BLACKPINK’s Jennie Gets Brutally Honest About How Being A Trainee Took A Toll On Her Childhood

On March 9, BLACKPINK member Jennie appeared as a guest on Jung Jae Hyung‘s YouTube channel, Fairy Jae Hyung, and candidly talked about her journey from her trainee period to now.

Jennie | @jennierubyjane/Instagram

Jennie became a trainee under YG Entertainment as a 14-year-old after returning to Korea from New Zealand, where she had been studying since she was 10. She then trained for six years before debuting as a member of BLACKPINK. Recalling those years as a trainee, Jennie admitted that it was a “cruel” period where they had to undergo “constant evaluations.” But somehow, that wasn’t the most challenging part for her.

“It wasn’t just about getting a score like 70 points today or something simple like that,” the idol explained, adding, “Whenever evaluations happened, friends would leave, and at that age, it was really difficult to accept.”

Jennie recalled how she had to toughen up to survive in a world of neck-to-neck competition. It drastically shifted her perspective of looking at her peers.

When you’re young, you learn a lot about giving and receiving love. But being a trainee was all about competition. I started to think like ‘If that person doesn’t make it, then I must.’ It felt like my view of people was becoming trapped in that mindset.

— Jennie

Despite the pain of losing friends at such a young age, the BLACKPINK member was determined to succeed. “It was sad when close friends left, but I had to wipe my tears and just push through.”

Jennie admitted that she was stubborn about debuting since she felt like it was the only right choice for her.

(At that time) I kept thinking I would debut no matter what. I thought, ‘This is the only path for me.’ I dropped out of school for this, and I refused to believe in any uncertainty. I had a firm determination that I would definitely make it.

— Jennie

Having endured such a grueling period as a young trainee, Jennie proved she was worth her salt right from BLACKPINK’s debut in 2016. Since then, she has only grown as an artist and a star, having officially started her solo journey this year with the album Ruby.

Meanwhile, you can watch Jennie’s conversation with Jung Jae Hyung right here:

https://youtu.be/LC0vWs8cs5I?si=aTnIWDEa64Xy4zqL

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