Among the dark stage, Lisa’s sparkling outfit stood out as she started her TV debut of her new single: “Lalisa.” The stage exploded with energy as she and her backup dancers moved in sync to the bass beat of the song.
K-pop girl group BLACKPINK’s Lalisa Manoban, known as “Lisa,” dropped her solo debut on Sept. 9 with title track “Lalisa.” “Lalisa” reached a whopping 73.6 million views on YouTube in the first 24 hours.
“Lalisa” was released as part of Lisa’s solo single album, a hip hop studio album sharing the same name. The song is versatile, with each verse having a beat with a different vibe, along with a music video that parallels the different sides of Lisa. The chorus is a repetition of her full first Thai name, “Lalisa,” and has a simple but incredibly catchy melody that gets stuck in your head after the first listen.
The album also includes a second track titled “Money,” an all-English track that consists of rap for the most part.
The album has skyrocketed up charts since its release, selling 736,000 copies and breaking the record for fastest-selling female album in the first week, according to Forbes. Through this solo album, Lisa proved to audiences that she can shine on her own, outside of BLACKPINK.
Lisa is known for being Blackpink’s lead rapper and main dancer, so releasing a solo album allows Lisa to bring her other strengths, like singing, as well as her Thai background to light.
Because Lisa doesn’t have many opportunities in BLACKPINK to sing, hearing Lisa’s silky-smooth and flexible voice is a pleasant surprise throughout the song. In addition to wowing fans with her melodious voice, Lisa also takes her rap to a higher level by including rap verses in both English and Korean.
Lisa told Billboard that she didn’t think she could rap in English that fast, but her smooth flow suggests otherwise.
“I practiced for an hour, and after that I went in to record. I pushed myself very hard to complete it,” Manoban said.
In addition to her effortless voice and bilingual rap, one of the best verses has to be the third verse, which is accented with traditional Thai music, making “Lalisa” even more authentic to Lisa. Lisa was born and raised in Buriram Province, Thailand, before getting accepted as a trainee into the South Korean entertainment agency YG Entertainment, where she later debuted as part of BLACKPINK.
It is rare for a non-Korean K-pop idol to be so successful. But in the process, Lisa has made her home country proud. She does a great job of being true to and honoring her roots in the music video of “Lalisa,” showing that she has not forgotten where she came from.
During a scene in the music video, for example, viewers can see Lisa wearing a traditional Thai golden headdress with a stunning golden outfit, sitting on a throne.
Throughout the rest of the music video, Lisa looks out of a colorful house decorated with palm trees and flowers to match her blue and magenta outfit. This entire set brings out her sweet and charismatic personality.
The way each of Lisa’s different sides and strengths are conveyed in the music video is very captivating. One moment she looks innocent and angelic and the next she is a confident rap goddess, telling the world that she knows exactly who she is.
“Lalisa” is a bold and powerful track and what makes it even more lovable is the authenticity and trueness that Lisa incorporates in it. Let’s hope Lisa will release a song in Thai and break even more records in the future.