"Mantra" is a song by South Korean singer and rapper Jennie. It was released through Odd Atelier and Columbia Records on October 11, 2024, as the lead single from her upcoming debut studio album. It is Jennie's first release under her own label and her first solo single since departing YG Entertainment and Interscope Records as a solo artist in 2023. The song was written and composed by various contributors, including Jennie, Claudia Valentina, and Zikai, and was produced by El Guincho, Jelli Dorman, Jumpa, and Serban Cazan. It has been described as a dance-pop and R&B song that incorporates a discobassline, with lyrics that celebrate girl power.
"Mantra" received positive reviews from critics for its empowering lyrics and infectious production. It was a commercial success and peaked at number three on the Billboard Global 200 and number two on the Global Excl. US, becoming Jennie's third and fourth top-ten hit on the charts respectively. In South Korea, the song peaked at number three on the Circle Digital Chart, while it topped the charts in Hong Kong and Taiwan and entered the top ten in Malaysia and Singapore. It also became Jennie's first solo entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 98 and highest-charting song by a Korean female solo artist on the UK Singles Chart at number 37.
An accompanying music video was directed by Tanu Muino and released on Jennie's YouTube channel simultaneously with the single's release. The video sees Jennie performing high-octane choreography in a variety of looks throughout Los Angeles. The singer promoted "Mantra" with performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the South Korean music programsM Countdown and Show! Music Core, and the Superpop Japan festival.
Background and release
After not renewing her contract with YG Entertainment for solo activities, Jennie founded her own record label named Odd Atelier in November 2023.[1] It was further announced on September 8, 2024, that she had signed as a solo artist with Columbia Records in partnership with OA.[2] She began teasing new music by posting a video on September 25 of herself hanging a bulletin advertisement that read "Calling all pretty girls." She followed this the next day with a photo of herself standing in an outdoor parking lot with the number 1011 on the side, teasing an October 11 release.[3]
She continued posting video teasers in upcoming days, one of herself in the same parking lot with the caption "☎️ PRE-TTY-GIRL" and another captioned "Picked up the phone" showing her tear off a copy of a phone number printed on the bulletin advertisement. On September 28, a video titled "Presenting… 🍵" was released which featured Jennie acting out six rules of the "pretty girl mantra" as listed by the narrator, who stated pretty girls are driven, practise self-love, love animals, sleep well, treat themselves and avoid drama. The day after, she shared photos of her leg and waist with the word "mantra" tattooed on them in cursive.[4] On the 30th, she officially announced the single's name as "Mantra" and its release date of October 11 with a flirty teaser video containing a snippet of Jennie singing about girls having fun.[5]
Composition and lyrics
Stereogum described "Mantra" as Jennie's take on "messy, bratty pop" with elements of disco.[6] Meanwhile, Hits called it a "dance-pop gem".[7] The song has "a heavy dose of R&B" and "bassline".[8][9] Lyrically, the song is a feminist anthem that celebrates living a "drama-free existence." Jennie stated that the song "was inspired by [her] time recording in Los Angeles" and was "about being positive, being expressive, and being true to who you are. It’s energetic and empowering with a message for all of my ladies, women, and pretty girls out there to love yourself for who you are. This is your anthem."[10] She similarly described the song to Vogue as a "fun, upbeat anthem that celebrates girl power and inspires every woman to shine in her own way with confidence."[11]
In a review for NME, Puah Ziwei scored "Mantra" four out of five stars and praised it as a "confident, sassy declaration" with a "daring acapella opening [that] makes way for a chant-worthy chorus", but criticized the track for its brevity.[13]IZM's Lim Seon-hee rated the song three out of five stars and described it as an "unexpected" departure from Jennie's previous singles both sonically and lyrically. He found the steady, unchanging beat conveyed the characteristics of a mantra well and "arouse[d] curiosity" in the audience. The author also noted the lyrics' emphasis on "we" rather than "I" and praised the song as an empowering feminist anthem that "boldly sets up a place of solidarity" for women.[12]L'Officiel Philippines' Andrei Santos lauded the song for its electrifying and infectious production, positively describing it as "a bold anthem that channels Jennie's unshakeable confidence and carefree spirit".[14]
"Mantra" debuted at number three on the Billboard Global 200 chart with 74.9 million streams and 15,000 sold worldwide in its first full week of tracking between October 11 and 17. It marked her third top-ten on the chart as a soloist after her 2023 singles "You & Me" and "One of the Girls", the latter with the Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp. She tied with her bandmate Lisa's three top tens, while Jisoo and Rosé had one each and their group Blackpink four. The song also debuted at number two on the Billboard Global Excl. US with 69 million streams and 12,000 sold outside the US Jennie earned her fourth top-ten as a soloist on the chart after "You & Me", "One of the Girls", and "Spot!" (2024), matching the four top tens earned by both Blackpink and Lisa and ahead of Jisoo and Rosé's one each.[16] In its second week, the song dropped to number six on the Billboard Global 200 and number four on the Global Excl. US.[17]
In South Korea, "Mantra" debuted at number 67 on the Circle Digital Chart for the week dated October 12 with less than two days of tracking.[18] In its first full tracking week, it rose to number five, marking her fourth top-ten hit in the country after "Solo" (2018), "You & Me", and "Spot!", while the explicit version of "Mantra" also debuted at number 54.[19] The song peaked at number three the following week dated October 26, and the explicit version peaked at number 53.[20] The song also debuted at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, her second entry as a soloist after "One of the Girls".[21] In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart, breaking the record held by her bandmate Jisoo's "Flower" (2023) for the highest-charting song by a Korean female solo artist in Official Charts history. It marked Jennie's second top-40 hit of the year, after "One of the Girls" peaked at number 21 in January. With "Mantra", she took the lead as the Blackpink member with the most UK top-40 singles, now with a solo tally of two following "You & Me".[22]
Music video
An accompanying music video for "Mantra" was directed by Tanu Muino and released alongside the single on October 11 to Jennie's YouTube channel. The video begins with a little girl singing along to "Mantra" in the backseat of two men car in rush hour on the Santa Ana Freeway, referencing a scene from the 1998 film Rush Hour. It then cuts to shots of Jennie stepping out of a vintage car in different outfits, before she begins performing the song’s choreography.[23] She is shown performing the track in a variety of looks, some with blonde hair, across multiple locations in Los Angeles,[10] including the Petersen Automotive Museum.[24] Upon release, the music video reached number one on YouTube's trending videos in South Korea, the United States, and worldwide. It surpassed 100 million views on November 25, 45 days after its release.[25]
Live performances
Jennie's first televised performance of "Mantra" was on the American late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 15, which marked her US television debut as a soloist.[26] She showcased her "immaculate vocals and impressive choreography", as Billboard positively described, on the show's outdoor stage with a group of backup dancers in front of a packed crowd.[27] Jennie performed "Mantra" for the South Korean music program M Countdown on October 17, her first time on the show in eight years since performing "Playing with Fire" with Blackpink in 2016.[15] She also performed it on the music program Show! Music Core on October 19.[28] On November 10, Jennie performed "Mantra" and her previous single "You & Me" at the Superpop Japan festival held at the Panasonic Stadium Suita in Osaka, Japan.[29]
^ abLee, Ye-jin (October 17, 2024). 제니, 8년만 '엠카' 컴백…레전드 미모, 카리나 꺾고 첫 음방 1위 [엑's 이슈] [Jennie is back on "M Countdown" for the first time in 8 years...Legendary beauty beat Karina to win first place on a music show. [Ex's issue]] (in Korean). Xsports News. Retrieved October 17, 2024 – via Nate.
^Jin, Hyang-hee (November 25, 2024). 제니 ‘만트라’ 뮤비 1억뷰 돌파 [Jennie's 'Mantra' music video surpasses 100 million views]. Joy News (in Korean). Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^Kim, Tae-hyung (October 19, 2024). '쇼! 음악중심' 에스파 카리나 'UP' 1위…씨엔블루·제니·세븐틴 등 출격 [TV캡처] ['Show! Music Core' Aespa's Karina 'UP' 1st Place... CNBLUE, Jennie, Seventeen, etc. Appear [TV Capture]]. Sports Today (in Korean). Retrieved October 19, 2024.
^Jeong, Ji-won (November 13, 2024). '슈퍼팝 재팬' 제니, 글로벌 스타 출격에 日 열광 "보고싶었다" ['Superpop Japan' Jennie, Japan's enthusiasm for global star debut "I missed you"]. Joy News (in Korean). Retrieved November 13, 2024.
