JENNIE has kicked off her new solo era with an impressive global streaming debut. Her new song “Less Than a Lover” opened at No. 34 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global chart on July 24 with 2.261 million streams, immediately becoming one of the strongest debuts of her solo career.
The opening-day performance places “Less Than a Lover” among JENNIE’s highest-charting songs on the Daily Global Spotify Chart. Including collaborations, it ranks as her ninth-best peak to date, trailing only a select group of major hits such as “Like Jennie” and “Mantra,” both of which reached No. 5, and “You & Me,” which climbed to No. 13.
Streaming is only one part of the song’s explosive launch. “Less Than a Lover” simultaneously topped the iTunes Top Songs chart in at least 27 countries, claimed No. 1 on YouTube’s worldwide Trending Music Videos chart, became the best-selling single in China, and surged to No. 2 on Melon’s Hot 100 in South Korea. Its accompanying music video also amassed 5.7 million views during its first 24 hours on YouTube, marking the biggest debut by a K-pop soloist on the platform in 2026.
The release represents JENNIE’s first solo music since her critically acclaimed 2025 debut album Ruby. This time, however, the BLACKPINK star has taken even greater creative ownership. She is the sole songwriter and composer credited on “Less Than a Lover,” making it one of her most personal releases to date. Adding another milestone, JENNIE also directed the music video herself, continuing to expand her creative role since launching her independent label, Odd Atelier.
Anticipation for the single had been building for weeks. Fans first heard “Less Than a Lover” during JENNIE’s Governors Ball performance in New York in June before she performed it again at Roskilde Festival on July 3 and Poland’s Open’er Festival. Those appearances also introduced unreleased tracks “Lock It Down” and “Heaven,” with JENNIE teasing that more new music would arrive soon.
Promotion intensified in the days leading up to the release. On July 18, she shared a mysterious still from the music video featuring an unidentified man, sparking widespread fan speculation. A day later, she posted the cryptic message, “The summer I chose to pause the love story,” on her Instagram broadcast channel, a lyric that listeners quickly linked to the upcoming single.
The strong debut extends the momentum JENNIE built with Ruby, which debuted inside the top 10 in 19 countries and became one of the most successful albums ever released by a K-pop female soloist. The project sold more than 660,000 copies in its first week in South Korea, earned triple platinum certification, and produced five Billboard Hot 100 entries, including “Like Jennie,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Global 200.
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