BLACKPINK’s Jennie opens up about restrictions on life as K-pop idol: ‘There shouldn’t be a reason to judge’

BLACKPINK member Jennie Kim recently talked about the downside of living a K-pop idol’s life in South Korea. She recently joined Dua Lipa on her podcast and revealed that being a K-pop artist has restricted many things in her life, which made her scared. As she hinted at the pressures of the industry, she said that one shouldn’t judge the other for expressing themselves in their way. Also read: BTS’ V, Blackpink’s Jennie break the internet as they are spotted holding hands

BLACKPINK’s Jennie

Jennie’s statement comes after she made her acting debut with HBO Original series The Idol. In the series, headlined by Lily Rose Depp, Jennie appeared in a supporting role. While many hailed Jennie’s brief performance, a section of social media users were disappointed about Jennie’s character and show’s explicit content, referring to her public image.

Jennie on restrictions in her life

Variety quoted Jennie telling Dua Lipa, “Starting my career in Korea as a K-pop artist has restricted so many sides of me, where it wasn’t just allowed to be shown because I’m a K-pop idol. And I was scared, I think, also to express myself. And as things grew, over time, I was able to express myself and people would see it as breaking the boundaries rather than ‘she’s doing something that she’s not allowed to do’ and being able to open a new chapter for people that are starting in the business in Korea. That’s when I realized I want to break more boundaries for people in my culture to understand that expressing yourself as however you want – here shouldn’t be a standard. There shouldn’t be a reason to judge and just see it as, ‘Oh, that’s how that person expresses themselves’.”

BLACKPINK’s Jennie on using F-word in song

“So I think the song Tally was one of the first songs that we actually say the F-word. And at first when I started performing the song, I couldn’t even say it out loud. I was like, ‘Oh can I move away from the mic?’ Do people think this is like, not right? And then more fans were loving the song and I was connecting with Blinks [BLACKPINK fans],” Jennie added. “While I was on stage when I was singing that song, they were like, ‘yeah, do your thing.’ And they were the ones who gave me my confidence and support to really enjoy the song,” she also said.

Earlier this year, BLACKPINK performed a set at Coachella which included Tally. BLACKPINK consists of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa.