Listens to Same Song Again Meme Lisa

If you don't know Lisa's name already, you'll recollect it now.

The member of superstar K-pop group Blackpink is spelling it out — literally — on her just-released debut solo project, Lalisa, which gets its title from her full first name. And like bandmates Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé, who all pursue solo endeavors in addition to their work every bit a group, Lisa's bringing fans into her ain world with a pair of songs that accept her love of hip-hop to the next level. The title track expands on the maximalist, globe-trotting audio of Blackpink bangers like "How You Like That" with rapid-fire flows and nods to her Thai heritage — while b-side "Money," built effectually a languid horn loop, is the closest she's always 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 Blast (responsible for some of Lisa'southward best-known rap verses), R. Tee, 24 and Vince (all of whom have credits on Blackpink's debut album, 2020'south aptly titled The Album). Simply the music is merely part of the experience: The "Lalisa" video is besides another elaborate showcase for the dancing skills that have wowed audiences (encounter: her nightly trip the light fantastic toe medleys from Blackpink's last world bout) and inspired viral Twitter memes.

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Lisa has described her power to quickly pick upward circuitous choreography as a kind of superpower. But for an artist who grew up in Thailand, trained for pop distinction in Republic of 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 understand what the lyrics are, but listening to the beat and seeing the dance, they tin feel the vibe and take that connection," a hoodie-clad Lisa says over Zoom one evening from a Seoul recording studio. (She does the interview more often than not in English, with occasional asides in Korean and Thai to a pair of translators sitting just outside of frame.) Information technology'south a few days earlier the projection's release, and Lisa is animated, quick with one-liners and happy to laugh at herself — only mostly just excited to share another side with the fans who have stuck with the group for five years. Says Lisa: "It's a proficient opportunity for me to finally allow the world know, 'This is who I am.'"

Below, she tells Billboard most stepping upwards her rap skills, unlocking a new level of confidence and what goes into her middle-popping dance routines.

How did you end upwards choosing these songs for your solo debut?

I heard "Money" first and told Teddy, "Oh my God, Teddy oppa, I have to do this song, I want this to exist my solo vocal." And he was like, "OK, let'due south do it!" And so we heard [an early on version of] "Lalisa," merely the hook was another matter. Teddy had the idea to put my proper name in the hook. At first I was like, "Whaaa… I think it's kind of weird to keep repeating my proper name. How's it going to sound?" And then we tried it, and it came out and so absurd. I really like information technology.

So yous knew these were the songs correct away?

Yep, I was like [pretending to hug the songs] "Ugh, these have to be mine, I can't give these to anyone."

It's funny to hear that, because Rosé described having the opposite 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 like, meh. Simply when I heard "Money" and "Lalisa," I was like, "These ones!"

Did you lot e'er want to lean more into hip-hop in your solo music?

Yep. When I dance to hip-hop, information technology'south like, "This is me." I really like the "Pretty Savage" dance [from Blackpink's The Anthology] — information technology'due south very me. Information technology's hard, but it's fun to do.

What conversations did you have about the bulletin of these songs and the lyrical content?

I don't write lyrics, but Teddy always asks me: "Practice yous have anything you want to deliver to the fans? What's the vibe you lot 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 pause. This is my first solo, and I want to represent that I'chiliad Thai to all the fans around the earth.

I know information technology's mostly in Korean and English, but I couldn't quite tell when I outset heard it — are in that location whatsoever lyrics in Thai in there?

No, no, just the sounds. But in that location'due south a function in Korean where I say, "I came to Korea from Thailand, and I went for the throat." That'due south the role 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 changed your proper noun to after visiting a fortune teller when you were younger. Is that true?

[Laughs.] Well, my mom took me there and asked me! We made an audience for YG [Entertainment, Blackpink's label/management visitor], just YG didn't contact usa dorsum. We actually wanted to become it. So the fortune teller said, "Y'all should change your name." [In Thai civilization, changing ane's proper name, including doing so for good luck, is non uncommon.] The week after I changed my proper noun, YG called me back and said, "You should come [exist a trainee]." I was similar, "Wow!"

Information technology'due south very funny, weeks ago, ane of the camera men asked me, "What is Lalisa?" I was similar, "It's my proper noun!" People don't really know that Lalisa is my real name, because they only know me as Lisa from Blackpink. And then I'thousand actually happy that I get to practice this projection with the title Lalisa.

In last year'due south Netflix documentary, Blackpink: Calorie-free Up the Sky, you do a lot of your interviews in Thai, which is such a beautiful linguistic communication. It made me desire to hear a rap poetry from you in Thai.

Ohhh! Thai fans are gonna dearest that. [Laughs.]

On "Lalisa" you experiment with a couple different flows, including some of your hardest and fastest raps to date. What was information technology like recording that second verse in particular?

At first, when I heard the rap [on the demo], I was like, "Oh my God, I don't recall I tin do this. I'm Thai — how tin can I rap in English that fast?" And Teddy was similar, "No, yous can!" I skilful for an hour, and later that I went in to record. I pushed myself very difficult to complete it.

Who are some of the rappers who have most influenced y'all or shaped you equally an artist?

I don't really have a prepare taste, considering I capeesh all different kinds of music, and when I was a trainee I got to practice a lot of unlike styles of rap and hip-hop. All of that mixed together is what makes me me.

The reason I was request was considering the office on "Lalisa" where you spell your name — "L-A-L-I-Due south-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 thought. At first it was going to go up [ascending in pitch], like Fifty-A-L-I-S-Aaaaaeeeee. Just nosotros but didn't do that.

Dancing and choreography are such a huge part of what you practise, and Blackpink trip the light fantastic toe routines are and then complicated—

Really?

I think so! The "How Yous Like That" choreography video is so impressive — the chorus sections are unlike, hardly any dance moves get repeated. How long does it accept you to learn a routine like that?

Before I accept the lesson, I take to lookout the [demo] video several times, like for an hour, merely to memorize the picture, the story. After that, when I accept the course, I have to put every motion into a story. There's some muscle memory, but I have to get into the mindset of, "OK, this movement has to connect with this movement then it becomes a story."

And that process takes, what, days? Weeks?

No, just similar two or three hours.

Wow!

But the showtime twenty-four hour period I learn, I'm merely like [mind-blown gesture]. So I have to rest and sleep for the nighttime, and afterward that, I recollect everything and have memorized everything.

You've been dancing since you were really young, and you clearly beloved information technology — you film all sorts of dance videos outside of Blackpink on your Lilifilm YouTube channel. What kind of outlet does dance provide for you?

I experience like dancing doesn't require much thinking from me. My body moves on its own, and I don't really get stressed well-nigh what'due south coming next — I only permit my body move to the music. And that's just me. So dancing is what I communicate through, instead of words. And I feel like dancing is my all-time friend. [Laughs.]

Blackpink'southward music obviously connects with people all over, simply I wonder if touring and performing around the globe has taught you anything almost the way dance transcends language barriers.

Yeah, dance is kind of a universal language for me too. Accept Latin music, for example — yous may not understand what the artists are saying, merely y'all feel that energy. Even with my music, people might not sympathise what the lyrics are, but listening to the beat and seeing the dance, they tin can feel the vibe and take that connection.

I continue thinking about how when you started every bit a YG trainee, you didn't speak any Korean and didn't know everyone, which must take been hard. I wonder if dance grade was where you could acclimate, in a fashion, considering you didn't have to play take hold of-up there?

[Nodding.] When I starting time learned dance in Korea, the merely thing I knew [were the counts]: ane, 2, iii, four, 5, half-dozen, 7, 8. And the instructor didn't tell me more than! I just danced and followed along.

You tape with Blackpink primarily in Korean and English language, but the group also records alternate Japanese versions that often have new, English-language versions of your Korean raps. Exercise the songs feel different from language to language?

Yes, totally, totally different vibe. When I sing "Ddu-du Ddu-du" in Korean, it's very cool and swaggy. But when I switch to Japanese, it feels more [playful]. Nosotros try our best to make it perfect. When I go to Japan and take to sing in Japanese, sometimes I sing the Korean [parts accidentally] and I'grand like, "Oh no!" But information technology'due south non only me — other members practise information technology too! [Laughs.]

Your bandmates and collaborators describe you as a constant source of positivity and energy — in Light Up the Sky, Teddy says you always have an "'It's gonna be OK, nosotros're all good' grin" on your confront. Simply what about days when yous aren't feeling it? How do you turn the mood around?

I want to make certain every solar day is happy and joyful, and I want to make certain everyone around me feels the aforementioned mode. If I commencement to have negative thoughts, I regroup and recall: "OK, what should we do well-nigh this? Let's solve it similar this and motility on." I endeavour to brand certain every day is like that and then I can stay in a positive mood. Life is curt!

I was curious nigh the small things that assistance — the music or the snacks or whatever else you turn to in order to cheer yourself upwardly.

Oh, well, I take my cats! When I feel down, I just kiss my cats. And my cats are like, "Ugh, I don't want a kiss, don't pet me!" That makes me feel better.

Between Lite Upwards the Heaven and this twelvemonth's Blackpink: The Movie, released in celebration of the group'southward fifth anniversary, you've been reflecting a lot on your life earlier and afterwards debuting with Blackpink. What goes through your heed when y'all see footage of yourself as a trainee?

Whenever I see those videos, I just get reminded of what I was feeling at the fourth dimension, and obviously I'm reminded of how hard I worked to get 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 really really hard." So when I look dorsum on those videos, I remember those feelings and those thoughts. I get reminded: That'due 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 twenty-four hour period.

What exercise yous call up yous've learned from making Lalisa that you'll bring back to your work with the group?

The number ane thing is the conviction I learned throughout the whole process of preparing my solo. When I'm with the other members, nosotros rely on each other a lot. There's a lot of things I learned during my solo prep that include things like leadership — I have to make all these decisions on my ain. I promise I can carry this back into the group when we promote together.

We've now heard solo music from yous, Rosé and Jennie. What's one thing you lot'd like to come across Jisoo practice on her upcoming solo release?

[Laughs.] I want to see Jisoo sing EDM. I think it might suit her, right? What do you call up?

That embrace of Zedd'south "Clarity" that she did on tour a few years ago was really lovely.

I'1000 gonna phone call her today: "Unnie, please practise EDM!"

But we know she likes alternative music, and she also had a scrap of a rap moment on "Pretty Cruel" that was fun and unexpected.

I know, I know! Nosotros always tease her: "Jisoo the rapper!"

Before we become, I have to inquire y'all about the "Did it work?" meme yous inspired.

You know it?

Dolly Parton tweeted it, how could I not! What is information technology like watching that accident upwardly on the internet?

At first I was similar, "Is that… my legs?" [Laughs.] I think the fans are very creative. It was so fun to sentry information technology. I'thousand glad that they were happy. And my legs became popular, and so thank you!

You tin travel the world and play arenas, just once you're an Internet meme? That'due south when you lot know yous've made it.

It's because of my fans! Blinks are amazing.

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Source: https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/lisa-blackpink-solo-interview-lalisa-money-dancing-9626401/

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