Jennie released her single “Mantra” on October 11, where she expresses confidence with the message: “Love yourself as you are.” She aims for listeners to feel positive energy through this track.
While the song is catchy and straightforward, Jennie adds a unique flow by blending singing and rapping. However, the song has received mixed reviews. Critics pointed out that the visuals are overly sensual, and the music itself has divided opinions among listeners.
Meaningless Lyrics
The review site The Bias List gave “Mantra” a low score of 4.75 out of 10. They noted that Jennie has a limited solo discography, both in quantity and quality. They questioned, “Has any K-pop artist been as successful as BLACKPINK while mainly singing about such superficial themes throughout their career?”
Jennie describes “Mantra” as “a cheerful and optimistic anthem that celebrates women’s empowerment and inspires them to shine with confidence.”
However, like Lisa’s “Rockstar,” “Mantra” seems empty because it focuses heavily on beauty, glamorous parties, and how the artist “slays.” Lines such as “This is a mantra for beautiful girls, bragging like this while just landing in L.A.” or “Beautiful girls in fancy cars, we know how to protect each other, so no one gets lost” are repeated throughout the song.
Controversial Imagery
The music video for “Mantra” starts with a scene inspired by the 1998 comedy Rush Hour, featuring a child singing along. It then shifts to Jennie stepping out of a vintage car to perform the choreography.
The visuals and performance focus on sensuality. In the MV, Jennie captures attention with outfits and dance moves that emphasize her allure. With her blonde hair and bold attire, she showcases her sexiness through suggestive dance moves. While she has shown a sexy side before, this song highlights an even more provocative look.
However, her visuals have sparked ongoing debates. A post about Jennie’s revealing outfit on a forum led to a variety of comments, with some viewers expressing dissatisfaction with her style.
“This isn’t new; she has always liked to dress like this,” some said, while others commented, “This may be popular overseas, but it looks cheap and tacky.” Another viewer noted, “Jennie promotes the idea that beautiful women take care of themselves, not just their looks, but her current image seems to contradict that.”
Chart Performance
Despite the controversies, Jennie’s song is doing quite well. According to The Korea Times, she topped the iTunes charts in 47 countries, including the U.S. The “Mantra” music video has also gained traction on YouTube, ranking among the top trending videos in both Korea and the U.S. On Melon, the biggest music streaming platform in Korea, the song ranked 15th as of 7 PM on October 12 (local time).
The highest ranking for “Mantra” on local music platforms by the afternoon of October 12 was 2nd on Bugs, while it was ranked 10th on Genie. “Mantra” is expected to climb higher in the coming days as Jennie promotes the song on music shows.
