Beneath the dazzling lights and global fame, BLACKPINK’s Jennie has carried a story that she long kept private. During her appearance on tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block” on May 7, the artist opened up about her past with rare vulnerability, bringing many viewers to tears with her heartfelt words particularly those about her mother.
While many recall her tearful “I love you, Mom” on stage as a touching tribute, few understood the depth behind that moment. As Jennie revealed, the driving force behind her tireless efforts and global achievements has always been a simple but powerful desire: to make her mother proud.
A Normal Bond, A Remarkable Journey
Jennie explained that despite public fascination with her family, their relationship is not extraordinary—it’s just a “normal mother-daughter bond.” However, their story is far from ordinary.
At the age of 10, Jennie left South Korea for New Zealand to study abroad. Her mother accompanied her for the first two months, but Jennie soon had to continue her homestay life on her own. What began as an effort to learn English quickly became an intense lesson in independence, adaptation, and emotional growth.
The loneliness of being a child in a foreign country, without family and in a new language, left a lasting mark on her. But it also planted the seeds of resilience that would shape her rise in the K-pop industry.
Return to Korea, Return to Dreams
By age 14, Jennie had returned to Korea on her own, determined to pursue her dream in music. She auditioned for YG Entertainment and was accepted, setting her on the path to debut as a member of BLACKPINK.
Her journey from a young girl dicing onions in a documentary, playing games with New Zealand friends, to performing on the world’s biggest stages has become a modern K-pop legend.
A Daughter’s Love, A Mother’s Tears
Despite her transformation into a global superstar, Jennie’s most important relationship remains the one she has with her mother. She shared that after seeing a video of her mother crying in the audience, she couldn’t hold back her own emotions. “When I saw her crying in the video, I broke down too, without realizing it.”
It was a raw moment of connection between a mother and daughter who had weathered distance, sacrifice, and pressure together. Her tears weren’t just a reaction they were a release of years of silence, growth, and longing.
Following the broadcast, online comments poured in expressing empathy and admiration for Jennie’s candid confession. Here are some of the most notable reactions from Korean netizens:
- She must have gone through so much at such a young age.
- She’s just like her mom.
- Just like Jennie, or like a doctor or a news anchor, if you see potential for growth and have the resources to support them, that’s a sign of capability. But when the child isn’t capable yet, and the parents are overstepping, pushing them too hard, that’s just pure greed from the parents.
- It’s pitiful. Some parents still send their kids abroad for studies without understanding how dangerous it can be. Even though the children might appear fine, those who study abroad often end up somewhat broken in the process.
- It’s not that she had a pitiful childhood, she actually grew up in a privileged environment. These days, it’s common for kids to study abroad from a young age. Even Lee Jae-yong’s children went to the U.S. when they were young — does that mean they had a sad upbringing? Parents send their children overseas to help them experience a broader world.
Jennie’s story is a powerful reminder that behind every polished idol is a human being with their own private struggles, sacrifices, and motivations. Her heartfelt message about her mother offers a glimpse into the vulnerability and strength that coexist within her.
