Jennie's Lollapalooza Headlining Set Draws Mixed Reviews, US Media Calls it 'Luxury Karaoke'

BLACKPINK member Jennie (김제니) recently took to the main stage at the major U.S. music festival, Lollapalooza Chicago, as a solo artist. She made history as the first K-pop female solo artist to headline the festival, setting a new record. However, her performance has since garnered mixed reviews, with some netizens questioning her live vocal abilities and local U.S. media offering harsh criticism, even describing the entire show as “a luxury karaoke session.”

Jennie delivered an approximately one-hour solo performance, featuring several new songs from her upcoming album, as well as hit tracks like “ZEN.” Fans in the front rows reportedly reacted with great enthusiasm.

However, the U.S.-based *Chicago Sun-Times* published a music review on August 1 (local time) that offered significant criticism of Jennie's performance. The report acknowledged Jennie's achievement as the first K-pop female solo artist to headline the main stage at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, but noted a clear disparity in her ability to command a large festival stage alone compared to her group activities.

The review stated that Jennie gradually regained her stage presence in the latter half of the performance, thanks to powerful dance routines and stage effects during songs like “Mantra,” “ExtraL,” and “Like Jennie.” However, the overall stage arrangement for the first half received severe criticism.

The *Chicago Sun-Times* suggested that the large number of dancers and elaborate stage props distracted from Jennie, and poor sound mixing made her vocals sound flat. Her new collaboration with Australian musician Kevin Parker, “Dracula,” was specifically singled out, with the review stating that the live vocals and backing track failed to blend, describing the entire performance as “a meticulously packaged luxury karaoke session.”