie replied: "Yes! A lot of things and continued to explain why she struggled to include some of her songs in her solo album.
The singer said that although the album has up to 15 songs, in reality, she had to struggle to build an album around its core message.
We dont necessarily have to try to make music easy to listen to so that people can enjoy this album, the singer explained, adding that instead of choosing the easy way, she decided to experiment with what she really liked and pursue her own creative instincts.
She revealed: I really had to fight a lot for some songs in the album, typically Zen or Starlight.
According to Jennie, her creativity comes from the belief that while those songs may not be the most popular, they still have artistic value.
I understand it may not be the first thing that comes to mind for everyone, but I know it will touch the people I want to touch, Jennie said.
Thanks to Jennie's strong belief, the album "Ruby" was warmly received and received many positive reviews from experts.
The album Ruby was honored by major American music magazines such as Rolling Stone and Complex as one of the best albums of 2025 so far.
Rolling Stone commented: "She recreates the ideas that dominated pop R&B in the 2000s and 2010s in attractive ways. Jennie not only has an authoritative presence to own a sweet pop-R&B space, but also has moments reminiscent of Rihanna's 2016 album "Anti".
Complex called the album "Ruby" the decisive moment in Jennie's career. The publication wrote: "Ruby opens a new chapter for Jennie, allowing her to fully express her wide range of singing".
Complex highlights songs like Like JENNIE that express Jennies strong sensitivity to pop, and Twin is a ballad that shows a gentler, more refined side of the Blackpink members singing voice.
The album "Ruby" has surpassed 3.3 million copies sold worldwide. This is the best-selling Kpop album globally in 2025.
In the Chinese market, Jennie's "Ruby" also became the album of a female Kpop solo artist with the highest revenue in history, surpassing Rose's (Blackpink) album "rosie".
