Everybody Wants Aura Like JENNIE
In a fiery Coachella solo performance, JENNIE offered a new perspective on how to be a global pop star.
@jennierubyjane on IG
In the rollout for her debut album “Ruby”, JENNIE led a masterclass in serving cunt.
The demonstration came in the form of “like JENNIE”, a bass heavy hip-hop song that that acts as a vehicle for JENNIE’s status as an It Girl. The chorus turns the “ooooo” of “Whoooo wanna rock with JENNIE” into a cheer fit for a pep rally for JENNIE stans.
Who wants to be like JENNIE? Based on the number of TikToks dance challenges made by idols and fans alike, everyone.
As timing goes, her appearance at Coachella, where her group BLACKPINK last performed in 2203, could not be better than to coincide with a viral moment like this one. Standing alone as a soloist, JENNIE’s goal is to remind you that she is her own artist, separate from K-Pop and worthy of being in the same conversation as trending stars like Doechii (who appears on “Ruby”) or Sabrina Carpenter.
This set was crucially an opportunity for JENNIE to draw a line between her solo work and the machinery of K-Pop. In a cover story with Billboard earlier this year, JENNIE admitted that the most challenging part of participating in BLACKPINK was the lack of creative control. “The thing is, even back in the [trainee] days, I was never OK with what other people approved. I would check on every single team like, ‘Can I look at other options?’ Later she admitted,“It’s a fight between me, myself and I — I’m not easy to convince. t’s not easy working with me.”
Out of all the members’ solo efforts, “Ruby” has been the best received. In a positive review from Pitchfork, Joshua Minsoo Kim wrote that JENNIE powers her album “with versatility and charm, translating the group’s tough-girl sound into a blistering new style.” And it’s at Coachella that I could see this versatility best.
As a performer, JENNIE can attack the stage with brute force. She pushes herself – and her body – to an extreme, which sometimes results in her gasping for air midway through a number. But her weapon is her aura. Like the best pop stars, JENNIE understands the power of a moment. Watch how she opens the performance for “like JENNIE” with a command as she purrs, “Coachella, I know you been waiting for this one. Come on, it’s gonna be fuckin’ hard.”
@jennierubyjane on IG
She wasn’t wrong – the performance for “like JENNIE” was fierce and frenetic, full of bravado and a swagger that is rarely seen from idols.
Interestingly, for such a massive pop production, JENNIE’s set was light on spectacle. With no set or props, the heaviest lifting came from JENNIE and her team of dancers. That left JENNIE’s charisma, which at times matched the stage maverick Lady Gaga’s, as the driving force to watch.
I was impressed, for instance, how she handled the Doechii collaboration “ExtraL”. On the album Doechii nearly steals the song – her flow is just too delicious to stand up against JENNIE. This fact was pointed out most succinctly by the New York Times’ chief music critic Jon Caramanica who wrote that Doechii’s appearance proved that sometimes K-Pop rappers are “graded with a learning curve”. But JENNIE took charge at Coachella, transforming the rallying chorus “Do my ladies run this?” into an empowering chant for the audience. Her verses, scrubbed of the studio gloss, sounded aggressive and abrasive as she flexed, “Said ‘fuck your rules’, is the mood?” Then called back, “Damn right!”
There were other moments, though, where JENNIE’s weaknesses were emphasized. The slow burner “Damn Right” is heavy on singing and JENNIE’s breathy, shaky vocals did not hold up. But even when she appears lazy (which she has been criticized for repeatedly by K-Pop stans), JENNIE has an air of indifference that is still fascinating to watch. You can see it in how she grinds and poses for the camera during “Damn Right”. JENNIE’s strength is not the perfection, it’s about the mood.
In his Pitchfork review, Kim compared JENNIE to Rihanna, a pop star who never cared enough to learn the choreography or to sing properly. Her aura, too, was what fans came for. The through line that I see is a liberation from perfectionism.
On “ZEN”, JENNIE raps about protecting her peace. No one’s gonna fuck with her vibe, she reminds us. On stage throughout the controlled chaos of heavily choreographed moves, JENNIE shouted the lyrics with a strong conviction. “Rain, midnight bloom,” she rapped with a force of conviction, “In the dark, I grew.” Deep in the California desert, that line sounded like a personal reclamation.
