The release of Ruby, JENNIE’s debut solo album, marks all of the BLACKPINK members’ fully fledged solo careers.

With “Handlebars” being the latest addition to the list of singles from this record, it may feel like she’s been doing the most with the rollout of this project, but it’s safe to say that the era is nowhere nearing its end.

Making good on her promise of playing around with different elements, the fifteen-track album delivers a body of work that isn’t confined to a particular genre, apparent from a range of influences including retro-pop in “Love Hangover,” the R&B-slash-neo-soul of “Damn Right,” and trap beats underscoring “ZEN,” which the singer has cited as the key to the concept of the record.

More than another girl group member’s offshoot, Ruby becomes JENNIE’s chance to embark on a sonic and stylistic, almost soul-searching adventure as an artist. Some songs, like lead single “Mantra” or second-track “like JENNIE,” may come off as transitional linchpins of the precursory BLACKPINK sound. However, the singer’s showcase of different vocal styles, aptitude for robust production, and kitschy lyrics make the album a worthy distinction from the group’s discography.

“I don’t realize how much I’ve been distanced from myself throughout the years,” shared JENNIE in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, “so I really got to … have time with myself.”

So, as the 28-year-old wrestle with interiority, vulnerability, and identity through the songwriting—most apparent in “Seoul City” and “Starlight,” the album proves itself as a testament of her settling comfortably into a more fully-realized popstar that doesn’t find herself lost amidst attempts to fit into a certain genre.

What makes this project all the more impressive is the fact that it’s backed up by her own record label, Odd Atelier (known colloquially as OA), which she founded in November 2023.

Further signifying JENNIE’s artistic exploration is the release of six music videos, each a visual representation of her five singles and “ZEN,” developing a truly immersive world for the album. In an era where music videos are dying, this stands as a statement to her taking complete reins of her artistic direction, going so far as creating a fully-fleshed cinematic rendering of a pivotal song that isn’t even a single.

As JENNIE continues to promote the album, gearing up to her solo debut on the Coachella stage in April, LISA (who’s also part of the music festival’s lineup) has been gracing our small screen weekly in the Thailand-set third-season of HBO’s The White Lotus. And that’s coming off the heels of a James Bond tribute performance at the Academy Awards and her debut album Alter Ego.

Billed as a concept album, the record, released under the Thai musician’s own record label LLOUD, came about as a mishmash of Lisa’s spin on different musical styles, similar to JENNIE’s Ruby. Each genre is explored through five characters—or alter egos: Roxi, Kiki, Vixi, Sunni, and Speedi, in a beat not unlike the Spice Girls personas. Though not too well-received critically, BLACKPINK’s commercial prowess still does favors as the project sits atop the Billboard Top Album Sales chart dated March 15.

This feat follows in the footsteps of ROSÉ’s rosie, which came out roughly three months earlier and peaked at number three on the Top Album Sales chart (dated December 21). It shouldn’t come too much as a surprise, considering the lead single “APT.” with Bruno Mars that broke streaming records and the internet. Though not as explorative as the other two, rosie’s contemplative charm proves the New Zealander’s songwriting finesse to be the record’s strongest value.

While JISOO has yet to launch a full studio album, her most recent extended play AMORTAGE gives Blinks a taste of what to expect if—or when—she eventually does put out a full-length record, which would also be released under her own label Blissoo. A sonically explosive yet short and sweet bubblegum pop project, the four tracks, all co-written and produced by herself, tap into a dance-floor-coded style reminiscent of Robyn’s Body Talk and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. 

What took the 30-year-old so long to drop her new music, though, might be her packed schedule, filled by shoots for the apocalyptic K-rom-com Newtopia or upcoming projects like The Prophet: Omniscient Reader and Boyfriend on Demand.

As each of the BLACKPINK girls continue to branch off on their own paths, one thing remains clear: going solo opened all of them to a more profound level of individuality.

Though their globally successful girl-group reputation precedes them, every piece of their puzzle shapes up to be a bigger image that reveals distinguished artists—not just as musicians, but also as creative visionaries and earnest individuals that fans old and new can get to know better.

Yet, while they are booked and busy, the group’s impending and highly anticipated reunion is expected to kick off with a 2025 world tour, albeit no new music as a unit. Rosé did reveal it may be coming soon, but until official announcements are made, all we can do is wait while reveling in the projects the girls are putting out individually.

It does beg the question whether everything JENNIE, LISA, ROSÉ, and JISOO are doing were strategically timed to build up to their ten-city tour.

It’s important to remember that while their solo projects are no longer managed under South Korea’s YG Entertainment, their group activities as BLACKPINK still is. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise, since they are the record label’s first girl group since 2NE1 in the early 2000’s (and arguably the most successful). It does make sense that YG would like to hold on to the girls.

But, amidst the growing negative notions of the K-Pop industry, all of this seems to be merely a strategic compromise. After all, the foursome hasn’t stopped singing praises about one another, each offering excitement when asked about performing together again.

And, with all the blossoming they’ve done separately, there’s no telling how massive a supernova it would be to see the four girls take one stage together again.