BLACKPINK’s Jennie on why she started her own label: “I wanted more freedom”

South Korean singer Jennie of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK has revealed why she started her own label.

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In December 2023, BLACKPINK’s Jennie announced that she had launched her own label, called Odd Atelier, to start her “solo journey in 2024”. Days later, YG Entertainment confirmed that Jennie, along with her fellow BLACKPINK bandmates, had not renewed their individual contracts with the agency.

Earlier this week, Jennie appeared at the KBS Hall in Seoul, South Korea to record an episode for the fourth season of The Seasons, featuring new host Lee Hyo-ri.

During her appearance, Jennie told Lee Hyo-ri that while BLACKPINK’s group activities will still be “managed by the same agency I’ve worked with for the past seven years”, she decided to launch her own company as she wanted “more freedom and ease for my solo activities”, per SBS Star.

“My long-time crew joined me on this journey. With them, I want to do all my future work without any limitations,” Jennie added. “The name shows my desire to do well in my future works, even if the path I take is odd or different.”

Jennie later spoke about how she has “I learned a lot at YG Entertainment”, she wanted to “be brave and take on a new challenge” by stepping out on her own. “It feels surreal to share all this with the world for the first time,” she added.

Elsewhere, the BLACKPINK singer also said that she’s open to the idea of signing other artists to the label in the future, calling the notion “intriguing”. However, she also said that the company’s current focus is on her own solo activities.

In early-December 2023, YG Entertainment announced that BLACKPINK will “continue their partnership” with the K-pop agency, following a prolonged negotiation process.

At the time, the company said that the quartet had “signed an exclusive contract for group activities”, noting that the re-signing was “based on strong trust after careful discussions”.