MUMBAI: Without the momentum of a wildly popular HBO murder-vacation series to boost her, Jennie of BLACKPINK arguably had the steeper hill to climb between her and bandmate Lisa’s solo performances this past weekend. Yet, it’s a testament to her star power that she absolutely packed the Outdoor Theater—delivering a set that stretched far beyond sleek pop into a kaleidoscope of genre-bending moments and grand, cinematic ballads.
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There’s no rivalry here, and K-pop fans would be quick to push back against any such suggestion. Both Jennie and Lisa boast comparable solo chart success, and their equally high-profile Coachella slots made it clear: each stands tall in her own right, with the festival co-signing their individual stardom.
Jennie’s solo project “Ruby” was promoted as a rare peek behind the K-pop curtain—a more intimate, expressive body of work. And while it may not have been as revelatory as some hoped, it made one thing abundantly clear: Jennie is a remarkably versatile vocalist. From throwback R&B to crunchy club beats, torch songs to hazy dreamscapes, she moved between them all with elegance and control.
Rather than default to the Sahara Tent’s high-energy, dance-heavy vibe, Jennie—with her commanding live band—leaned into a more soulful, Lauryn Hill-esque direction. A highlight came with “With the IE (way up),” built around a clever flip of Jennifer Lopez’s Y2K anthem on the Jennie-from-the-block ethos. Then came a guest appearance by Kali Uchis on the lush “Damn Right,” their cross-cultural duet shimmering with a shared sense of soul and mood.
Jennie delivered a powerful vocal on “Handlebars” and oozed charisma on “Mantra.” Her performance was a reminder that while her live precision is well-known, her ability to command a stage—singing and dancing with total conviction—remains second to none.
By the time she closed with “Like Jennie”—a bold, self-referential anthem that flirts with conceptual performance art—and the euphoric “Starlight,” which could’ve gone head-to-head with Charli XCX’s rave set the night before, Jennie had fully staked her claim as a formidable solo force. BLACKPINK’s stadium tour looms, but this weekend was a thrilling glimpse into how much more these women have to offer when the spotlight is theirs alone.
