Ruby

### Producer

Teddy (exec.) • R.Tee • Tainy • The Monsters & Strangerz • Burns • Future Bounce • Jeff Bhasker • Greg Kurstin

## Singles from Ruby

1. "It Girl"
Released: July 23, 2021

2. "Darling"
Released: November 5, 2021

3. "Army of Lovers"
Released: November 19, 2021

4. "Make the Devil Cry"
Released: December 3, 2021

***Ruby*** is the debut studio album by the South Korean singer Jennie, released on November 19, 2021 by PRETTYSOUR Management and Universal Music Group. For the album, Jennie recorded over fifteen new songs and worked with a variety of producers. Eight songs made the final tracklist, including one collaboration with Doja Cat. Primarily a pop album, *Ruby* has been described by various music journals as a collection of electropop and dance anthems that also incorporate elements of rock, doo-wop, and Latin. The album explores the themes of love and the complexities of relationships and self-image.

*Ruby* was supported by a total of four singles, including the lead single "It Girl", "Darling", "Army of Lovers" and "Make the Devil Cry", the first three of which were pre-released. All four singles became number one hits on the Hot Singles chart, with "It Girl" spending two weeks at number one.

## Background

In March 2021, BLACKPINK announced that they would be taking an extended hiatus. In April 2016, Bestea.com published a report claiming that the group's hiatus would actually lead to a permanent split, as each of the four group members had not renewed their contracts.

In May 2016, it was confirmed that Jennie had left the group's management, becoming the first member of the group to do so. In June, it was confirmed that Jennie had signed a contract with PRETTYSOUR Management and then a record deal with Universal Music Group to pursue a solo career.

## Writing and Recording

Work on the album began in June 2021, after Jennie left the girl group BLACKPINK. Recording sessions for the album took place in London
and Los Angeles. During the initial sessions, Jennie selected producers she had previously worked with as a member of BLACKPINK, including Teddy Park ("It Girl") and R.Tee ("Perfume"). In addition, a group of new collaborators were brought in to create a more diverse sound. These included producers Tainy ("Arrow to the Heart"), The Monsters & Strangerz ("Darling"<), Burns ("To Deserve You") and Jeff Bhasker ("Make the Devil Cry"). Record producer Greg Kurstin ("I Can't Make You Love Me") stated that Jennie "changed most of the lyrics on the song to suit her taste". Jennie also worked on several songs with Ryan Tedder who praised her songwriting skills and said he was "blown away" by the songs. "Army of Lovers", which was co-written by Tedder, is the only song from the couple that made it onto the album's tracklist.

> "Surprisingly, the creative process of the album was not as chaotic as I thought it would be. I decided very early on that I wanted to focus mainly on the sound and production. My main goal was to create a super diverse album that mixed many mainstream genres and shows I'm capable of supporting any sound within the pop music spectrum while maintaining my identity. However, I was aware of the risk of creating a disoriented record, which is why I hired some of the best producers in the world to avoid that possibility. This album is my first full project for the public to hear, therefore I wanted to make a very good impression."
>
> Jennie, Ruby Album Interview

### Songs

*Ruby* opens with the lead single "It Girl", which was also the first song commissioned for the album. It begins with a catchy melody before transitioning into an anthemic dance track with electronic instruments. Jennie said the song helped her cope with the pressure and it gave her confidence during the writing process.

In "Arrow to the Heart" Jennie sings in a sensual, deep voice in the verse and confesses that she falls in love easily. During the buildup, she begins to wonder if the feeling is real or just an infatuation, and it ends in an explosive Latin drop. Jennie teased the track prior to the album release on a Tusky post. She noted that the song was inspired by her relationship experiences as a teenager.

"Darling", the album's collaboration song with American rapper Doja Cat has been described as a breakup anthem. With a varied mix of lively pop hooks and snappy comments, Jennie confronts her boyfriend for letting her down several times. She uses words like "darling", "honey", and "baby" in a sarcastic tone while singing in her strong British accent. Doja Cat takes over the bridge with a rap verse in a similar tone.

"To Deserve You", the last song added, is a cover song of Bette Midler with a fresh production remixed by Burns. According to Jennie, the lyrics are about feeling like you are not good enough for someone you love something she experienced a few times while recording the album.

The album release single "Army of Lovers" is described as a heartbreak anthem and is a message for people who are constantly hurting in relationships, but never give up on love. The track opens with a folky acoustic guitar riff and is immediately followed by Jennie singing the first verse in a husky tone. In the chorus, she is accompanied by background vocals reminiscent of the sound of a choir.

The following track is designed to showcase Jennie's vocal versatility. She begins with a high and sweet voice then moves into the chest area to show off the lower part of her vocal range, and finally transitions into a powerful belt. With Jennie as the narrator, the song tells the story of a woman who attracts and manipulates men with an aura of charm and mystery that could make even the devil cry. In the final chorus, however, the perspective changes and it becomes clear that the woman she is singing about is herself.

"I Can't Make You Love Me" begins with Jennie speaking over a pop and hip-hop fused beat, again intentionally using her British accent. Its main theme is the toxicity of social media and people "spending their lives online". She wrote the song in response to the criticism she received for leaving her group and the "Darling" cover.

The closing track "Perfume" is lively and infectious, leaving a hint of nostalgia and hope, inspired by the credits songs of Japanese anime of the 80s and 90s. The title is used as a metaphor and talks about the singer's goal to bring her distinctive musical "scent" to the industry and was inspired by her "obsession" with perfumes.

## Title and Artwork

The album cover is by Hee June Kim and has the look of an editorial magazine, which is prevalent on all covers of this era. It features Jennie in a black Chanel dress against a grey background with only her face showing due to low-key lighting. Jennie explained that her intention was to show her fashion sense through the cover, which she describes as minimalist, elegant and mysterious.

> "A self-introduction should include your name and that's the reason I always had the idea that my first album should be self-titled, so at first it was called Jennie. I later changed it to Ruby, my middle name, because it allowed me to be more visually creative without losing anything from my original idea."
>
> Jennie, Ruby Album Interview

## Release and Promotion

On November 12, 2021, a stunning poster was posted on Jennie's social media accounts announcing the upcoming release of the album. On November 16, 2021, Jennie announced the title of the album for the first time when she officially released the album trailer on her official social media accounts, in which Jennie posed in a red light room while the instrumental Darling was playing.

Two days before the album's release, Jennie announced that she would be hosting a YouTube live stream with a small group of handpicked fans. There, she introduced the new songs revealed additional details from the album's creation process, and answered questions from fans. Before wrapping up the event Jennie surprised fans around the world by premiering the Army of Lovers video, directed by Dave Meyers. Furthermore Jennie embarked on a radio promotional tour that included Zach Sang's popular radio show. To promote the album, Jennie was the musical guest on Monday night's episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden. The pop star performed "Army of Lovers" live for the first time to a blazing backdrop and a fleet of backup dancers as she practically floated on the smoke-filled stage. The appearance included an accent game that was a nod to her hit single called Bloody Hell, in which Jennie competed with Corden to see who could recognize the most accents. Jennie attended the Good Morning America concert series in Central Park as the final stop on the Ruby promotional tour The setlist consisted of the latest single "Army of Lovers" alongside her signature hit "It Girl" and the fan-favorite album track "Arrow to the Heart".

### Singles

*It Girl* was released as the album's lead single on July 23, 2021, accompanied by a music video directed by Seo Hyun-seung, which was released on the singer's official YouTube channel on the same day. On July 30, "It Girl (Clone Version)" featuring the song and remix became available for purchase on Jennie's official website. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart and became Jennie's first No. 1 song and debut. In addition, the song received diamond certification after only four weeks and reached the top of the Season End chart, becoming one of the most successful singles of all time.

*Darling* featuring Doja Cat was released as the second single from the album on November 5, 2021. The song, designated as a Special Single, debuted at No. 4 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart the following week, becoming Jennie's second follow-up song to top the chart. The song also received a diamond certification, making it her second song to achieve this. An official music video for the song was released on November 6, 2021, directed by Hannah Lux Davis. The video, which attracted much attention for its sexually charged concept, features Jennie and Doja Cat in a series of colorful sets and school uniform outfits.

*Army of Lovers* was released as the third single on November 19, 2021. Jennie announced the song on November 15 with a single announcement to be released along with the album. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Dave Meyers and uploaded to Jennie's YouTube channel to coincide with the single's release. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart , continuing an impressive streak of number one hits.

*Make the Devil Cry* was released as the fourth and last single from the album on December 3, making it the first single after the album's release. Similar to its predecessors, the song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart , making *Ruby* one of the few albums to have produced four #1 singles. Although the song did not receive a remix, it was certified platinum.

"It Girl""Darling""Army of Lovers"
"Make the Devil Cry"
### Other songs

"Arrow to the Heart" was the album track that received the most attention from fans and listeners upon the album's release, and was most notably included in Taylor Swift's Spotify playlist #SWIFTWRAPPED. The song also received praise from music critics, as it was voted top critics' choice alongside "It Girl" based on ratings on Metacritic. Due to the immense hype, it was speculated that the song would be released as a single, but this never happened.

### Touring

*Main article: The IT GIRL Tour*
On November 24, 2021, Jennie announced the IT GIRL tour in support of the album. The tour began in Manchester on December 11, 2021, visited a total of 12 countries and included 30 shows. The tour became the highest-grossing tour with $245 million in gross revenue.

## Critical Reception

*Ruby* received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has an average score of 83, based on 4 reviews. User Scores gave it 7.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. According to Metacritic, *Ruby* is the most acclaimed album of Season 9 and also the highest rated album of all time alongside "do you really wanna go back in time?" by Billie Eilish.

Writing for Rolling Stone Troye Sivan praised Jennie's direction for the album saying "Now she's here to shine with her new album, a collection of tracks that range so much in genres, it's a masterclass in versatility". Katy Perry on Billboard complimented Jennie's songs selection writing "I love that each song on the album is pulling from various genres to give a complete collection". Furthemore Billboard praised the album's musical direction as well writing that Jennie crafted the perfect pop hits for her album.

## Commercial Performance

*Ruby* debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Albums Chart on November 21, 2021, with 100 points, becoming Jennie's first No. 1. The album also topped all three minor charts. In its second week on the chart, *Ruby* held on to the top spot on the Billboard Top Albums Chart and the minor charts. As a result, the album went platinum in its first two weeks and became the fastest album in history to do so. In the fourth week, *Ruby* received a diamond certification for exceeding 300 chart points - it was Jennie's first album to achieve this, and the first debut studio album to do so since "Perrie Edwards" (album).

## Notes

* "To Deserve You" is a cover version of "To Deserve You" (1995) performed by Bette Midler, written by Arif Mardin.