Jennie, a founding member of the K-pop group BLACKPINK, has announced her debut solo album, Ruby, set to release on March 7.
The highly anticipated album features an impressive lineup of collaborators, including Childish Gambino, Dua Lipa, Doechii, Dominic Fike, FKJ, and Kali Uchis. Jennie revealed the album and its guest artists in a teaser video posted to her social media on Jan. 21. Pre-orders for Ruby are available through her independent label, Odd Atelier.
The album will include 15 tracks, among them “Mantra,” her October 2024 single that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Global 200.
In an interview with Billboard, Jennie described the deeply personal journey of creating Ruby, a project she began in early 2024. “It’s not nice to be someone who’s always like, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t say anything,’” she said. “I want to say I’m almost there.” Reflecting on the challenges of the creative process, she added, “I don’t do well with time.”
Jennie debuted with BLACKPINK in 2016, contributing to the group’s global success. BLACKPINK became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella in 2019 and the first South Korean girl group to top the Billboard 200 with their 2022 album, Born Pink.
In late 2023, Jennie launched Odd Atelier and partnered with Columbia Records, marking a new chapter in her career. “While I was on my last BLACKPINK tour, I couldn’t stop myself from starting to plan ahead,” she said. “I listed out the things that I want in my life and started pinpointing, or prioritizing, what’s my very next step. And instantly, I was like, ‘I still haven’t accomplished the dream of releasing a solo album.’”
Jennie’s solo career has already seen chart success. Her 2018 debut single, “Solo,” topped Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart, and “You & Me” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart in 2023. She also made her Hot 100 debut that year with a collaboration on The Idol soundtrack.
As Ruby approaches, fans and industry observers are watching closely to see how Jennie continues to define her career as a solo artist.
