K-pop sensation JENNIE brings her unwavering vulnerability to an intimate show at LA’s Peacock Theater.
For an artist that has been in the spotlight as much as JENNIE has because of her girl group, BLACKPINK, it’s especially monumental to see her transform into a sensational solo artist. Her first solo album, ruled by thoughtful lyrics and experimental production, was a departure from BLACKPINK’s typical, bombastic signature style. Ruby is JENNIE at her most brilliant, with anthemic Doechii collaboration “ExtraL” and sultry Kali Uchis and Childish Gambino feature “Damn Right” allowing her to explore new sides of her artistry.
In an album that melds worlds of Western and Eastern music styles, JENNIE isn’t afraid to offer her fans a glimpse into the many identities she’s been able to try on in the time all the BLACKPINK girls went solo. In a similar vein, her live performances aimed to demonstrate her ability to command a stage solely as JENNIE. Gone is the armour of a large-scale production that BLACKPINK was able to utilise. Instead, JENNIE was able to exude pure charisma and definitively declare she’s here to stay and make her mark as both an artist and a performer. Manned with her sequin-studded microphone, clever costume changes and sensual choreography, JENNIE delivered a new era to her artistry — one that was completely hers — at LA’s Peacock Theater on the second night of her The Ruby Experience tour.
Akin to her detailed, successful collaboration with brands like Gentle Monster, it’s clear from her show that JENNIE is intentional with every move she makes. While some fans might’ve expected an explosive performance similar to BLACKPINK’s, she was calculated about making her intimate shows into a cinematic experience. “Welcome to the Ruby experience!” her prerecorded voice beckoned, before the curtain came up and a ballerina pranced across the stage to a melodic piano version of her track “Intro : JANE with FKJ.”
After a few moments, the crowd exploded seeing JENNIE come up onstage, donning a fur coat and sunglasses and singing “start a war” to a mirror with her back facing the crowd, before twirling around to face them. While there were moments throughout the show where she was able to demonstrate her stage prowess, there’s a level of confidence she possesses to be able to perform on a highly anticipated stage all on their own. Even when she laid down on the stage to belt out “Handlebars” without anyone else on stage, she’s breathtaking. It’s perfectly clear that for JENNIE, performing is innate. Nothing about her stage presence felt unnatural or not true to who she was. Her previous, larger-than-life performances were put heavily in contrast with this show’s solo entrance, which easily set the tone for the rest of the show.
Of course, her large crew of dancers only elevated her trending tracks as she broke out into an intricate dance break during “Mantra,” filled with dramatic hair flips and confident punches to the air for all the pretty girls who don’t do drama. Flanked by both male and female dancers for choreography-heavy “ExtraL” and “like JENNIE” only emphasised how strong of a performer she is. Even as choreography became more and more difficult for these tracks, her sharp execution of each move allowed her to easily blend in with her dancers, performing with similar intensity and precision.
However, the show was its most magnetic when there were minimal dancers and she was the frontman of the stage. During standout performance “Damn Right,” the audience simply lost their minds as they watched the star, bathed in all-red lighting and dressed in a Jean Paul Gaultier set with revealing cut outs, sensually twitching to the beat of the seductive song. Similarly, she performed “Love Hangover” alone, which allowed her to fill the stage with a certain Jennie se quoi that she uniquely brought to LA that night. There was never a moment of boredom when JENNIE was onstage, even if she was just having fun and freestyle dancing.
Stripping back her image as a pop sensation was crucial to emphasizing this new arc she was going through, and JENNIE was strategic in saving these moments towards the end of her show. During roaring “Zen,” she declared “Nobody gon’ move my light, gon’ touch my glow, my matter” with nothing but pure anger. Her backing band wrung out instrumentally complex versions of her songs, turning pop-heavy beats into more melodically complex ones, adding another layer to her performances. However, they were playing behind wooden panels installed onstage, almost hidden to the crowd. This only emphasised her command of the stage. At one point of the song, she got on her knees, throwing her flowing locks back and ripped off the sunglasses she had delicately perched on her nose. This declarative moment felt tantamount to freedom from the artist we once knew.
While the hour-long show felt like a small glimpse into the JENNIE universe, her choice of a smaller venue underscores the intimacy she wanted to imbue (as indicated by the show’s promotional poster). Although Blackpink as a whole are more accustomed to commanding the attention of a stadium audience, which they’re set to do later this year, JENNIE’s signature stage presence sparkled especially bright in an intimate theater. If anything, the LA stop made the star feel even closer to the audience.
There was no judgement, no pressure to deliver a highly calculated performance. Of course, her tight choreography and thoughtful execution was able to be displayed throughout this show. However, there were moments where JENNIE could simply exist as a person and not just a performer.
Breathlessly, she beckoned the audience to sit down in order to not only take a water break with her, but also speak with them as well. “I still can’t believe this is all happening,” she said, with tears in her eyes speaking on her album. “I wanted it to be more and something that is true to my heart — not a polished product. All the raw and honest sides. Look at me, I’m sweating guys!” Through the raucous cheers, her message wasn’t lost on her audience. These rare moments of vulnerability she allowed herself throughout her career felt like peeling back all the layers of the JENNIE she presents to the public and arriving at the nucleus of her artistry. There’s more than meets the eye, and she’s just getting started in bringing that to your peripheral.
“Before I start crying on stage, let’s go to the next song!” she said, laughing. “It’s called ‘Fuck that Shit!’ It’s for anyone who has felt held back and judged and tired of all that bullshit out there!” The gravity of the song, especially paired with letting go of the weight of the scrutiny people have examined her life under, is not lost on JENNIE. From time to time, her voice becomes the slightest bit shaky, sounding as though she was on the verge of tears as she sang the track alone onstage with a large fur coat and sunglasses as her armor.
During standout track “Filter,” as she sang “Undress me on the way to perfection/ Underneath finally found what’s been missing,” she literally and figuratively strips down. With the help of her dancers, she quickly took off her large fur coat and other components to her outfit, until she was clad in only a white, plunging bodysuit. “No filter, uncensored/ When I take it all off, I love…” she belts, cutting off the last word of the lyric as her dancers abruptly exited the stage. Subsequently, she dropped down on her knees, tossing her head back once more. “When I take it off/ I know I love me more,” she delicately crooned. Gasps were heard all around the theater. It’s the boldest we’ve seen a K-pop artist be able to express in a long time, and JENNIE proves she will continue to push these boundaries for her art to ring true to her experiences.
At the end of the show after encore songs “twin” and “Starlight,” JENNIE effortlessly danced and twirled around onstage to celebrate with her backup dancers. Gone were the more elaborate stage outfits and, instead, she switched to a combination of baggy pants, a modified version of her tour t-shirt and sneakers to close out the show. It’s easily a large departure from the earlier stages — and the show is all the better for it. It feels more authentic to who she is, especially as she took the time to ask the audience to thank her dancers and band.
As she’s twirling around to close out her show, her mic pack falls off from her back and she just holds it to her audience, laughing. There’s a lightness to JENNIE that fans have rarely gotten a glimpse to fully see, and it’s absolutely captivating.
JENNIE demonstrates that yet again, she has the capability to step back from the artist we once knew and unveil a new version we have yet to be introduced to. “The Ruby Experience” has a few more dates in New York and Seoul before its debut at Coachella in April. What makes these intimate shows on her tour feel especially paramount are the moments where JENNIE isn’t worried about continuing to solidify her name in the music industry or meeting the expectations of anyone else. Instead, the shows exist as an earnest invite to fans solely to truly explore this universe that she’s created — completely on her own.
Words – Kelly Nguyen
