‘Lalisa’ Is Here: Lisa Makes Her Solo Debut
“Remember my name that’s standing right in front of you”, superstar Lisa declares on her brand new single, “Lalisa”. It’s a reminder of her full first name and a celebration of herself that befits her solo debut.
“Lalisa” is the title track of Lisa’s new single album, also called Lalisa. It was written by frequent BLACKPINK collaborators 24, Bekuh BOOM and Teddy Park. The album makes Lisa the third BLACKPINK member to make a solo debut, after bandmate Jennie’s 2018 release “Solo” and Rosé’s -R-, which dropped in March of this year (fourth member Jisoo is yet to debut solo music, but is pursuing acting outside of her BLACKPINK commitments).
With Lalisa, Lisa shows off her triple-threat rapping, singing, and dancing skills to full effect. In the music video for “Lalisa”, she struts and dances through various landscapes and cityscapes, adopting a dazzling array of personas while reinforcing just how she’s making her mark.
Lisa pays tribute to her Thai roots both within the music video and in the song itself, rapping “From Thailand to Korea, and now here, went for the throat/Being the greatest of all time ain’t fantasy”. Of course, she also acknowledges the record-breaking and phenomenal BLACKPINK, with lines like, “When it gets dark, the light shines pink” and “Jet black and pink crown belongs to we”. With the repeated refrain of her name and declarations of being “the loudest in the room”, Lisa is letting the world know that, while not forgetting where she comes from, she’s ready and deserving of all the attention she’s receiving as an individual artist, too.
It’s safe to say Lisa’s solo debut is already a certified hit – with no signs of slowing down any time soon. Lalisa racked up 700,000 pre-orders in just four days after it was announced. At the time of writing, one hour after its release, the “Lalisa” music video already has amassed nearly nine million views.
“Lalisa” is not all Lisa is offering up – the single album also features another track, “Money”, which is about exactly what the title suggests: how much cash Lisa has, and how much she loves spending it. The song also contains a nod to Celine, the fashion house for which Lisa is an ambassador and muse.
For fans who just can’t get enough, Lalisa also has instrumental versions of both “Lalisa” and “Money”, too, bringing the single album to four tracks total.
In a live countdown special ahead of Lalisa’s release, Lisa said her fans were her biggest inspiration in making the album. “I wanted to make a fun album for our Blinks,” she said, according to a fan translation. Lisa also revealed in the special that her fellow BLACKPINK members had shown up to support her on the set of her music video. She also read out messages from each of the women.
Jennie told Lisa, “I’m so happy that we can show the world how cool you are,” adding that since Lisa can’t see her family because of COVID, the BLACKPINK members will support her like family. Jisoo’s message to Lisa reminded her that she believes in her and that she is sure Lisa will “do better than anyone”. Rosé recalled how they became fast friends as trainees when they were both so far from their families, adding “I will be supporting you as a friend and as a sister”.
After the release of Lalisa, the other three BLACKPINK members also took to Instagram to express their excitement and congratulations, with Jisoo even sharing some behind-the-scenes photos of the music video shoot.
It’s an exciting day for fans, and there’s more to look forward to: Lisa will host a comeback show on Korean streaming service Naver NOW on September 14 at 9pm AEST (8pm KST), where she’ll perform live and interact with fans.
In the meantime, fans the world over are already screaming (and trending) her name: Lalisa.
Written by Jenna Guillaume, an entertainment journalist and author of YA rom-coms What I Like About Me and You Were Made For Me. Follow her at @jennaguillaume.
