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Ruby (Jennie album)
2025 studio album by Jennie From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ruby is the debut solo studio album by South Korean singer and rapper Jennie. Released on March 7, 2025, by Odd Atelier and Columbia Records, the album was Jennie's first after leaving YG Entertainment in 2023. Jennie wrote and co-produced Ruby with collaborators, including El Guincho, Diplo, and Mike Will Made It. The 15-track pop, hip-hop, and R&B album features Childish Gambino, Doechii, Dominic Fike, FKJ, Dua Lipa, and Kali Uchis. The lyrics allude to Jennie's relationships, influence, and success.
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Ruby received generally positive reviews from critics, who noted its cohesion, cinematic production and experimental nature and praised its emotional depth, Jennie's versatility, performances, lyricism and worth as a solo artist. The album has sold over one million copies worldwide and was named one of the best albums of 2025 by Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME and Complex. It debuted in the top ten in 19 countries, including Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United States. Ruby sold more than 660,000 copies in its first week in South Korea, the year's highest first-week album sales for a K-pop female solo artist. It debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the highest-ranked album by a K-pop female soloist and tying for the highest-ranked album overall by a K-pop solo artist. The album has been certified triple platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for selling 750,000 copies.
The album was supported by five singles: "Mantra", "Love Hangover", "ExtraL", "Like Jennie", and "Handlebars". "Mantra" peaked at number three on the Billboard Global 200 and South Korea's Circle Digital Chart, while "Like Jennie" peaked at number five on the Global 200 and became Jennie's third number-one song on the Circle Digital Chart. All singles also peaked within the top 30 of the Global 200 and entered the US Billboard Hot 100. The supporting tour, dubbed the Ruby Experience, began on March 6 and included five shows in four cities, as well as the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Background
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In December 2023, months after leaving YG Entertainment, Jennie announced that she had founded a record label, Odd Atelier.[2]
During her January 2024 appearance on The Seasons: Lee Hyo-ri's Red Carpet, Jennie said she aimed to release a full-length album that year.[3] Two months later, South Korean news outlets that she would release an album in June.[4] Odd Atelier denied the rumors, stating Jennie was working on the album with no scheduled release date.[5] After their April collaboration "Spot!", South Korean rapper Zico revealed to Billboard he had "the chance to peek at Jennie's to-be-released solo track demos" and that there were "so many good ones".[6] In May, while attending the Met Gala's Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, she told Vogue, "I also have a lot more coming with my album, wink, wink."[7] On June 20, a Beats Solo Buds advertisement included a solo track of hers, which was presumed to be on her upcoming album. In the song, she raps over a trap beat about taking back her narrative and standing up for herself.[8]
In September, it was announced Jennie had signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in partnership with Odd Atelier.[9] In an October Harper's Bazaar cover story, she said she was in the studio going over lyrics and "cutting, cutting, cutting" vocals from "morning to night."[10] The following month, she announced in a Weverse post that the album would be released in 2025.[11] On Christmas Day, she said in a holiday greeting video that she had "satisfactory results from 11 months of work" and that it will be "a little bit of everything for everyone. It's like a buffet for you guys."[12][13]
In January 2025, Jennie appeared in a cover story for Billboard, where she discussed her album preparations, stating she was "almost there" in terms of its release.[14]
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Composition
Ruby's 15 tracks include contributions from Childish Gambino, Doechii, Dominic Fike, FKJ, Dua Lipa. and Kali Uchis.[15] Jennie recorded the album primarily in English. She described it as a way of "bringing myself to the world for the first time"[10] as "Jennie Ruby Jane, for that to be a whole person", referring to the alter ego she invented when she lived in New Zealand as a child.[14] She has said the album was inspired by William Shakespeare's play As You Like It (c. 1599), including its seven stages of life, and carries themes of "birth, love, faith, and pinnacle," "innocence and love to power, reflection and legacy".[16] The cover depicts Jennie opening a theater curtain, the beginning of a new chapter in her musical career.[17] She hoped the album would inspire young women "to understand and stick [up] for who you are".[10]
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Production and music
After Blackpink's Born Pink World Tour ended in September 2023, Jennie established Odd Atelier in November. She began working on the album at the start of 2024. She recorded "99%" of the project in Los Angeles, where she spent time building a new creative network and meeting with producers and writers. The artist said it took several months of "throwing myself out there, walking into rooms filled with new people" until she came across a "good group of people that I linked with, sonically and as friends". She found her sound in the song "Mantra", which became the album's lead single.[14]
Jennie said the album includes a "range of genres".[10] She used various vocal styles on the record, stating: "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..."[14] Jennie took a hands-on approach to production on the album to "more effectively convey her identity and infinite musical potential."[16]
Promotion and release
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On January 21, 2025, Jennie announced that Ruby would be released on March 7,[18] revealed the cover art, and released a 33-second trailer video that listed featured artists.[19] A version of the album known as "Jennie Only Audio" was announced without the featured artists.[20] Jennie revealed the album tracklist on February 18.[21] She released an album sampler video on February 27; it depicted the singer in various visual concepts over snippets of songs from the album.[22]
To promote the album, Jennie appeared on online talk shows, including Apple Music 1's The Zane Lowe Show,[23] Capital Breakfast's Very British Birthday Party,[24] Chicken Shop Date,[25] and The Jennifer Hudson Show.[26] She was interviewed for cover stories with publications such as Complex,[27] Harper's Bazaar,[28] Billboard,[29] and Clash.[30]
Singles
"Mantra" was released as the album's lead single on October 11, 2024.[31] The song was commercially successful, peaking at number one in Hong Kong[32] and Taiwan,[33] number two on Billboard's Global Excl. US; and number three on Global 200.[34] The song also peaked at number three on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart,[35] and within the top-ten in Indonesia,[36] Malaysia,[37] Philippines,[38] Singapore,[39] and the Middle East.[40] On January 25, 2025, a music video for "Zen" was published on YouTube.[41] The album's second single, "Love Hangover" featuring Fike, was released on January 31,[42] which peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Global 200[43] and number 35 on the Circle Digital Chart.[44] A third single titled "ExtraL" featuring Doechii was released on February 21,[45] peaking at number 18 on the Billboard Global 200[43] and number 42 on the Circle Digital Chart.[46]
"Like Jennie" was released as the fourth single with the album's release on March 7, 2025.[47] It was a commercial success and peaked at number one in South Korea,[48] Hong Kong,[32] and Malaysia,[49] three on the Billboard Global Excl. US and five on Global 200.[50] "Handlebars" was sent to US contemporary hit radio as the album's fifth single on March 11,[51] and was released to Italian radio by Sony Music Italy three days later.[52] A music video was released on March 10.[53] The song peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Global 200[43] and number 68 on the Circle Digital Chart.[46] On April 26, Jennie released the album's seventh music video, for the song "Seoul City".[54]
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Live performances
Jennie promoted the album with performances, starting on the American late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!,[55] the South Korean music programs M Countdown and Show! Music Core,[56][57] and the 2024 Superpop Japan music festival after the release of "Mantra".[58] A live performance video of Ruby's next single "Love Hangover" was published on Jennie's official YouTube channel.[59] After the album's release, Jennie recorded live performances of "Like Jennie" and "Handlebars" for Billboard's Iconic Stage as its first featured act.[60] She performed songs from Ruby at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13 and 20, 2025.[61]
Tour
Jennie supported album sales with the Ruby Experience, a four-city run of five shows from March 6 and 21, 2025.[62] Originally announced as a three-show series, the tour added shows in Los Angeles and Paris.[63][64] It was praised by critics for its experimental and cinematic production.[65][63]
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Critical reception
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Ruby generally received positive reviews from critics. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Ruby received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 from six critic scores.[66] The album received four of five stars from NME's Crystal Bell, who lauded Jennie's charisma, "self-assured" artistic intent, and vocal range.[70] Clash's Maria Leticia Gomes called the album "an exhilarating listen" that expanded Jennie's artistry.[68] Maria Sherman of Associated Press commended the record for its "ambitious and glossy" effort in exploring facets of Jennie's personality, dubbing Ruby "a kaleidoscope of different sounds...full of incongruous, polished pleasures."[72] In Rolling Stone, Maura Johnston scored Ruby three and a half out of five stars, summarizing it as a "fast-moving good time" with its "impressive ability to command" the R&B-pop genre.[1] In a track-by-track review for Billboard, Jeff Benjamin wrote how "Ruby is a musically diverse, creatively crafted narrative to interweave her meteoric rise to today’s status as a new-generation pop icon," adding "the LP is theatrical and bombastic, but also intimate and personal, inviting international listeners to witness an artist who is refusing to be confined by any expectations of genre, language or manner," naming "Like JENNIE" as the best song on the album.[73]
The New York Times's Jon Caramanica praised Ruby for its sonic exploration but criticized its collaborations for their lack of chemistry.[74]
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Commercial performance
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On March 4, 2025, it was reported Ruby had amassed 450,000 pre-orders worldwide.[79] The album sold more than one million copies in its first week of release and entered the top ten in 19 countries including South Korea, Australia, and the United States.[80] In South Korea, the album sold more than 660,000 copies in its first week according to data from the Hanteo Chart, marking the highest first-week album sales for a K-pop female solo artist in 2025.[81] It also debuted at number two on the Circle Album Chart, recording 595,900 copies sold in two days of tracking.[82] In Australia, the album debuted at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart, behind Lady Gaga's Mayhem (2025). With this debut, Ruby tied bandmate Rosé's Rosie (2024) as the highest-charting album by a female K-pop soloist on the chart. The placement was Jennie's third top-two album in Australia after Blackpink's The Album (2020) and Born Pink (2022).[83] 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. She also tied Jung Kook's Golden (2023) for the highest-charting album by any K-pop solo artist. Jennie previously entered the top-two with Blackpink's albums The Album and Born Pink.[84] In the United States, Ruby debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 with 56,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week. Of that total, 26,500 were album sales, resulting in the album's debut in the second place on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart. It also achieved 29,000 streaming equivalent albums (from 39.93 million on-demand official streams), leading to a number 13 debut on the Billboard Top Streaming Albums chart, and 500 track equivalent albums. With this debut, Jennie became the third member of Blackpink to achieve a top-ten album in the US, after Rosé's Rosie and Lisa's Alter Ego (2025).[85]
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Track listing
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Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
- CD editions of the album have an alternate track listing order, and have solo versions of "Handlebars", "ExtraL", "Love Hangover", and "Damn Right" in place of the originals.[20]
- On clean versions of the album, "F.T.S." is excluded from the tracklist.
- "With the IE (Way Up)" contains a sample of "Hi-Jack", written by Jose Fernando Arbex Miro and performed by Barrabás.[86]
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Personnel
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Credits adapted from Tidal[87]
Musicians
- Jennie – vocals (all tracks)
- FKJ – programming, synthesizer (track 1)
- Amanda "Kiddo A.I." Ibanez – background vocals (track 2)
- Chris O'Ryan – background vocals (track 2)
- Tayla Parx – background vocals (track 2)
- Jonas Jeberg – programming, all instruments (track 3)
- Ramus Søegren – programming, all instruments (track 3)
- Sam Homaee – programming, all instruments (track 3)
- Jelli Dorman – background vocals (tracks 3, 7, 9, 10), programming (track 8)
- Dua Lipa – vocals (track 4)
- Rob Bisel – programming, bass, glockenspiel, piano, synthesizer, background vocals (track 4)
- Aaron Sterling – drums, percussion (track 4)
- Shelby Epstine – glockenspiel (track 4)
- James Alan – piano (track 4)
- Amy Allen – background vocals (track 4)
- Delacey – background vocals (track 4)
- Doechii – vocals (track 6)
- El Guincho – programming, clapping, drums, keyboards, percussion, synth bass, synthesizer (track 7)
- Dominic Fike – vocals (track 8)
- Ido Zmishlany – programming, bass, clavichord, drums, keyboards, organ, background vocals (track 8)
- Will Lamoureux – violin, viola (track 8)
- Blaise Railey – background vocals (track 8)
- Carly Gibert – background vocals (track 8)
- Megan Bülow – background vocals (track 8)
- Childish Gambino – vocals (track 10)
- Kali Uchis – vocals (track 10)
Technical
- FKJ – mixing (track 1)
- Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 2–4, 6–8)
- Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance (tracks 2–4, 6–8)
- Manny Marroquin – mixing (tracks 5, 9, 12, 14)
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing (tracks 10, 11, 13, 15)
- Mike Seaberg – mixing (tracks 10, 11, 13, 15)
- Will Quennell – mastering (tracks 1–5, 7–15)
- Chris Gehringer – mastering (track 6)
- Eunkyung Jung – recording (tracks 2, 14, 15)
- Jonas Jeberg – recording (track 3)
- Ramus Søegren – recording (track 3)
- Cameron Poole – recording, vocal production (track 4)
- Delacey – recording, vocal production (track 4)
- Chris O'Ryan – vocal production (tracks 2, 4, 6), vocal engineering (6)
- Kuk Harrell – recording, vocal engineering, vocal production (tracks 3, 4, 7–10)
- Jelli Dorman – engineering (tracks 3, 4, 10, 11); vocal engineering, vocal production (tracks 3, 4, 7–10)
- Dem Jointz – recording (tracks 5, 6, 12), vocal production (tracks 5, 12)
- Jayda Love – recording (track 6)
- Devin Workman – recording, vocal engineering, vocal production (track 8)
- Gage – recording (tracks 11, 12, 14)
- Aaron Sterling – engineering (track 4)
- Jackson Card – engineering (track 4)
- Rob Bisel – engineering, recording (track 4)
- Jennifer Ortiz – engineering (track 6)
- Noah Gottdenker – engineering (track 8)
- Donald Glover – engineering (track 10)
- Morgan Jones – recording assistance (track 4)
- Ramiro Fernandez-Seoane – recording assistance (track 14)
- Anthony Vilchis – engineering assistance (track 5)
- Trey Station – engineering assistance (tracks 5, 14)
- Chris Bhikoo – engineering assistance (track 13)
- Jacob Richards – engineering assistance (track 13)
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Charts
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Certifications and sales
Release history
References
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