Jennie (BLACKPINK) recently made her musical comeback in October with the English single “Mantra”. Once again, Jennie solidified her status as Korea’s “No.1 It Girl” when “Mantra” immediately dominated various music charts both domestically and internationally. Unlike Lisa, who focuses primarily on the international market, Jennie is promoting in both Korea and globally.
In Korea, despite “Mantra” being an English song, it has been holding strong, currently second only to Rosé on the iChart system and remaining in the top 5 on MelOn for two weeks since its release. Jennie also successfully won the first music show trophy for “Mantra” on M! Countdown. However, the song’s success has faced significant challenges, including being banned from KBS broadcasts due to an inappropriate word in the lyrics. Additionally, “Mantra” was rated 19+, causing Jennie to miss out on weekly wins.
On October 21, Jennie’s fan community was outraged when Music Core announced that they would deduct all points from “Mantra” due to its 19+ rating. This resulted in Jennie’s “Mantra” being excluded from the top 3 nominees for the weekly trophy, sparking anger among her fans.
Many fans expressed frustration after working hard to vote, only to see the song disqualified, rendering their efforts meaningless. Jennie even performed on Music Core, making fans feel that stripping her of the right to win was unfair.
Jennie’s fans pointed out the apparent discrimination, highlighting how “Mantra” was penalized for containing one sensitive word. Meanwhile, the boy group AB6IX, with their song “NVKED”, which contains both a provocative title and suggestive lyrics, did not face the same issue. Fans argue this is a clear example of gender-based discrimination, where female idols are held to stricter standards in Korea.
As for the ban on KBS, the issue arose due to the mention of the brand “In-N-Out” in the song’s lyrics, which violated broadcasting regulations, preventing Jennie from promoting or winning on the network’s Music Bank show.
However, KBS stated that the ban is not permanent. The song could be reconsidered for airing if the problematic parts are revised or removed. This isn’t the first time Jennie’s songs have faced bans. Previous BLACKPINK global hits like “Kill This Love”, “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” were also banned for similar reasons.
International fans have criticized the ban, calling it “ridiculous” and overly strict. In contrast, Korean viewers argue that adhering to the law is a basic obligation, and national broadcasters typically don’t allow overt brand advertisements in their programs.