LISA

“Tell it to the world, kiss my name,” LISA sings in Korean in the pre-chorus of electro-pop solo banger “LALISA.” The lead rapper and main dancer in K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, LISA has one of the most recognizable faces and names in the world. But this wasn’t always the case. LISA was born as Pranpriya Manobal in Buriram, Thailand in 1997. As a young Thai teen, she dreamed of being a K-pop star. So, on the advice of a fortune teller, she changed her given name to Lalisa, meaning “one who is praised.” Shortly after, in 2011, she was selected by K-pop company YG Entertainment to become a trainee, and moved to Seoul without any grasp of the Korean language. In 2016, LISA became the first non-Korean artist at YG Entertainment when she debuted in BLACKPINK. Known for their bold, catchy rap hooks and embrace of the “girl crush” concept, BLACKPINK would go on to become one of the most popular music groups in the world. Their debut song, “Boombayah,” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s world digital song sales chart, and was followed by other global hits like "Ddu-du Ddu-du" and "Kill This Love.” In 2023, they became the first Korean act to headline Coachella. LISA made her solo debut in September 2021 with single album LALISA, featuring “Lalisa” and B-side “Money.” The music video for the former broke the record for the most-viewed music video from a solo artist in the first 24 hours. “Money" was an even bigger hit, with LISA taking on a classic hip-hop theme: exorbitant wealth. “Dollar bills, dollar bills/Keep on fallin' for me/I love the way it feels,” she raps over a horn loop and the cha-chings of a cash register.