BLACKPINK: Why Jennie Decided to Become a Singer After a Trip to Florida

Many celebrities have stories about how they got into the entertainment industry, and BLACKPINK’s Jennie is no different. She was once a normal girl who decided to train to become a K-pop idol. For Jennie, this decision came after she made a trip to Florida.

BLACKPINK’s Jennie lived abroad for a few years as a kid

Jennie was born and raised in South Korea, but she also got the opportunity to live in New Zealand for a few years.

In 2017, Jennie shared during a live stream that she visited New Zealand at age 9. Afterwards, her mom allowed her to move abroad to study.

“When I went to New Zealand, my mom asked, ‘Jennie, do you like it here?’” Jennie recalled. “So I said ‘Yes,’. Then she asked, ‘Do you want to live here?’ and I said, ‘Yes. The next year, I went to study in New Zealand. I went there at the age of ten, not knowing anything about the world.”

Jennie shared that she lived with another family, though her mom visited her often. She also admitted that she cried on her first day in New Zealand, but she “adapted right away” and ended up having fun in the country.

Jennie decided to become a singer after a trip to Florida

Jennie’s living-abroad story did not end there, however. In 2019, during an interview with the Zach Sang Show, Jennie revealed that her mom wanted her to study in the United States as a teenager.

“By the time I turned 14 or 15, my mom actually wanted to move me to the States—I think it was Florida,” she said. “We actually took a trip to Florida, saw the school, saw the place that I would live in, and it hit me, ‘I don’t want to live by myself in Florida, not knowing what I want to do.’”

At that point, Jennie thought about her future and realized she wanted to pursue a career in music.

“So I told my mom, ‘Mom, instead of going to a new school, why don’t I just come home and do something that I would enjoy for the rest of my life?’” Jennie said. “And she was supportive. That’s how I started [K-pop training].”

How did the other members of BLACKPINK become K-pop idols?

The other members of BLACKPINK also embarked on their K-pop journey after realizing they wanted to work in entertainment.

Jisoo came from a musical family and loved to sing and dance, so she naturally decided to audition for YG Entertainment to become a singer.

Rosé, who grew up in Australia, was also singing at a young age. She played the piano as well, and her father encouraged her to audition to become a K-pop singer.

Meanwhile, Lisa was born and raised in Thailand, and she was already participating in dance competitions as a child. She auditioned for YG Entertainment in Thailand and blew the judges away, which led her to move to South Korea to train.