Jennie's 'Ruby' Earns Highest K-Pop Spot on Rolling Stone's 2025 Best Albums List
BLACKPINK member Jennie has secured the top position among K-pop artists on Rolling Stone's year-end best albums ranking with her debut solo LP 'Ruby.'
Rolling Stone Places 'Ruby' at No. 29
Rolling Stone included 'Ruby' at No. 29 on its "100 Best Albums of 2025" list published December 3, making it the highest-ranked K-pop release this year. The magazine compared Jennie's sound to Rihanna's, noting her ability to modernize 2000s and 2010s R&B-pop while commanding the genre's sweet spot.
TWICE's Chaeyoung also appeared on the list at No. 86 with her debut album 'LIL FANTASY vol.1,' but Jennie's placement nearly 60 spots higher marks a significant achievement for a solo artist.
Forbes Korea Names Jennie Top Idol of 2025
Jennie topped Forbes Korea's "Korean Idols of the Year 2025" ranking announced December 1. The publication calculated scores using music streaming (50%), media mentions (30%), and fan voting (20%), with Jennie leading in both streaming numbers and social media presence.
Streaming Platform Milestones
Jennie made history across major streaming services:
Spotify: She was the only Korean artist featured in the global Spotify Wrapped 2025 campaign. 'Ruby' became the sole K-pop solo album on the platform's "Best Pop Albums of 2025" list, while "like JENNIE" ranked 43rd on the year's most-streamed songs globally-the highest for any 2025 K-pop release by a female artist.
Apple Music: "like JENNIE" charted at No. 62 on Apple Music's "Top 100 of 2025: Global," making Jennie the first K-pop solo artist to ever appear on this year-end global chart.
Billboard Success
'Ruby' debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with 56,000 equivalent units sold, while "like JENNIE" entered the Hot 100 at No. 83. Jennie became the first K-pop female soloist to chart three songs simultaneously on the Hot 100 when "like JENNIE," "Handlebars," and "ExtraL" all appeared in the same week.
The self-produced 15-track album sold over one million copies globally in its first week and features collaborations with Dua Lipa, Dominic Fike, and Doechii.