JENNIE Apologises to BLINKs Over BLACKPINK's 10th Anniversary: 'There's Really No Excuse'
JENNIE of BLACKPINK posted a personal apology to fans on Weverse on Monday, Aug. 17, addressing the disappointment many felt over the group's 10th anniversary of debut on Aug. 8.
The singer wrote that she had wanted to wait until after her last scheduled festival to speak with "a clearer heart," according to Billboard. JENNIE headlined Lollapalooza on Aug. 1 and performed at Japan's Summer Sonic festival on Aug. 14 and 16.
"There's really no excuse I can give for that," she wrote, saying she was sorry she could not show fans a better side of herself in the moment. She also told BLINKs — the name for BLACKPINK's fan base — that the past 10 years had given her some of the most special moments of her life, and that their love had helped the group grow and dream bigger for the future.
The apology came after fans expressed feeling let down by the lack of public celebrations for the anniversary. YG Entertainment, BLACKPINK's label, had announced 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, per the Korea Herald. The small, closed-door event was a far cry from what some fans had hoped for to mark a decade since debut.
JISOO had also addressed the disappointment during a Weverse livestream before the fan event, saying she had originally wanted to see many fans and was sorry to BLINKs who felt let down, per the Korea Herald. Earlier, on Aug. 8, JENNIE had shared a photo of the quartet on social media with the words, "This anniversary feels like a day filled with regret," and "I'm sorry again for the disappointment I've caused," as reported by the Straits Times and the Korea Herald.
On the same day as her Weverse apology, BLACKPINK's official X account shared a video montage of the private fan gathering, showing the four members greeting attendees, handing BLINKs pink flowers, and posing in front of a three-tiered pink cake.
JENNIE concluded her message by writing that she would not forget everything she had learned and felt, and would keep growing and doing her best to give back the love fans had given her.
Since debuting in 2016, BLACKPINK has landed 11 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 — the US's standard singles chart — and five albums on the Billboard 200, the equivalent album chart. Their 2022 album Born Pink debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while 2020's The Album peaked at No. 2. The group's most recent project, the DEADLINE EP, arrived at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 in March.
For fans, the apology closes a difficult anniversary week — one where the numbers that usually define BLACKPINK, chart positions and festival headlining slots, gave way to a conversation about what a decade milestone owes the people who got them there.
