Blackpink’s Jennie to Unveil Debut Solo LP in March

Jennie will release her first solo album, Ruby, on March 7. The LP is set to arrive via the Blackpink member’s own record label Odd Atelier and Columbia Records.

Ruby is a 15-track effort featuring collaborations with Childish Gambino, Doechii, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, FKJ, and Kali Uchis. It will include Jennie’s recent single “Mantra,” which she dropped in October.

“It’s the perfect song to begin my new era,” Jennie said in a statement at the time. “I think ‘Mantra’ will make my fans happy but also show a new side of me as a solo artist. The song was inspired by my time recording in Los Angeles and hopefully fans feel that energy — which is about being positive, being expressive, and being true to who you are. It’s energetic and empowering with a message for all of my ladies, women, and pretty girls out there to love yourself for who you are. This is your anthem.”

“Mantra” marked Jennie’s first solo release since her one-off single “You & Me.” She kicked off her musical career outside Blackpink in 2018 with the aptly-titled “Solo.” The singer told Billboard earlier this month that she began thinking about an album when Blackpink’s last tour wrapped in 2023.

“While I was on my last Blackpink tour, I couldn’t stop myself from starting to plan ahead,” she said. “I’m just like that. 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.’ I wanted to satisfy myself by achieving that goal.”

She added that Ruby will showcase her as “a whole person.” “You’ll definitely know what I mean once the album drops, but because I’m playing with a lot of different genres and elements — I’m rapping here, I’m singing here, I’m harmonizing here, I’m talking here,” she said. “The overall sound was me making sure I like every single [song]. I didn’t want to be forced into putting a song onto my album — that’s what I really fought for. And I was lucky to have all these people believe in me and support me so I could get to a level where we were like, ‘Wow. I think we’re ready.’”

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Blackpink’s last album, Born Pink, arrived in 2022. That same year, Jennie told Rolling Stone she would always be connected to Blackpink, regardless of her solo career. “I don’t think Blackpink will ever end in my heart, as corny as that sounds,” she said. “Regardless of what I do, I will always be Blackpink. Even if we’re 70 and we have different lives, I’ll still feel like I’m Blackpink. I’m committed. Blackpink, to me, is more than whether we do music or not. It’s a part of my family. You can’t deny your family. There are ups and downs: You’re all busy, you see them a lot, then you don’t — you’re still family.” 

Ruby is available to pre-order now. The LP will be released digitally, as well as in various physical configurations, including two photobooks, a CD digipack, and a Target exclusive CD digipack. All physical products include a special Jennie Only Audio version of the album, which exclusively features vocals from Jennie and no featured artists.