Jennie Confirms "Less Than a Lover" for July 24. She Wrote, Directed and Produced It Herself.
Jennie confirmed on July 21 that her new single, "Less Than a Lover," arrives July 24 at 1 p.m. KST - roughly midnight Eastern time. The accompanying teaser credits her as the track's director, writer and music producer, and names her co-star for the first time: Taiwan-born model Nah Kai, previously seen in Seventeen's DK and Seungkwan music video for "Blue."
The rollout started July 18, when Jennie posted a Polaroid to her Instagram Story showing her leaning on the shoulder of a man whose face was covered by a heart emoji, sparking speculation about whether it was a soft launch of a relationship or a project teaser. A second image followed on July 19 with the line "The summer I chose to pause the love story," set against an ambient street scene in Spain. A third, posted July 21, showed Jennie and Nah Kai running through an open field.
Musically, "Less Than a Lover" is described in reporting citing Jennie's label, Odd Atelier, as a departure from her usual choreography-driven pop: lo-fi guitar, a vintage electric keyboard sound, and more subdued vocals aimed at an intimate register rather than a stadium one. The song isn't entirely new to audiences - Jennie debuted it live at her Governors Ball set in New York in June, then played it again at Denmark's Roskilde Festival on July 3 and Poland's Open'er Festival on July 4, where she became the first K-pop solo artist to headline the festival's main stage. Two other unreleased songs, "Lock It Down" and "Heaven," also surfaced during those sets.
The Open'er set wasn't a clean victory lap. Polish outlet Onet reported that Jennie's headlining show failed to draw what the outlet called a "big crowd" - a first in the festival's 20-plus year history for a headliner - and noted criticism of her use of a backing track during the performance.
"Less Than a Lover" follows Jennie's 2025 debut album, "Ruby," which reached the top 10 in 19 countries and became one of the best-performing solo releases by a K-pop artist. It's also the first release under Odd Atelier where Jennie has taken on directing, writing and production credit simultaneously, rather than working primarily as the performer.
Whether the shift toward a quieter sound and full creative control changes how the song is received arrives with the release itself, in three days.
