BLACKPINK's Jennie has recently reflected on the intense and challenging period of her trainee days at YG Entertainment and how it shaped her into the artist she is today.
In a candid interview on the Fairy Jaehyung YouTube channel, Jennie, who began training when she was 14, discussed the difficulties and mental toll of that era. She called the trainee period evaluations "cruel" and highly competitive. She noted that she struggled to accept it whenever a fellow trainee left after the assessments.
"It was really difficult to accept," she said.
Additionally, Jennie noted that the intense focus on debuting led her to view others as rivals, admitting she "got trapped in a mindset where I only saw people as rivals.
"Being a trainee was all about competition. I started to think like 'If that person doesn't make it, then I must,'" Jennie added.
Despite the hardships and the 12-hour trainings that included singing, dancing, and rapping, Jennie recognized that those experiences shaped BLACKPINK into the internationally-recognized group it is today and also into the artists they are. When asked if she would do it all over again, the idol replied that she would "only want to do this for this lifetime."
Jennie's interview is part of promotions for her debut solo studio album, Ruby, which was released on March 7. The album was preceded by singles like "Mantra" and "Love Hangover." It also features collaborations with global artists such as Childish Gambino, Dua Lipa, and Dominic Fike.
Prior to the release of Ruby, Jennie offered fans "The Ruby Experience," a series of intimate concerts in Los Angeles, New York, and Seoul. Each concert lasted just over an hour and featured Jennie performing all 15 tracks from her album, complete with a live band and choreography.
