BLACKPINK’s Jennie dominated headlines after her historic 2025 Melon Music Awards performance, but not all the attention was positive. When critics accused her of being “out of breath” during Seoul City, loyal fans quickly clapped back with a simple explanation: it’s an intentional singing technique, not stamina issues. Here’s why the controversy misses the mark.
Table of Contents
Jennie MMA Performance at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | 17th Melon Music Awards 2025 |
| Date | December 20, 2025 |
| Venue | Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul |
| Performance | Seoul City, ZEN, like JENNIE |
| Historic Win | Record of the Year (4th Daesang) |
| Viewership Spike | 140k → 204k (highest of the night) |
| Backup Dancers | 50 performers |
What Actually Happened
On December 20, Jennie returned to a Korean award show stage for the first time since January 2019—a six-year gap that made her MMA 2025 performance highly anticipated. She delivered a visually stunning set featuring rearranged versions of Seoul City, ZEN, and like JENNIE from her debut solo album Ruby.
During Seoul City, some viewers noticed what they interpreted as heavy breathing or vocal strain. Social media quickly filled with criticism questioning her vocal stability and stamina, with some suggesting the performance relied more on production value than live singing ability.
The Fan Defense: Understanding Airy Vocals
BLINKs (BLACKPINK’s fandom) immediately pushed back against the criticism with a crucial clarification: the “breathy” sound isn’t a flaw—it’s a deliberate artistic choice embedded in the song itself.
Why Seoul City Sounds Airy:
The song is intentionally airy and meant to be sung with that specific technique, creating an intimate, sensual atmosphere that matches the track’s sophisticated production. This vocal styling—sometimes called “breathy tone” or “whisper singing”—requires precise control and is actually more technically challenging than belting.
Artists like Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and many R&B vocalists employ similar techniques to create emotional intimacy. The soft, breath-supported vocals draw listeners in rather than projecting outward like traditional pop singing.
One fan perfectly captured the absurdity: “Antis saying she’s out of breath when the song is airy and meant to be sung like that. LMAO. The performance [was] too good, they started pulling st out their a.”
The Historic Achievement
Lost in the vocal controversy is Jennie’s groundbreaking accomplishment: she became the first solo artist in Melon Music Awards history to win Record of the Year, marking her fourth Daesang (grand prize) overall.
During her acceptance speech, Jennie reflected on the significance: “Thank you for giving me such a big award. This year has been very meaningful to me. My first solo album was released, and I’m happy to end the year joyfully. I will continue to be a JENNIE who makes great music.”
Her album Ruby achieved unprecedented success:
- Over 661,000 first-week sales (highest for a female K-pop soloist in 2025)
- Top 10 in 19 countries
- Number three on UK Albums Chart (highest ever for a K-pop solo act)
- Three songs charting simultaneously on Billboard Hot 100
- Global Force Award at 2025 Billboard Women in Music
The Cultural Significance
Jennie’s performance outfit became a viral moment of its own, incorporating text from Hunminjeongeum—the foundational document of the Korean alphabet created by King Sejong the Great. This thoughtful cultural homage demonstrated artistic depth that transcended vocal technique debates.
The 50 dancers backing her created a visually stunning spectacle that pushed viewership from 140,000 to 204,000—the highest of the entire ceremony. Korean netizens largely praised her stage presence, confidence, and star power, with international criticism representing a minority view.
Why the Criticism Persists
This isn’t Jennie’s first rodeo with vocal criticism. Her Coachella 2025 performance faced similar accusations of lip-syncing and stamina issues, suggesting a pattern of selective scrutiny that other K-pop artists don’t always face.
Some valid points exist about the challenges of transitioning from group performances to solo stages—choreography, stamina management, and live vocal balance present genuine obstacles. However, dismissing artistic vocal choices as technical limitations misses the point entirely.
The MMA performance featured complex staging, 50 dancers, multiple costume changes, and three complete songs. Maintaining perfect vocal power throughout while executing choreography is physically demanding, which is why many artists strategically use backing tracks or adjust vocal delivery.
The Double Standard
What’s particularly frustrating for fans is the inconsistent standard applied to female K-pop soloists versus their male counterparts or Western artists. When male artists use breathy vocals for emotional effect, critics call it “vulnerable” and “intimate.” When Jennie does it, she’s “out of breath” and “can’t sing.”
This gendered double standard ignores the reality that K-pop performance standards demand simultaneous excellence in dance, vocals, visuals, and stage presence—an almost impossible combination to perfect while performing live.
What the Numbers Say
Despite the vocal debate, the metrics tell a different story:
- Winners are decided through downloads and streams at 60%, expert review at 20%, and fan votes at 20%
- Jennie won Record of the Year, suggesting industry experts and general public both valued her work
- Her performance drew the highest viewership of the night
- Korean audiences—who watched live—overwhelmingly praised the stage
These objective measures suggest the criticism represents a vocal minority rather than consensus opinion.
The Bottom Line
Jennie’s MMA 2025 performance showcased exactly what she intended: a sophisticated, visually stunning stage that prioritized artistic expression over vocal gymnastics. The “breathy” delivery wasn’t a bug—it was a feature of Seoul City‘s intimate production style.
Whether you appreciate that artistic choice is subjective, but mischaracterizing it as stamina failure or vocal weakness demonstrates either misunderstanding of singing techniques or deliberate bad faith criticism. Given Jennie’s proven track record, solo success, and historic achievements, the latter seems more likely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did Jennie sound breathy during her MMA 2025 performance?
The breathy vocal style during Seoul City is an intentional singing technique, not a stamina issue. The song is designed with airy, intimate vocals that create a sensual atmosphere. This whisper-singing technique is commonly used in R&B and pop music and actually requires significant vocal control. Critics misinterpreted this artistic choice as being “out of breath.”
Q: What did Jennie win at the 2025 Melon Music Awards?
Jennie won Record of the Year (Daesang), becoming the first solo artist in MMA history to win this category. She also won Top 10 (Bonsang) and Millions Top 10 awards. This marked her fourth Daesang overall and capped off a historic year following the release of her debut solo album Ruby, which sold over 661,000 copies in its first week.
