“I wanted to be able to…”

NEWS

As BLACKPINK‘s exclusive contract with YG Entertainment came to an end in 2023, all eyes were on the company’s global stars eager to know what the girl group’s next move would be on the heels of their record-breaking BORN PINK world tour.

On December 5, 2023, it was confirmed that the four members officially renewed their contracts with YG Entertainment for their group activities but were still negotiating the possibility of exclusive contracts for their solo activities at the time of the announcement.

At the end of the year, YG Entertainment confirmed that the four members would not renew their contracts with the company for their individual activities, confirming many fans’ suspicions after it was revealed a few days prior that member Jennie had started her own label.

Jennie officially unveiled her ODD ATELIER label on December 23, 2023, revealing that she created the company to “attract attention in a different way from what is usual or expected.”

Following the announcement, Jennie appeared on Lee Hyori‘s new talk show, Lee Hyori’s Red Carpet. She opened up to the veteran star about her decision to pursue solo activities outside of YG Entertainment.

Jennie explained that she wanted to continue group activities with YG due to their 7-year partnership, but when it came to her individual activities, she wanted to be “freer and more comfortable.”

I wanted to do group activities with the company I had been with for seven years, but I wanted to be freer and more comfortable in my individual activities, so I carefully founded a company called OA. I will work with the crew I have been with for a long time. I wanted to be able to do all my activities freely.

Jennie concluded that she was grateful for all that she had learned at YG Entertainment and explained she was inspired to create her own company when she began questioning what she really wanted to do on her own in the future.

I learned so much (at YG), and since it was a company where I started as a trainee from the beginning, there was so much I could do and learn, so I asked myself, ‘What can you do on your own in the future?’ I thought, ‘Let’s face it with courage.’

— BLACKPINK’s Jennie

Check out more on Jennie’s recent solo activities in the article below!