Lalisa
by Lisa

Album: Lalisa (2021)
Charted: 68 84
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the debut solo single by Thai rapper and singer Lisa, who is a member of South Korean girl group Blackpink. She released the upbeat hip-hop track alongside another song, "Money."
  • Blackpink's longtime producer and creative director Teddy Park wrote the song with American musician Bekuh Boom, who has handled some of Lisa's best-known rap verses. Teddy Park and Bekuh Boom also produced the track with additional production handled by Korean producer 24.
  • The song serves as an ode to Lisa. Her birth name is Pranpriya Manobel, which she changed to Lalisa Manoba upon visiting a fortune teller in Thailand. It was Teddy Park who had the idea of putting her name in this track's hook. Lisa recalled to Billboard: "At first I was like, 'Whaaa… I think it's kind of weird to keep repeating my name. How's it going to sound?' And then we tried it, and it came out so cool. I really like it."
  • It was also Teddy Park's idea for Lisa to spell her name with an extended vowel - "L-A-L-I-S-Aaaaaaay" – on the bridge. "At first it was going to go up [ascending in pitch], like L-A-L-I-S-Aaaaaeeeee," Lisa said. "But we just didn't do that."
  • Lisa raps primarily in Korean on the song, but delivers the second verse in English.
  • Lisa nods to her Thai heritage with one of her Korean lyrics, which says, "I came to Korea from Thailand, and I went for the throat." The producers also incorporated some traditional Thai music into the dance break. Said Lisa: "This is my first solo, and I want to represent that I'm Thai to all the fans around the world."
  • Lisa admitted to being intimidated when she heard the demo, especially the second verse where she had to rap rapidly in English. However, Teddy Park convinced her she could do it. "I practiced for an hour, and after that I went in to record," Lisa said. "I pushed myself very hard to complete it."
  • Lisa debuted the song on the September 10, 2021 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
  • Seo Hyun-Seung directed the video, which incorporates 13 costume changes. Among the setups that Lisa gives us are a special agent, riding an ATV in the desert, and a regal princess sitting on an elaborately sculpted throne.
  • The video earned 73.6 million views the first day following its release, breaking the record for most-viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a solo artist. Taylor Swift previously held the record when the video for her 2019 single "Me!" garnered 65.2 million views in 24 hours.
  • The video took Best K-Pop at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

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