2012–2017: Beginnings and debut with Blackpink On April 10, 2012, Jennie was introduced through a photo titled "Who's that girl?" via the official blog of
YG Entertainment. Her photograph soon became the most searched topic on
portal sites under the name "Mystery Girl". On August 30, YG Entertainment released a
YouTube video through their blog titled "YG Trainee - Jennie Kim", in which she covered
B.o.B.'s song "
Strange Clouds" featuring
Lil Wayne. On September 1, Jennie made her first public appearance as the lead actress in
G-Dragon's music video "
That XX" from his
extended play One of a Kind. In January 2013, another video titled "Jennie Kim - YG New Artist", in which she covered the song "
Lotus Flower Bomb" by rapper
Wale, was released. In March,
Lee Hi featured Jennie on her
B-side track, "Special" from her debut album,
First Love. In August, Jennie featured on
Seungri's B-side track "GG Be" from his extended play ''
Let's Talk About Love.'' In September, she featured on G-Dragon's B-side track "
Black", recording the
hook in less than five days before the release of his album
''Coup d'Etat''. On September 8, she made her first stage appearance alongside G-Dragon on
SBS'
Inkigayo. On June 1, 2016, Jennie was the first member to be revealed for YG Entertainment's newest girl group, its first in seven years since
2NE1. On August 8, 2016, she debuted as a member of
Blackpink, alongside
Jisoo,
Rosé and
Lisa, with the release of their single album
Square One alongside
double A-side singles "
Boombayah" and "
Whistle". According to band-mate
Jisoo, Jennie was responsible for the general duties and decision making of the group. Jennie recounted her six-year experience as a trainee through
V Live, stating each month a group, dance, and solo song were performed for the label's CEO, producers and artists to watch and evaluate the progress of their training. She also recalled memories preparing outfits and songs, making musical
accompaniments, and practicing
choreography. In 2018, Blackpink signed with
Interscope Records in a global partnership with YG Entertainment.
2018–2021: Rising popularity and solo debut Jennie appeared with Blackpink member Jisoo on
Running Man in July 2018. A video of Jennie crying after going through a horror room with
Lee Kwang-soo went viral in South Korea, gaining over one million views on one site and a total of over three million views across multiple platforms,
VODs, and
social media. She was subsequently selected as one of the best variety stars of 2018 following her discovery on
Running Man. Jennie was invited to the show again after attracting attention during her previous appearance. Jennie was said to have ranked first among casting choices and received multiple offers from different
variety shows. On October 1, Jennie was confirmed to join as a cast member for SBS' new variety show
Village Survival, the Eight, her first permanent casting in a television series. In mid-October 2018, an announcement of Jennie's official solo debut was made. Following a series of promotional teasers, it was revealed she would release a single album titled
Solo with a lead single of the same name. In the midst of preparation for her debut, it was decided that her single "
Solo" would first be revealed through Blackpink's
In Your Area tour in Seoul on November 10, ahead of release two days later. The song was described as a
hip hop track with
pop elements and was designed to showcase Jennie's sides as both a "delicate girl" and "independent woman". To promote the single, YG Entertainment aired the ''Jennie – 'Solo' Diary'' series on YouTube, sharing glimpses of her work throughout the promotion period of the single. Upon release, "Solo" debuted on
Gaon Music Chart at number one and achieved a triple crown for simultaneously topping the domestic digital, download, and streaming charts. The single remained on the digital and mobile charts for two further consecutive weeks and on the streaming chart for a further three consecutive weeks. "Solo" was certified platinum for streaming by the
KMCA and soon won the Song of the Year award for the month of November at the eighth
Gaon Chart Music Awards, as well as the Digital Bonsang award at the
34th Golden Disc Awards. Overseas, "Solo" topped the
Billboard's
World Digital Songs chart. At the time of release, the music video for "Solo" became the most viewed by a female Korean solo artist of all time within a 24 hour period on YouTube. Jennie also became the first and only female Korean solo artist to surpass 300 million views on the platform within six months of release. On November 25, Jennie received her first music show win as a solo artist on
Inkigayo, and went on to receive a Triple Crown by winning three times. On April 12 and 19, 2019, Jennie became the first Korean solo artist to perform at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where she performed "Solo" during Blackpink's set at the festival. Her performance was included in "The 10 Best Things We Saw at Coachella 2019" list by
Billboard, which called it "mind-blowing" and "stunning" for fans and casual passersby. Jennie co-wrote the song "
Lovesick Girls" for Blackpink, which was released on October 2, 2020, as the third single from the group's debut studio album,
The Album. On January 31, 2021, Jennie performed a revamped version of "Solo" during Blackpink's livestream concert,
The Show. The remix included a new rap verse written by Jennie and an extended tropical dance break.
2022–2023: Acting debut and independent label in 2022 During Blackpink's
Born Pink World Tour starting in October 2022, Jennie debuted a new solo song titled "
You & Me". She performed a remixed version of the song with a new rap verse during Blackpink's setlist as the headlining act of Coachella in April 2023. On July 2, she performed this version of the song alongside "Solo" during Blackpink's headlining concert at
BST Hyde Park in
London. In 2023, Jennie made her acting debut under the stage name Jennie Ruby Jane in the
HBO television series
The Idol, which was created by and starred Canadian singer
the Weeknd. The show was critically panned and was cancelled after its first season. However, Jennie's role as Dyanne, a backup dancer and close friend to the pop star Jocelyn (played by
Lily-Rose Depp), received praise, with a widely circulated clip of her in the show outviewing the premiere of the show on HBO. Jennie first teased a collaboration with the Weeknd for the soundtrack of
The Idol by playing a snippet of the song at a launch party for her Calvin Klein capsule collection. The song, "
One of the Girls" by the Weeknd, Jennie, and Lily-Rose Depp, was released on June 23 as part of the extended play
The Idol Episode 4 (Music from the HBO Original Series). Following the conclusion of the Born Pink World Tour, it was announced on October 4, 2023, that "You & Me" would be officially released as a special single two days later. The song debuted at number seven on the
Billboard Global 200 and topped the
Billboard Global Excl. US chart, becoming Jennie's first solo number-one song on the latter. It peaked at number four on South Korea's
Circle Digital Chart, while in the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 39 on the
UK Singles Chart and reached number one on the
UK Singles Downloads Chart and
UK Singles Sales Chart, making Jennie the first Korean female soloist to top those charts. On November 22, 2023, Jennie was invested by
King Charles III as an
Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) alongside her bandmates during a special investiture at
Buckingham Palace, which was also attended by South Korean president
Yoon Suk Yeol. The song "One of the Girls" gained viral popularity on video sharing platform
TikTok largely due to fans' support of Jennie's parts of the song. As a result, it was released for digital download and streaming as an official single on December 8 and subsequently sent to US
rhythmic contemporary radio. The song became her first entry on the
Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 51 in March 2024, breaking the record for the highest-charting song by a K-pop female soloist. It spent 20 weeks on the chart, surpassed 1 billion streams on
Spotify, and made Jennie the first Korean female solo artist to receive a platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart, making her the Blackpink member with the highest-charting solo material in the UK. It also reached number ten on the
Billboard Global 200 and number seven on the Global Excl. US, becoming her second top-ten hit on both charts. On December 6, YG Entertainment announced that Jennie, along with the other members of Blackpink, had renewed their contracts for group activities and that the members' individual contracts were still under discussion. On December 24, Jennie revealed that she founded her own record label, called Odd Atelier, in November 2023. YG Entertainment confirmed on December 29 that Jennie and the other Blackpink members agreed not to proceed with a contract with the label for individual activities.
2024–present: Ruby Jennie collaborated with American rapper
Matt Champion of
Brockhampton on the song "
Slow Motion", which was released on March 8, 2024, and appeared on Champion's debut studio album, ''
Mika's Laundry'' (2024). On April 26, she featured on South Korean rapper
Zico's single "
Spot!" and its music video. The song was commercially successful in South Korea and peaked at number one on the Circle Digital Chart, becoming Jennie's second chart-topping single after "Solo". Worldwide, it peaked at number eight on the
Billboard Global Excl. US, where it became Zico's first-ever entry and Jennie's third top-ten hit. In the United States, it debuted at number one on the
Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, marking Zico's first-ever number-one on any US sales chart and Jennie's second chart-topper after "Solo". Jennie was the most-nominated and most-awarded soloist at the
2024 MAMA Awards, where she won four awards for
Best Dance Performance Female Solo with "You & Me",
Best Collaboration and
Best Rap & Hip Hop Performance with "Spot!", and Fans' Choice Female Top 10. On September 8, it was announced that Jennie had signed as a solo artist with
Columbia Records in partnership with her label Odd Atelier. Jennie released "
Mantra" on October 11 as the lead single from her debut studio album
Ruby. The song debuted at number three on the
Billboard Global 200 and number two on the
Billboard Global Excl. US, becoming Jennie's third and fourth top-ten hit on the respective charts. It peaked at number three on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart and became her first solo entry on the US
Billboard Hot 100. After announcing
Ruby, Jennie released the music video for the album track "
Zen" on January 25, 2025. "
Love Hangover" featuring
Dominic Fike was subsequently released as the second single from the album on January 31. The album's third single, "
ExtraL" featuring
Doechii, was released on February 21 and was certified gold by the RIAA, making Jennie the first K-pop solo artist with four RIAA certifications. in 2025 Jennie's debut solo studio album
Ruby was released on March 7, 2025, alongside its fourth single "
Like Jennie". The album sold one million copies globally in the first week of release and entered the top 10 in 19 countries, including South Korea, Australia, and the United States. In the United Kingdom,
Ruby debuted at number three on the
UK Albums Chart, surpassing
Rosé's
Rosie as the highest-charting album by a female K-pop soloist on the chart and tying
Jung Kook's
Golden (2023) as the highest-charting album by any K-pop solo artist. "Like Jennie" was a commercial success and became Jennie's third number-one song on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart. It debuted at number five on the
Billboard Global 200 and number three on the
Billboard Global Excl. US, becoming Jennie's fourth and fifth top-ten hit on each chart respectively. Both "Mantra" and "Like Jennie" were certified gold by the RIAA, making Jennie the first K-pop solo artist with three RIAA certifications. A music video for the album track "
Handlebars" featuring
Dua Lipa was released on March 10. It was subsequently sent to US
contemporary hit radio the following day and Italian radio on March 14, serving as the album's fifth single. "Handlebars" charted simultaneously on the
Billboard Hot 100 alongside "Like Jennie" and "ExtraL", making Jennie the first K-pop female soloist to have three songs on the chart in the same week. She also became the K-pop female soloist with the most entries on the chart, with six total including all five singles from
Ruby. Jennie released a music video for the album track "
Seoul City" on April 26, marking the seventh music video from the album. Jennie was noted for redefining K-pop album promotion by releasing videos for nearly half of the album's 15 tracks, a first among K-pop artists. In promotion of
Ruby, Jennie embarked on a run of concerts titled
the Ruby Experience starting on March 6. Originally announced as a three-show run in Los Angeles, New York, and Seoul, the mini-tour later scheduled additional shows in Los Angeles and Paris. It was praised by critics for its experimental and cinematic production. She performed songs from
Ruby at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13 and 20. On July 24, Jennie signed a co-management deal with ALTA Music Group alongside her own company Odd Atelier, becoming the first artist signed to the newly formed company's management division. She performed at the
2025 Melon Music Awards on December 20, where she won three awards for Record of the Year, Millions Top 10, and Top 10 Artist. Her grand prize win for Record of the Year marked the first time a soloist won the category in Melon Music Award history. On January 10, 2026, Jennie performed at the
40th Golden Disc Awards, where she became the first artist to win the newly established Artist of the Year grand prize. She also accepted the Global Impact with Prizm Award and Best Digital Song for "Like Jennie" and Blackpink's "
Jump". At the
23rd Korean Music Awards, Jennie garnered Best K-pop Album for
Ruby and Best K-pop Song for "Like Jennie". ==Other ventures==