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Jennie flies the flag for K-pop as 'Ruby' lands on Rolling Stone’s 'Best Albums of 2025 So Far' list

Published: 07 Jun. 2025, 16:19 Updated: 08 Jun. 2025, 12:10

SARAH KIM
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Jennie of girl group Blackpink featured in an official poster for her album ″Ruby.″ [ODD ATELIER]

Jennie of Blackpink was the only K-pop artist to make Rolling Stone's "Best Albums of 2025 So Far" list, with her first solo album "Ruby."

The U.S. music magazine released its picks earlier this week, highlighting standout albums such as Lady Gaga's "Mayhem," Bad Bunny's "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" and Playboi Carti's "Music."

Rolling Stone described "Ruby" as leaning "heavily into the ideas that dominated R&B-leaning pop in the '00s and '10s, sometimes updating them in intriguing fashion," comparing it to the works of U.S. superstar Rihanna.

"Not only does Jennie have an impressive ability to command the center of candy-coated pop-R&B, there are some moments that feel like, if not direct, at least second-generation descendants of the hazy introspection shown by the Barbadian mogul on her 2016 classic Anti," the magazine wrote.

Jennie of girl group Blackpink performs during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 13 in Indio, California. [EPA/YONHAP]

The mid-year list, released Thursday, featured global superstars, hip-hop and indie artists, and a wide range of musical styles.

Jennie took part in the album's production "to more effectively convey her identity and infinite musical potential," her agency Odd Atelier, also known as OA Entertainment, ahead of the album's release.

"Ruby," released in March as the Blackpink member's first full-length solo album, takes its name from Jennie's middle name. According to OA Entertainment, the album is inspired by Shakespeare's "As You Like It" and carries themes of "birth, love, faith and pinnacle."

Blackpink’s Jennie, right, and Doechii [ODD ATELIER]

Jennie participated in the production of all 15 tracks on the album, which features collaborations with Grammy-winning rapper Doechii on "ExtraL," U.S. alternative musician Dominic Fike and renowned artists including Childish Gambino, Dua Lipa, French electronic musician FKJ and singer-songwriter Kali Uchis.

Meanwhile, Blackpink is set to begin a global tour covering North America, Europe and Japan, starting with the "2025 World Tour" kickoff at Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi on July 5 and 6.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]