K-pop sensation Jennie, a member of BLACKPINK, has landed in controversy after releasing a snippet of her upcoming song ‘Like Jennie’, which many believe closely resembles Alia Bhatt’s ‘Rani’ theme from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
The teaser, dropped on Monday ahead of her debut solo album ‘Ruby’, immediately drew attention, with social media buzzing over the striking similarities between the two tracks. Fans pointed out that both songs feature a chant-like chorus with repeated names— "Rani" in the Bollywood track and "Jennie" in the K-pop single.
Social media backlash and fan reactions
The internet quickly split into two camps—those calling out Jennie for plagiarism and her loyal fanbase, Blinks, rushing to her defense.
"All I hear is plagiarism," one user commented on a post announcing the track. Others speculated that Jennie had “run out of ideas”, leading to a borrowed melody.
BLACKPINK fans, however, argued that it isn’t plagiarism unless Jennie officially credits the original creators, which she hasn’t done yet. Some even found irony in the accusations, considering Pritam, the composer of the ‘Rani’ theme, has himself faced multiple plagiarism claims in the past.
Jennie’s solo journey
‘Ruby’ marks Jennie’s first full solo project, where she aims to carve an identity beyond BLACKPINK, a group that has already achieved historic milestones, including being the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella and surpass 1 billion YouTube views on multiple tracks.
Jennie previously opened up about the challenges of going solo in an interview with Billboard, saying, “I struggled a lot in the beginning… I just had to keep knocking on doors, trying to figure out my own sound.”
This isn’t the first time BLACKPINK has been embroiled in controversy. In 2020, the group faced backlash when their music video How You Like That featured a Hindu god, Ganesha, placed on the floor, sparking allegations of cultural appropriation.
As Jennie’s new track nears its official release on Friday, it remains to be seen whether she will address the allegations or if the comparisons will fade with time.
