In February 2026, a remix of Tame Impala‘s “Dracula” featuring Jennie was released and quickly became a global hit for both artists. Kevin Parker is the one-man band mastermind behind Tame Impala. Jennie has embarked on a solo career aside from being a member of the popular K-pop girl group, BLACKPINK. In May, their remix earned both artists their first No. 1 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, as well as the Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts. Their collaboration started with a chance encounter that was discussed in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, published on October 13, 2026.
Kevin Parker of Tame Impala conducts most of the interview. Kevin Parker starts out by asking Jennie if she remembers the first time they met. Parker reminds Jennie, “It was in an underground restaurant bar in Seoul, South Korea,” though they never specify when this happened.
The two discussed how, when Jennie recorded her vocals for the remix, Kevin Parker was live on Zoom. Parker was at a hotel in China but still present during the sessions via video call. Jennie told her side of the recording process, stating, “Yeah, I remember that. The rest was really easy for us, even when we were recording over Zoom, because we couldn’t be in the same city, which I was so sad about. You stayed on through all the recording sessions that I was doing for hours. That meant a lot.”
The “Torture” of Releasing New Music
Later in the interview, Kevin Parker began to ask questions on a more personal level, artist-to-artist. Many would assume artists are happier when they’re in the process of releasing new music. The reality is, it’s a stressful, chaotic time that can feel overwhelming.
Parker explained, “I’m always really intrigued by artists when they release music. Everyone feels a bit differently. When a song comes out, is that a happy day for you, or is it torture, or somewhere in between?”
Jennie responded, “Like a single?” and Parker elaborated. “Yeah, an anticipated single. You’ve done some promo, everyone’s heard some snippets, and today’s the day where everyone hears the whole thing. [Jennie hesitates.] Sorry. If I’m giving you PTSD by asking you this, then you’ve answered my question.” Jennie responded with a simple, “No comment.”
Parker then brings up their mutual friend, Dua Lipa, stating, “Going back to Dua, when her album came out, she was just so excited. Whilst I am excited for the world to hear it, overwhelmingly it’s torture.”
Parker and Jennie express The True Feeling of Releasing New Music
Jennie agrees with Parker’s assessment, saying, “I’m closer to where you are at. I wish for the day where I wake up in the morning being like, ‘Ah, release day, the happiest day of my life!’ Not that I’m not happy, but there’s a lot of overwhelming things that come with it.”
Kevin Parker then confirms that the two are on the same page when it comes to this and summarizes their mutual feelings well. “I feel exactly the same way,” Parker states, “I long for the day when I can just be happy that everyone’s hearing it. I don’t know if you experienced this too, but something that you’ve been growing, tucked away from the world for so long, and suddenly it’s in the world, that transition is quite a violent thing emotionally and mentally. It’s so exposing — it makes you very vulnerable. It’s a weird thing what we do.”
Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic
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