Jennie Kim, a member of the K-pop group Blackpink, has spoken out about fearing she’d “let fans down” after physical pain impacted some of her previous live performances.
Kim, 27, is one of four members of the globally popular South Korean band and also made her acting debut in the polarising series The Idol last month.
In June, she was escorted offstage during a performance in Melbourne, Australia, which was later explained as being due to her “deteriorating condition”.
Kim addressed her health in a conversation on Dua Lipa’s BBC Sounds podcast At Your Service.
As well as being her first-ever podcast interview, this audio feature also marks the first time that Kim has directly addressed her physical health and possible criticisms of her performance abilities.
“It all started because I would constantly hurt myself during performances and live [shows] compared to the other girls,” Kim said of being prone to injury in Blackpink’s early days.
“It was a stressful thing in my life. I’m like, ‘There we go, I fell again, I tripped over again.
“So I feel like I’ve disappointed my fans at some points of my life, where it seemed like I wasn’t giving my best. But I did not know how to control my body the way I should.”
Jennie Kim of Blackpink— (Getty Images for Coachella)
Elsewhere in the episode, released on Friday (14 July), Kim stressed that she’s been taking care of her health since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020.
“I’ve learned to take care of my body. And I’ve learned a lot about myself, with my health and how my muscles work, even how bendy I am with my arms,” she told the “Levitating” singer. “In every detail, I’ve spent time.”
Kim has not detailed the specifics of her physical condition.
The singer went on to discuss how the expectation to dance in high heels had contributed to her discomfort.
“Some people are amazing in heels,” she noted. “My feet aren’t built for it.”
“Sometimes, when I’m feeling perfectly fine, when my body’s OK, it’s fine. But when I’m travelling and my feet are bloated, if I try to dance in heels, my stamina just goes down.”
Last month, Blackpink gave a history-making performance at London’s Hyde Park, with some fans entertained by the surprise sighting of Hugh Grant in the crowd.
