ALBUM
Jennie Releases Less than a Lover, a Self-Written Summer Solo Single
Jennie will release the audio and music video for her new single Less than a Lover at 1 p.m. on July 24. The summer song, which she helped write and compose, arrives after being previewed at overseas festivals.
Jennie will release her new solo single "Less than a Lover." The song and music video will be released at 1 p.m. on July 24, Korea time, through music platforms and her official YouTube channel. It has been introduced as a summer-leaning track for which Jennie participated in writing, composing and music video direction.
Jennie's new solo song is receiving its official release. At 1 p.m. on July 24, Korea time, she will release the audio and music video for her new single "Less than a Lover" at the same time. The song follows a slightly different path from a typical pre-release rollout because it was first performed at global festival stages before its official release.
"Less than a Lover" has been introduced as a song about the emotional line of a relationship somewhere between lovers and friends. Multiple reports described it as a summer song made with the season in mind. A laid-back mood created by lo-fi guitar texture and vintage electronic keyboard sounds, with Jennie's vocals layered over it, has been cited as the song's central emotion. It takes a different approach from some solo tracks that placed strong beats and performance at the front.
The most notable point in this song is Jennie's creative participation. According to reports, Jennie took part in writing and composing "Less than a Lover," and was also credited with music video direction. Yonhap News reported that Jennie actively shared her opinions throughout the music-making process.
The stage where Jennie first introduced the song is also an important part of the article's flow. She previously performed "Less than a Lover" at major overseas music festivals including The Governors Ball Music Festival 2026 in the United States, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, Open'er Festival in Poland and Mad Cool Festival 2026 in Spain. Revealing a new song at global festivals before its domestic digital release shows that Jennie's solo activity is conscious of both the Korean market and the overseas performance market.
This method also connects with the recent activity structure of K-pop solo artists. In the past, a common pattern was to release music first, then continue with music shows, interviews and fan events. For solo artists with global fandoms, testing a song first on festival stages and later connecting it to an official digital release has become one possible route. On-site audience response and the spread of online clips can influence early awareness of a song. Festival previews have the advantage of broadening exposure, but actual digital performance and global chart response will need to be checked after release according to each chart's timing and standards.
Reports also said Jennie participated in the music video's direction. Some articles explained that the music video was filmed in Spain. However, what can be confirmed is limited to the fact that Jennie also took part in the video production process and helped shape the song's mood and visual image.
Looking at Jennie's recent solo path, this song sits at a point where she is adjusting the range of her activities. Jennie has continued global activities as a member of BLACKPINK, while her individual work has expanded across fashion, advertising, music and festival stages. Her solo songs have also taken various forms, including performance-driven tracks, collaborations and songs first revealed on festival stages. "Less than a Lover" can be categorized among them as a track that places summer emotion and vocal texture at the front.
This year's Jennie activities are especially closely connected with overseas music festivals. According to reports, she has already performed the song at several global festivals and is also scheduled to continue appearing at major festivals such as Lollapalooza Chicago in the United States and Summer Sonic 2026 in Japan. Festivals are not simply performance schedules, but stages that show a solo artist's stage management and the expandability of live content. The close placement of the new song release and festival schedule can be understood in that context.
How "Less than a Lover" relates to Jennie's existing image is another point to watch. Jennie is an artist strongly associated with bold styling and a clear performance image. By contrast, this song has been described in multiple reports as carrying romantic summer emotion, a languid sound and the subtle afterglow of a relationship. This can be interpreted as Jennie expanding her solo color into different emotions and textures rather than fixing it in one direction.
The title of the new song also connects with Jennie's mode of expression. "Less than a Lover" points to a relationship that falls short of being lovers, or sits just below that boundary. Rather than a simple breakup or confession, it expresses a state in which the relationship's boundaries are not clear. When paired with the feeling of summer, the song can be read as dealing with loose excitement and lingering emotion rather than intense passion. This is also why reports used phrases such as summer-night romance and emotional summer song.
From the music industry perspective, Jennie's participation in both creative work and video direction is important. For a global K-pop solo artist, a music release no longer stops at putting out one song. Sound, lyrics, music video, social media teasers, festival stages and fashion images move together. For an artist like Jennie, whose brand image is strong, the persuasiveness of an activity depends on how consistently those elements are coordinated.
For fans, the fact that the song had already been heard at some venues is also interesting. When a song first heard live receives an official studio release, comparisons between the live version and studio version can naturally follow. This is a common consumption pattern for artists with global fandoms.
Jennie's "Less than a Lover" is both a new solo song centered on summer emotion and a case of a track being introduced first on global stages before receiving an official digital release. The song's actual evaluation will need to consider the music, video, live stages and responses from both fans and the public after release. What can currently be confirmed are the release time, Jennie's creative participation, the song's emotional direction and the flow of festival previews. Those facts are enough to show what texture this new single adds to Jennie's solo activity.
Summary Points
- Jennie will release the audio and music video for her new single "Less than a Lover" at 1 p.m. on July 24, Korea time.
- "Less than a Lover" was introduced as a summer-inspired song about subtle emotions between lovers and friends.
- Jennie participated in writing, composing and directing the music video for the song.
- The song was first performed at major overseas music festival stages before its official release.