Lisa shows who she is through ‘Lalisa’

After rumors about Lisa’s first-ever solo album circulated months ago, she finally answered questions to the anticipation by stretching her solo legs. Lisa of Blackpink sent fans abuzz with excitement by releasing her first EP, “Lalisa,” which dropped Friday evening.

The two-track package aims to talk about who Lisa is, as both the name for the album and its title track go by the singer’s real name, which is why her debut album gives her butterflies, she said during an online press conference held Friday.

Lisa described her latest print as “a thank you to fans who have long awaited for my solo performance and something only I, Lisa, could do.” She added that she wanted the album she put so much effort into to brim with the best side of her, saying “the solo album is just me. Lisa.”

The 24-year-old singer said she came up with the idea for her latest print.

She said “Lalisa” is a mixture of brass riffs that spell out dynamic rhythms, with her aggressive rapping and dance moves and a few Thai elements peppered in it, such as the beats in the background. When asked why the Southeast Asian country was a great inspiration for the song, Lisa said she wanted to combine her own culture with the beat to make her solo debut even more meaningful.

The versatile musician said she told Teddy, one of the head producers at YG Entertainment, that she wanted to add some Thailand-style beats, which raised the quality of the music. “I think fans should be excited about how I melted Thai features in my music video as well,” she said.

Lisa teased a snippet of the lyrics for her song, saying that “You know who I am” is one of her favorite lines. She also said fans should look forward to the contrast of “black” and “pink” in the lyrics, referring to Blackpink, the girl group she is now branching out from. 

Apart from the title track, Lisa also spoke about “Money,” a hip-hop-based instrumental with an addictive hook. She said it continuously roamed through her head after she heard the tune. The singer said the song dazzled her with excitement, adding that she kept on saying, “Oh my goodness. I have to do this. This is my song.”

From selecting the character of her album cover to choosing what to wear, the solo artist said she took part in many areas of the whole production process. “If you look carefully, the letter ‘L’ on the front of the package stands for ‘Lisa’ and ‘Lalisa.’”

She added that the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” boosted her creativity. “There‘s a scene where the kids with the golden pass are allowed to enter Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, and I wanted to pass on that feeling to my fans,” Lisa said.

Lisa also spoke of her bandmates during the event when asked how they helped her solo journey. The rapper and dancer said being the third Blackpink member to debut as a soloist was definitely pushing the envelope for her. But she showed appreciation toward her bandmates, saying they visited her during the four days of shooting the music video.

When asked about what she aims to achieve through her album, Lisa said she would be more than happy if listeners learned more about her. The soloist said she had tailored different charms and aspects to herself apart from what she has shown through Blackpink. She added that it was the first time she bid farewell to her bangs during the photo shoot for her latest release, which was one thing that had stayed consistent since her debut.

Wrapping up the event, the singer spoke about how she plans to make more memories to cherish with “Blink,” the band’s fandom, amid the ongoing pandemic situation. She said she is currently working on different content that will be released later on her official YouTube channel, Lilifilm, which will put her fans and herself at ease.

By Park Jun-hee (junheee@heraldcorp.com)