Jennie Kim, a member of the globally renowned K-pop group BLACKPINK, has recently come under scrutiny following the release of a teaser for her upcoming solo track, “Like Jennie.” The nine-second teaser, unveiled earlier this week, features rhythmic beats accompanied by the repetitive chanting of “Jennie.” This composition has led some listeners, particularly from India, to draw parallels between Jennie’s teaser and the “Rani Theme” from the 2023 Bollywood film “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani,” directed by Karan Johar.
The original “Rani Theme,” composed by renowned Indian music director Pritam Chakraborty, is characterized by a similar beat pattern and vocal arrangement, with the word “Rani” chanted throughout. Social media platforms have been abuzz with discussions regarding these similarities. One user on X (formerly Twitter) highlighted the issue by juxtaposing the two tracks, stating, “BLACKPINK’s Jennie copied the song Rani Anthem from the movie Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, which has Indian artist Pritam’s credits, in a way that sounds no different.”
The debate has elicited mixed reactions. Some fans expressed disappointment over the perceived lack of originality, while others found irony in the situation, given Pritam’s history with plagiarism allegations concerning songs like “Ya Ali” and “Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai.” However, some fans have urged caution, suggesting that the similarity might stem from both tracks sampling a common source. One fan noted, “Pritam literally copied ‘Pehli Nazar Me’ note for note, without any credits, from a Korean song. He probably did the same for this [Rani’s] intro. [He must have] sampled it from another international song without crediting it.” The user insisted that “Jennie will give sampling credits.”
As of now, neither Jennie nor her management have issued an official statement addressing these allegations. The full version of “Like Jennie” is scheduled for release on March 7. Fans and critics alike are eagerly awaiting the complete track to assess the extent of the similarities and to hear any potential clarifications from Jennie’s team.
