BLACKPINK’s Jennie says she “struggled a lot” recording her debut album in Los Angeles

BLACKPINK singer Jennie has opened up about her experience working on her upcoming debut solo album in Los Angeles.

• READ MORE: Jennie’s new single ‘Mantra’ is a satisfying extension of the BLACKPINK blueprint

In an interview with Billboard, BLACKPINK’s Jennie discussed her forthcoming solo endeavours and the process of working on music under her self-established label Odd Atelier. The singer shared that she “intentionally” recorded most of her upcoming album in Los Angeles instead of her native Seoul.

“I learn a lot from people [in L.A.]. It’s a great environment, especially for people in music, to meet people that can inspire you […] I just really wanted to throw myself out there to experience it,” said the K-pop star.

Jennie also noted how she did not enjoy the comfort of the “easy environment” that she had created in Seoul over the years. “I was like, ‘No, if this is your career and if this is your life, explore and learn.’ I kept telling myself that,” Jennie shared.

However, the singer also revealed she “struggled a lot in the beginning” recording music and finding new collaborators in Los Angeles, calling it a “rough” experience. “A few months, I would say, was just me throwing myself out there, walking into rooms filled with new people,” she said.

Elsewhere in the interview, Jennie also shared that the upcoming record helped her reflect on her sense of self and her tastes. “It’s a fight between me, myself and I — I’m not easy to convince.”

“The more I get to know myself, the more I try to love myself. I’ve had a time in my life where I didn’t — I had no clue how to do that,” she said. “The time where I was feeling clueless. The fact that I’ve moved on from that phase and being so committed to myself, I’m very proud.”

In December, Jennie released a special holiday greeting clip where she teased her upcoming solo album, sharing its next single will sound “very different” from its lead single, last October’s ‘Mantra’.

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