BLACKPINK's Jennie is taking over the charts with her latest solo release.
On July 24 at 1 p.m. KST, Jennie officially dropped her new single "Less than a Lover," along with its music video — and the response has been immediate and global. Within 24 hours of its release, the song had already claimed the top spot on iTunes Top Songs charts in at least 27 different regions, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Brazil.
According to OA Entertainment, this marks the highest number of regions topped by any K-pop solo song released in 2026 — a fitting follow-up to Jennie's previous solo ventures, which have consistently outperformed expectations on international charts.
YouTube domination
"Less than a Lover" also surged to No. 1 on YouTube's worldwide list of Top Trending Music Videos, while simultaneously topping YouTube's trending video charts in both South Korea and the United States. Dual No. 1 rankings on YouTube's domestic and US trending lists is a rare achievement that underscores Jennie's unique position as a Korean soloist with genuine crossover appeal in the American market.
The music video itself — sleek, visually ambitious, and unmistakably Jennie — drew millions of views within the first few hours and has sustained strong engagement across global audiences.
Chart performance in Korea and China
The single's performance in East Asia has been just as commanding. In China, "Less than a Lover" reached No. 1 on three major platforms simultaneously: QQ Music, NetEase Cloud Music, and KuGou Music — a trifecta that most K-pop acts can't pull off with a single release.
Back home in Korea, the song debuted at No. 2 on Melon's Hot 100 chart, placing it among the top-performing releases of the summer season. The combination of domestic strength and international dominance makes "Less than a Lover" one of the most impactful K-pop solo releases of the year so far.
What this means for Jennie's solo career
Jennie has long been considered one of BLACKPINK's strongest solo acts, but "Less than a Lover" is shaping up to be her most commercially potent release yet. The scale of the chart performance — 27 iTunes No. 1s, YouTube chart-topping status in both Korea and the US, and three simultaneous No. 1s in China — suggests that Jennie's solo brand has grown considerably beyond what it was during her earlier solo era.
It also reinforces a broader trend: K-pop soloists from established groups are increasingly capable of generating numbers that rival, and in some cases exceed, the groups they come from. With BLACKPINK members pursuing individual paths more actively than ever, Jennie's latest numbers serve as a powerful proof point that the demand for her as a solo artist is real, global, and growing.
