Its Me Sarah J Just Wonderin if Youd Like to Do It Again
If you don't know Lisa's name already, you'll remember it now.
The member of superstar K-pop grouping Blackpink is spelling it out — literally — on her just-released debut solo project, Lalisa, which gets its championship from her total showtime proper noun. And like bandmates Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé, who all pursue solo endeavors in addition to their piece of work as a group, Lisa's bringing fans into her own earth with a pair of songs that take her love of hip-hop to the adjacent level. The title track expands on the maximalist, globe-trotting sound of Blackpink bangers like "How Y'all Similar That" with rapid-fire flows and nods to her Thai heritage — while b-side "Money," built around a languid horn loop, is the closest she'south ever gotten to contemporary American rap music, with enough hooks and dancefloor commands to inspire a TikTok craze.
The songs of Lalisa come from a familiar crew of songwriters and producers, including Teddy Park (the group's longtime producer and creative director), Bekuh Boom (responsible for some of Lisa'due south best-known rap verses), R. Tee, 24 and Vince (all of whom take credits on Blackpink's debut album, 2020'due south aptly titled The Album). Simply the music is just part of the feel: The "Lalisa" video is also another elaborate showcase for the dancing skills that have wowed audiences (see: her nightly trip the light fantastic toe medleys from Blackpink's last world tour) and inspired viral Twitter memes.
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Lisa has described her ability to apace selection up circuitous choreography as a kind of superpower. But for an artist who grew up in Thailand, trained for popular stardom in South korea and now performs for fans from all over, she says pairing the music with the visuals is just the best way to express herself and tell her story.
"People might not empathise what the lyrics are, merely listening to the beat and seeing the trip the light fantastic, they can feel the vibe and have that connection," a hoodie-clad Lisa says over Zoom one evening from a Seoul recording studio. (She does the interview mostly in English, with occasional asides in Korean and Thai to a pair of translators sitting just exterior of frame.) It'due south a few days before the project's release, and Lisa is animated, quick with 1-liners and happy to express joy at herself — but by and large but excited to share another side with the fans who have stuck with the group for five years. Says Lisa: "It's a good opportunity for me to finally let the world know, 'This is who I am.'"
Below, she tells Billboard virtually stepping up her rap skills, unlocking a new level of confidence and what goes into her middle-popping dance routines.
How did you end upwardly choosing these songs for your solo debut?
I heard "Coin" commencement and told Teddy, "Oh my God, Teddy oppa, I have to exercise this song, I want this to exist my solo vocal." And he was like, "OK, permit'south do information technology!" Then we heard [an early on version of] "Lalisa," merely the claw was another thing. Teddy had the idea to put my proper name in the hook. At first I was like, "Whaaa… I think it'southward kind of weird to keep repeating my proper noun. How'southward it going to audio?" And then nosotros tried it, and information technology came out so cool. I really like it.
So you knew these were the songs right abroad?
Yeah, I was similar [pretending to hug the songs] "Ugh, these have to be mine, I tin can't give these to anyone."
It's funny to hear that, because Rosé described having the contrary experience — she said it took her a while to land on her solo songs.
My sense is fairly specific. He put on a few [other] demos and I was similar, meh. But when I heard "Money" and "Lalisa," I was like, "These ones!"
Did you always desire to lean more into hip-hop in your solo music?
Yeah. When I dance to hip-hop, it's like, "This is me." I really like the "Pretty Brutal" dance [from Blackpink'south The Album] — it's very me. It's hard, simply it'southward fun to practise.
What conversations did you accept about the message of these songs and the lyrical content?
I don't write lyrics, but Teddy always asks me: "Do you have annihilation you want to deliver to the fans? What's the vibe you want to practise?" I told him that in "Lalisa," I wanted to put some Thai vibes in it, and he actually put some Thai traditional music into the dance interruption. This is my first solo, and I want to represent that I'one thousand Thai to all the fans effectually the world.
I know it's mostly in Korean and English, simply I couldn't quite tell when I first heard it — are there any lyrics in Thai in there?
No, no, only the sounds. Simply there'due south a office in Korean where I say, "I came to Korea from Thailand, and I went for the throat." That'due south the function where the Thai element is in.
I don't know if everybody listening to the project knows the story of your name. I read that Lalisa is something you lot changed your proper noun to after visiting a fortune teller when you were younger. Is that truthful?
[Laughs.] Well, my mom took me there and asked me! Nosotros made an audition for YG [Entertainment, Blackpink's label/management visitor], just YG didn't contact us back. We really wanted to get it. And then the fortune teller said, "You should change your name." [In Thai culture, changing i's name, including doing so for good luck, is not uncommon.] The week subsequently I changed my name, YG chosen me back and said, "Y'all should come up [be a trainee]." I was like, "Wow!"
Information technology'southward very funny, weeks ago, 1 of the camera men asked me, "What is Lalisa?" I was like, "It's my proper name!" People don't really know that Lalisa is my real proper name, because they just know me as Lisa from Blackpink. So I'yard really happy that I go to practise this projection with the title Lalisa.
In final year's Netflix documentary, Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, yous do a lot of your interviews in Thai, which is such a beautiful language. It made me desire to hear a rap poetry from yous in Thai.
Ohhh! Thai fans are gonna love that. [Laughs.]
On "Lalisa" you experiment with a couple different flows, including some of your hardest and fastest raps to engagement. What was it like recording that second verse in particular?
At kickoff, when I heard the rap [on the demo], I was like, "Oh my God, I don't think I can practice this. I'1000 Thai — how can I rap in English language that fast?" And Teddy was like, "No, you can!" I practiced for an hour, and after that I went in to record. I pushed myself very hard to complete information technology.
Who are some of the rappers who accept most influenced you lot or shaped you as an artist?
I don't really take a set taste, considering I capeesh all different kinds of music, and when I was a trainee I got to exercise a lot of different styles of rap and hip-hop. All of that mixed together is what makes me me.
The reason I was asking was because the part on "Lalisa" where you spell your name — "L-A-L-I-S-Aaaaaaay" — felt like a nod to Nicki Minaj, who loves an extended vowel.
[Laughs.] Oh, it kind of sounds like that! That was Teddy's idea. At first it was going to get up [ascending in pitch], like L-A-L-I-S-Aaaaaeeeee. But we just didn't do that.
Dancing and choreography are such a huge part of what you do, and Blackpink trip the light fantastic toe routines are then complicated—
Really?
I think so! The "How You lot Similar That" choreography video is so impressive — the chorus sections are dissimilar, hardly any dance moves get repeated. How long does it have you to learn a routine like that?
Earlier I accept the lesson, I accept to watch the [demo] video several times, similar for an hour, just to memorize the picture show, the story. After that, when I take the class, I have to put every movement into a story. At that place's some muscle memory, but I take to get into the mindset of, "OK, this movement has to connect with this movement so it becomes a story."
And that process takes, what, days? Weeks?
No, just similar two or three hours.
Wow!
Merely the first day I learn, I'1000 just similar [mind-blown gesture]. So I have to remainder and sleep for the night, and subsequently that, I recollect everything and take memorized everything.
You've been dancing since y'all were really young, and you clearly love it — you picture all sorts of dance videos outside of Blackpink on your Lilifilm YouTube channel. What kind of outlet does trip the light fantastic provide for you?
I feel like dancing doesn't require much thinking from me. My torso moves on its own, and I don't really get stressed near what'due south coming next — I only let my body move to the music. And that'due south just me. So dancing is what I communicate through, instead of words. And I feel like dancing is my best friend. [Laughs.]
Blackpink's music obviously connects with people all over, but I wonder if touring and performing around the earth has taught you anything almost the way trip the light fantastic transcends language barriers.
Yeah, dance is kind of a universal linguistic communication for me also. Have Latin music, for case — you may not sympathize what the artists are saying, but yous feel that energy. Even with my music, people might non empathize what the lyrics are, just listening to the beat and seeing the dance, they tin feel the vibe and have that connection.
I go along thinking about how when you started as a YG trainee, y'all didn't speak whatever Korean and didn't know anybody, which must accept been difficult. I wonder if dance class was where yous could acclimatize, in a way, considering you didn't take to play grab-up there?
[Nodding.] When I kickoff learned dance in Korea, the only affair I knew [were the counts]: i, ii, 3, four, 5, six, 7, 8. And the instructor didn't tell me more! I just danced and followed forth.
You lot record with Blackpink primarily in Korean and English, only the group likewise records alternating Japanese versions that frequently have new, English-language versions of your Korean raps. Do the songs feel different from linguistic communication to language?
Yeah, totally, totally unlike vibe. When I sing "Ddu-du Ddu-du" in Korean, it's very absurd and swaggy. Just when I switch to Japanese, it feels more than [playful]. We endeavor our best to make information technology perfect. When I become to Japan and have to sing in Japanese, sometimes I sing the Korean [parts accidentally] and I'chiliad like, "Oh no!" Just information technology'southward not but me — other members do it also! [Laughs.]
Your bandmates and collaborators describe yous as a constant source of positivity and energy — in Light Up the Sky, Teddy says you always take an "'It's gonna be OK, we're all expert' grinning" on your face. But what near days when you lot aren't feeling it? How practice you plow the mood around?
I want to make certain every solar day is happy and joyful, and I desire to brand sure everyone around me feels the same mode. If I start to have negative thoughts, I regroup and think: "OK, what should we do about this? Allow'southward solve it like this and move on." I endeavor to brand sure every day is like that so I can stay in a positive mood. Life is short!
I was curious about the minor things that help — the music or the snacks or whatever else you turn to in club to cheer yourself up.
Oh, well, I have my cats! When I experience down, I just kiss my cats. And my cats are like, "Ugh, I don't desire a osculation, don't pet me!" That makes me feel better.
Between Lite Up the Heaven and this year'south Blackpink: The Movie, released in celebration of the group'south 5th anniversary, you've been reflecting a lot on your life before and after debuting with Blackpink. What goes through your mind when you see footage of yourself as a trainee?
Whenever I see those videos, I just get reminded of what I was feeling at the time, and manifestly I'm reminded of how hard I worked to go where I am now. Back then, when I was a trainee and preparing all that, I did it with this mindset of, "I can't debut unless I work actually actually difficult." So when I look back on those videos, I remember those feelings and those thoughts. I go reminded: That'south how far I've come, and I shouldn't forget that determination I was feeling at the time. I remind myself of that every day.
What do you retrieve you've learned from making Lalisa that you'll bring back to your work with the group?
The number one thing is the confidence I learned throughout the whole procedure of preparing my solo. When I'm with the other members, we rely on each other a lot. There's a lot of things I learned during my solo prep that include things similar leadership — I take to make all these decisions on my own. I hope I can carry this dorsum into the grouping when we promote together.
We've now heard solo music from y'all, Rosé and Jennie. What's i thing you'd like to see Jisoo do on her upcoming solo release?
[Laughs.] I want to see Jisoo sing EDM. I recall it might accommodate her, right? What do y'all retrieve?
That cover of Zedd's "Clarity" that she did on bout a few years ago was actually lovely.
I'yard gonna call her today: "Unnie, delight do EDM!"
But we know she likes alternative music, and she also had a bit of a rap moment on "Pretty Savage" that was fun and unexpected.
I know, I know! We ever tease her: "Jisoo the rapper!"
Before we go, I have to ask you about the "Did it work?" meme you inspired.
You know it?
Dolly Parton tweeted information technology, how could I not! What is it like watching that blow up on the internet?
At first I was similar, "Is that… my legs?" [Laughs.] I think the fans are very creative. It was and then fun to watch it. I'm glad that they were happy. And my legs became popular, so thanks!
Yous can travel the world and play arenas, but in one case you lot're an Internet meme? That's when you know you lot've made it.
Information technology's considering of my fans! Blinks are amazing.
Source: https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/lisa-blackpink-solo-interview-lalisa-money-dancing-9626401/
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