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Less Than a Lover

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Less Than a Lover"
Single by Jennie
ReleasedJuly 24, 2026
GenreAlternative pop
Length2:25
Label
Songwriters
Producers
Jennie singles chronology
"Dracula" (Jennie remix)
(2026)		 "Less Than a Lover"
(2026)
Music video
"Less Than a Lover" on YouTube

"Less Than a Lover" is a song by South Korean singer and rapper Jennie. She wrote the song alongside Tyler Spry, Cashmere Cat, Deborah Jung, Bibi Bourelly and Jelli Dorman, with the former two handling the production. It was released by Odd Atelier and Columbia Records on July 24, 2026.

Background and release

[edit]

On July 18, Jennie posted a Polaroid photo on social media of herself wearing a bright floral dress and leaning on a man's shoulder, with the man's face obscured by a heart emoji.[1] Fans speculated that the man in the photo was Taiwanese model Nah Kai.[2] Shortly afterwards, she announced the single "Less Than a Lover" with a romantic teaser showing the silhouettes of a couple under an arched tunnel in a European alley. The poster credited Jennie as the project's director, writer, and music producer and was captioned "The summer I chose to pause the love story."[3] On July 20, she confirmed the single's release date with a second teaser image depicting Jennie outside a pickup truck with a man, revealed to be Nah Kai.[4] A third teaser on July 20 showed the two running hand in hand through an open field.[5]

Composition and lyrics

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"Less than a Lover" is a "softer, more introspective" alternative pop ballad featuring restrained vocals over a lo-fi guitar, vintage electric keyboards and "dreamy, laid-back" instrumentation.[6][7][8] Jennie was creatively involved throughout the entire project and participated in the song's lyrics, musical production, and music video direction.[9] Lyrically, the song explores the dynamics of a casual, seasonal romance that falls between friendship and a committed relationship.[10] Through lines such as "More than a friend, but less than a lover" the singer establishes clear boundaries, expressing a desire for a low-pressure, temporary connection.[6] The track marked a stylistic departure from the singer's previous performance-oriented releases.[11]

Accolades

[edit]
Music program awards
Program Date Ref.
M Countdown July 30, 2026 [12]

Music video

[edit]

Directed by Choeey, the song's music video was filmed in Girona, Spain and incorporates a cinematic narrative structure, with Jennie credited as both writer and narrator. The visual also stars the Taiwan-born model Nah Kai. Shot with a muted color palette and intimate camera angles, the visual begins with a spoken intro outlining a script about avoiding long-term romantic responsibility: "So I want a film about a girl. She wants to avoid love, wants to avoid responsibilities. She’s very confused, but also knows what she wants - just to enjoy summer."[8] The narrative follows a summer romance through scenes of road trips, coastal drives, and poolside moments.[6] The video ends with a scene on the beach described through a short voiceover. Just as the two characters are about to kiss, Jennie backs away, choosing to keep the relationship casual.[8]

Live performances

[edit]

Jennie first debuted "Less Than a Lover" live before its release at the Governors Ball Music Festival on June 7, 2026.[13] She further performed it before release at the Roskilde Festival on July 3,[14] the Open'er Festival on July 4,[15] and Mad Cool on July 9.[16]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

All credits adapted from Tidal.[17]

  • Jennie – songwriting, vocals
  • Tyler Spry – production, songwriting, bass, guitar, percussion, programming, synthesizer, Wurlitzer piano, background vocals, recording engineering
  • Cashmere Cat – production, songwriting, programming
  • Bibi Bourelly – songwriting, background vocals
  • Deb Never – songwriting
  • Jelli Dorman – songwriting, background vocals, vocal production, vocal engineering
  • Loren Fernard – guitar
  • Joe Henderson – keyboards, recording engineering assistance
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Bryce Bordon – mixing assistance
  • Dale Becker – mastering
  • Katie Harvey – mastering assistance
  • Paniz Farokhnia – recording engineering

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Less Than a Lover"
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Australia New Music Singles (ARIA)[18] 17
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[19] 5
South Korea (Circle)[20] 71

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Less Than a Lover"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various July 24, 2026 [21]
Italy July 31, 2026 Radio airplay Sony Italy [22]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Lee, Jae-hoon (July 19, 2026). 제니, 의문의 남성과 투샷 [Jennie, two-shot with a mysterious man] (in Korean). Newsis. Archived from the original on July 20, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  2. ↑ Kang, Ju-il (July 19, 2026). 제니 하트 스티커 그 남자, 대만 모델 나 카이설 '솔솔' [Jennie Heart sticker: Rumors swirling about the man—Taiwanese model Nah Kai.]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 20, 2026. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  3. ↑ Gibeum, Oh (July 20, 2026). 로맨틱한 분위기가 가득한 제니의 새 프로젝트 [Jennie's new project filled with a romantic atmosphere]. Vogue Korea. Archived from the original on July 20, 2026. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  4. ↑ Kim, Soo-hyung (July 22, 2026). 제니의 그 남자, 정체 밝혀졌다...'신곡' 떡밥=컴백 예고 [The identity of Jennie's mystery man revealed... 'New song' teaser hints at a comeback.]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ Manuel, Andrea (July 21, 2026). "JENNIE Unveils Teasers For Highly-Anticipated Comeback "Less Than A Lover"". Billboard Philippines. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "JENNIE Navigates Fleeting Summer Love in "Less Than a Lover"". Hypebeast. July 24, 2026. Archived from the original on July 24, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ Kim, Jae-heun (July 21, 2026). "Jennie to release new single 'Less Than a Lover'". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Manuel, Andrea (July 24, 2026). "JENNIE Directs Her Own Love Story In "Less than a Lover" MV". Billboard Philippines. Archived from the original on July 24, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  9. ↑ Cho, Yong-Jun (July 21, 2026). "Jennie to drop 'Less than a Lover' on July 24". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  10. ↑ Zemler, Emily (July 24, 2026). "Blackpink's Jennie Debuts Wistful Single 'Less Than a Lover'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 24, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  11. ↑ "BLACKPINK's Jennie to release new solo single". The Korea Times. July 21, 2026. Archived from the original on July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  12. ↑ Moon, Wan-sik (July 30, 2026). 제니, '엠카' 1위 [Jennie, 1st place on 'M Countdown']. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 31, 2026. Retrieved July 30, 2026 – via Naver.
  13. ↑ "JENNIE Takes Over Governors Ball With New Songs: Full Setlist". inMusic. June 7, 2026. Archived from the original on June 9, 2026. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Every Song JENNIE Performed at Roskilde Festival 2026". inMusic. July 4, 2026. Archived from the original on July 5, 2026. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ "JENNIE performs unreleased new songs during Open'er Festival 2026 headline set". NME. July 4, 2026. Archived from the original on July 5, 2026. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ Skinner, Tom (July 10, 2026). "Watch JENNIE perform epic remix of Tame Impala's 'Dracula' at Mad Cool 2026". NME. Archived from the original on July 13, 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Less than a Lover / JENNIE / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  18. ↑ "ARIA Top 20 New Music Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 3, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. July 31, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Digital Chart – Week 30 of 2026". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Less than a Lover – Song by JENNIE". Apple Music. July 24, 2026. Archived from the original on July 24, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  22. ↑ Sisti, Sara (July 31, 2026). "JENNIE "Less than a Lover" | (Radio Date: 31/07/2026)". Airplay Control (Press release) (in Italian). Archived from the original on July 24, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
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