BTS Vs BLACKPINK’s Jennie — Netizens Indulge In Heated Comparison

After nearly four years of absence as a group, BTS finally made their much-awaited comeback on March 20, KST. With a massive free concert at the historic Gwanhwamun Square the very next day, their new album, ARIRANG, generated a huge chatter, though with mixed opinions.

This new album has been met with all kinds of discourse, making it one of the most significant music releases by a K-Pop artist in recent years. Naturally, comparisons followed, with another acclaimed album, BLACKPINK Jennie’s Ruby, at the front. Given that the two albums have quite the overlap in producers made the comparisons more inevitable, with some claiming that some of the songs sounded similar across the records.

The comparison then moved on from albums to live performances, particularly between BTS’s Gwanghwamun concert and Jennie’s performance at Coachella in 2025. A now-viral post on Nate Pann made an indirect jab at BTS by pointing out the difference in the crowd size, adding that Jennie’s performance was paid while BTS’s concert was free.

The post triggered a heated response from netizens who fiercely debated the facts about the comparisons.

• “Jennie feels like a tangible presence. If you’ve lived in the U.S. for a few years, you’d likely perceive her as a celebrity who exists within the “muggle” world, whereas BTS, by contrast, feels very much like they inhabit a world entirely of their own.”
• “The crowd in Gwanghwamun was a bit small, though, LOL.”
• “Jennie wasn’t even the headliner of that stage. I watched it live, and the place was packed to the brim with people starting from the afternoon. Who are you trying to fool?”
• “Jennie, go ahead and try performing in Gwanghwamun… You wouldn’t even be able to fill a quarter of the crowd BTS draws.”
• “Did Netflix stream Jennie’s performance?”
• “However, comparing the situation abroad with the domestic one is a bit… well, questionable—since things can be quite different overseas.”