JENNIE Offers Heartfelt Apology After Fans Felt ‘Disappointed’ by BLACKPINK’s 10th Anniversary

JENNIE hears the BLINKs, and now, she’s sharing regrets from her heart after fans expressed they were feeling let down by the lack of celebrations for the 10th anniversary of BLACKPINK‘s debut on Aug. 8.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about our 10th anniversary and honestly, it made me really sad that I didn’t get the chance to properly talk to BLINKs and share how I was feeling,” the K-pop star wrote on Weverse Monday (Aug. 17). “I wanted to wait until I finished my last festival that was already scheduled because I felt like I could come back and speak to you with a clearer heart.”

“These past 10 years have given me some of the most special moments of my life, all because of you,” continued JENNIE, who headlined Lollapalooza on Aug. 1 and performed at Japan’s Summer Sonic Aug. 14 and 16. “Your love has been with us through every step, helping us grow and allowing us to dream even bigger for the future.”

“Our 10th anniversary should have been a moment where we could just celebrate and be happy together, and I’m sorry that instead, some of you were left feeling disappointed,” the singer-actress shared. “There’s really no excuse I can give for that. BLINKs have always been one of the biggest blessings and greatest loves in BLACKPINK’s life. I’m sorry I couldn’t show you a better side of myself in that moment, and more than anything, I just want you to know how thankful I am for everything you’ve given us over these 10 years.”

JENNIE went on to note how special the past decade with BLINKs has been for her, and how much “love and gratitude” she has for fans who have supported BLACKPINK.

Concluded the star: “I won’t forget everything I’ve learned and felt along the way, and I’ll keep growing and doing my best to give back all the love you’ve given me.”

Billboard has reached out to the K-pop group’s agency, YG Entertainment, for comment.

Though there weren’t any huge events to mark a decade of BLACKPINK, YG Entertainment did announce two days before the anniversary that 40 BLINKs with paid Weverse memberships would be selected to attend a private meet-and-greet with JENNIE, ROSÉ, LISA and JISOO in Seoul, the Korea Herald reported.

The same day as JENNIE’s apology, BLACKPINK’s official X account also shared a video montage of that small gathering. It showed the quartet greeting and speaking to fans, giving BLINKs pink flowers and posing in front of a three-tiered pink cake.

According to Korea Herald, the group also did a Weverse livestream before the fan event, during which JISOO reportedly addressed the disappointment over the lack of celebrations for the anniversary. “I originally wanted to see so many of you, and I knew this was an important day — our 10th anniversary,” she said while noting communication may have been a problem, the publication reported. “I wanted this to be a happy occasion, but I’m sorry to the BLINKs who feel let down. I hope you know that I love you.””

Since its debut in 2016, BLACKPINK has so far landed 11 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, and five albums on the Billboard 200. On the albums chart, 2022’s Born Pink debuted at No. 1, while 2020 release The Album peaked at No. 2. The group’s most recent project, the DEADLINE EP, arrived at No. 8 in March.