BLACKPINK's Jennie Establishes Her Own Label & Company, OA

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - NOVEMBER 24: Jennie Kim of BLACKPINK attends W Korea‘s 18th breast cancer ... [+] awareness campaign ‘Love Your W' event at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in Jongno-gu on November 24, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images)

After a massive 2023 that included releasing long-awaited solo material, making an acting debut in the HBO series The Idol, headlining Coachella with BLACKPINK as part of their record-breaking Born Pink world tour, and being named an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire, Jennie closes the year by announcing her next major step.

Around noon local time in South Korea on December 24, Jennie posted to her 82 million–plus Instagram followers an account named OA at the handle @oddatelier and followed up by announcing it as a company established for her “solo journey.”

The full message reads:

Hi, this is Jennie. This year was filled with many accomplishments, and I’m so thankful for all the love I’ve received. I’m also about what’s to come, as I start my solo journey in 2024 with a company that I have established called OA. Please show lots of love for my new start with OA and of course BLACKPINK. Thank you.

Featuring three new photos of Jennie, the OA Instagram account quickly racked up a half million followers in mere hours and should continue growing as fans discover the star’s big news. Two photos include the caption:

OA, which stands for ODD ATELIER, is a space that aims to create new things that attract attention in a different way from what is usual or expected. It is a label founded by artist JENNIE in November 2023.

With atelier meaning “workshop” in French (a language Jennie studied), the brand name translating to “odd workshop” in English certainly fits with the above description.

Jennie’s announcement follows news that BLACKPINK had re-signed its contract with founding agency YG Entertainment to continue activities as a group earlier this month. The news (which delighted both fans worldwide and YG stockholders after company shares jumped 26 percent, according to regulatory filings) did not speak to any of the four members’ individual contracts, which are signed in addition to group contracts. Jennie is the first BLACKPINK member to announce her plans to establish her own agency for her solo career while it is still to be seen if Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa will re-sign with YG Entertainment individually or take a different path as well.

While Jennie was first introduced by YG in 2012 during her training period, this past August marked the seventh anniversary since BLACKPINK first debuted onto the K-pop scene (with their explosive singles “BOOMBAYAH” and “Whistle”) as well as the standard initial contract length for K-pop artists (who can attempt to negotiate what future terms look like should they stay with the label). After months of uncertainty and confusion about BLACKPINK’s status with YG, this group and Jennie news somewhat help predict the future.

While multiple agencies and management involved do complicate group activities, the move is not uncommon in the K-pop space. Just like groups before them including Girls’ Generation, 2PM, Infinite, GOT7 and MAMAMOO, some singers will move to new labels or establish their own while remaining loyal to the group. Jennie specifically mentioning BLACKPINK in her first message introducing OA, plus and a recent Billboard interview where she promises that the group will “keep bringing you music and performances that light up your world,” all point to prioritizing BLACKPINK.

For Jennie’s side, the possibilities that a company like OA can deliver feel remarkably open-ended for the multidimensional star. While OA describes itself as a “label,” the term could mean the label for Jennie’s solo music career, possibly her own fashion label too or even something untraditional if she wants to fully embrace the odd in ODD ATELIER. After already dipping into modeling, booking spots across U.S. and Korean TV, launching an app, starting a YouTube channel, and endorsement deals with everything from brands like Chanel and Calvin Klein to soju and bedding, Jennie’s world-dominating potential feels greater than ever with the right team supporting her bright future.