5 things you didn’t know about K-pop’s Jennie of Blackpink – from her bond with Rihanna to her MasterChef nickname
The clean cut, New Zealand-raised girl band star is keeping herself busy and healthy away from the spotlight
K-pop fans have been obsessing over Jennie – lead rapper of K-pop female group Blackpink – since the New Zealand-raised band member first debuted with the group in 2016. Since then, Blackpink has been rocketing to success in an unprecedented fashion globally.
That includes becoming the first K-pop act to join the line-up in Coachella 2019, a major music festival in California. Here are things you probably didn’t know about this ambassador for Chanel Korea, who turned 24 on January 16 this year.
A flying yoga fan
Amid the mental health struggles that have plagued young K-pop stars resulting in a spate of suicides in recent years, it’s good to know that this talent prioritises her health and well-being. In the celebrity TV talk series Star Road that focused on this band, which aired in 2018, Jennie revealed her fitness regime as pilates and flying yoga, the latter an often-used Korean term for an anti-gravity style of this discipline.
Blackpink’s official Instagram has shared images of the star in various advanced level poses, such as the star pulling off a forearm stand. Elsewhere are posts like the one on Valentines Day in 2017 featuring Jennie, defying gravity, posing while suspended on fabrics. “For a peaceful mind and a healthy me,” the Instagram post noted.
A multi-instrument talent
Jennie trained as a versatile vocalist since her youth, from being a rap performer to a soulful ballad singer. But the star is also well-versed in playing musical instruments such as the guitar and piano. Jennie reportedly plays the flute, too. Check out Jennie’s guitar and solo-singing performance with her cover of Daniel Ceasar’s Best Part on YouTube.
A Rihanna devotee
