Music Brew: Mantra by Jennie
South Korean performer Jennie – known for being a part of the highly successful, all-girl, K-pop group, BLACKPINK – released her newest single, Mantra, on October 11th, 2024. It’s been almost one full year since she’s released You & Me, the most previous single that she’s worked on solo. All the girls of BLACKPINK, whether together or individually, work hard and passionately on their craft and seem very empowered by it. I’m a fan of all four of them! But today, we’re here to focus on Jennie.
Jennie wastes no time and pulls out all the stops with Mantra, both vocally and lyrically. The single is versatile, showcasing her ability to sing in higher and lower registers, as well as play around with the flow she lays on top of the beat’s rhythm. The 28-year-old singer raps effortlessly too, giving off a cute but badass type of attitude that you definitely wanna be around. She’s serving up boss b*tch vibes and she knows it.
To be honest, I was pretty surprised (so much so that my jaw dropped only 10 seconds into the track), but in the best way. I feel like BLACKPINK’s members have been sort of type-cast by their record label, YG Entertainment, which had Lisa at the forefront of the rap bits. So getting to see soft, kawaii Jennie step into a more dominant, aggressively confident position with ease is amazing!!
Also, Jennie…the lyrics “she’s that stunna / make you wanna swing both ways” are excitinggg. I’ve peeped some folx online trying to determine whether or not her character, Dyanne, on HBO Max’s show The Idol is bisexual or not, but I mean…after hearing these lyrics…they’re pretty straight forward. Pun intended. 😉 (Please let her be a part of the community. That would fix me.)
Anyway, the lyrics overall make me as the listener feel good and confident about myself. There is no fear in her voice, so why should I feel any? Again, she knows she’s the sh*t, and she wears that demeanor so flawlessly. Babygirl’s hot!
Fully delivering on what the song represents, the music video for Mantra is fun and infectious. Jennie is gorgeous and is giving looks, body, face, and vibes. She’s just so good at what she does and truly looks like she’s having a great time. So damn cute. I wanna be the street that she’s strutting down on with her dance crew, highkey. If ya know, ya know. Sorry, not sorry.
I really enjoyed this song. I’m not sure if I’m gonna be bumpin’ to it 24/7, but I will definitely play it all the way through when it comes on on my playlist. I mean…it’s going on the playlist! So that says it all right there! Anyway, I’m a simp for her. Cannot wait to hear more.
Thanks for reading! Go stream Mantra!
Rating: 4 pretty girls out of 5
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