BLACKPINK’s Jennie Made Explanations For Having Same Fandom Name As Knon Eunbi

On the morning of September 19, Jennie, along with Columbia Records—a subsidiary of Sony Music—officially began promoting her new album. Prior to this, the BLACKPINK rapper caught attention by launching a 12-hour countdown on September 18, making fans eagerly await the important moment. Jennie’s first promotional activity involved launching a website under her name, where fans could create their own accounts.

Notably, Jennie also sent a message through a conversation, calling her fans “Rubies” and saying, “Stay tuned, we’ll meet soon.” This move sparked excitement among her global fanbase. The name “Rubies” is thought to be Jennie’s new fandom name. However, this has stirred up major controversy.

Amidst the fan excitement, Korean netizens quickly pointed out the “carelessness” of Jennie’s company. “Rubies”—believed to represent Jennie’s personal fandom—was already used by singer Kwon Eunbi. In K-pop, using the same fandom name is a major taboo, as the fandom name represents the entire fan community of an artist. Odd Atelier has faced heavy criticism from the public.

Immediately after the controversy erupted, Odd Atelier had to issue a clarification. A representative from Odd Atelier informed the media that “Rubies” is not Jennie’s official fandom name: “It was just a casual mention of fans on the information page to deliver news to them and does not officially announce a fandom name.”

Despite clearing up the issue, Odd Atelier has still left fans on online forums displeased. Many pointed out that Jennie’s new team has not learned from previous mistakes. The preparation of Jennie’s website, along with her fan greeting, was a pre-planned effort. These tasks should have been handled more thoroughly.

The company’s lack of research into other artists’ fandoms led to Jennie using “Rubies,” and they only issued a denial after the controversy. Meanwhile, Jennie’s personal fanbase has already had a well-known and catchy name—“Jensetter,” which wasn’t used. Although this incident isn’t too severe, it was enough to bring Jennie unwarranted criticism right before the release of her solo album.

Knet Reactions:

• “That name has already been used. This is not right. Kwon Eunbi’s fans have every right to be angry. Didn’t they check beforehand?”
• “Kwon Eunbi’s fan club name is RUBI. Why didn’t Jennie’s company check?”
• “It’s the same name as another solo artist’s fandom. This is disrespectful, and they’re just trying to get away with it based on Jennie’s influence.”
• “She even set a countdown for the announcement, and the name overlaps with another artist. But now the company is claiming it was unintentional.”
• “I think the idol industry often lacks ethics. Jennie will be defended by her fans no matter what.”
• “Does Jennie not have anyone working with her? Did she make all these decisions and release it herself?”
• “This isn’t the first time Jennie’s new company has made a mistake.”
• “When will this team ever act professionally?”
• “Without YG, it’s a storm waiting to happen.”

Source: K14