LISA Is Ready To Get Back To Her Roots

Over the past decade, the Korean girl group BLACKPINK has become one of the biggest music acts in the world, setting sales and Guinness World records aplenty, and making each member of the foursome — LISA, Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo — a household name. As the most followed K-pop artist on Instagram, LISA, in particular, was a superstar before she ever stepped out on her own. So now that she’s launched her solo career, she’s poised to hit the stratosphere.

In the last few months, she’s flexed her acting muscles on the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, and crossed over into the English pop world with her debut solo album, Alter Ego. Across its 13 songs, LISA hops effortlessly between classic pop bangers like “Born Again” with Doja Cat and RAYE, hard-hitting rap on “F*ck Up the World” with Future, and experimental fare like “New Woman” with ROSALÍA.

“I felt like it was about time to try new styles and just explore my boundaries,” she tells Bustle over the phone, two days before her Met Gala debut. “And then it turned out that I liked everything that I tried, so why not just put it all together?”

But LISA didn’t just want to expand her horizons — she also wanted to elevate how fans listen to her music. She collaborated with Bose to design a new pair of the brand’s Ultra Open Earbuds (available online May 12), which feature glossy black and metallic chrome finishes and are stamped with her signature star emblem. “I just thought, ‘How can I make it as unique as we can?’ So I came up with using the star symbol from my Alter Ego album,” she says. “I think my fans would [like] that too.”

Below, LISA opens up about creating Alter Ego, reuniting with BLACKPINK in the very near future, and the White Lotus castmates that supported her at Coachella.

Which song would you say that you're the most proud of on this album?

Oh, that's so hard. After Coachella, I think it’s changed. I would say “F*ck Up the World” is the one I’m proudest of. It's all about being confident and fearless and just true to yourself. And not caring what people say.

Now, which song would you say was the hardest to write?

Hardest? No. Can I change it to the most fun?

Sure.

Maybe “F*ck Up the World” again. But I think they all have their own story. It’s really hard to choose.

Is there a genre that you still would like to dabble in one day?

I really want to try something EDM-inspired, or maybe R&B.

Speaking of Coachella, your set was so much fun. How did it feel stepping onto that stage solo for the first time?

In 2019, BLACKPINK performed at the Sahara [Stage]. It felt like I was back home, but alone. So it was kind of scary to me, but when I walked up and I saw how many people were there for me to cheer me on, I felt like they were ready to see my stage and enjoy my performance. It just made me feel like, “OK, I'm in it. I'm ready.”

You would not have known you were nervous.

I was so nervous.

What was your favorite song to perform?

I personally love “Elastigirl.” When the new intro started, I was like, “Oh my God.” I'm so excited for people to watch it. And the ending pose, I don't know what to call it, I just think it’s iconic.

You also just came off The White Lotus. After having time to reflect, do you have a favorite memory from that experience?

I have a lot of great memories because it was in my home country. We filmed for six to seven months there. Everybody was so nice. I love the White Lotus family, and they’re so supportive. Patrick [Schwarzenegger] was at Coachella to cheer me on, and Tayme [Thapthimthong] as well.

Oh, that's so sweet.

Yeah, they were so sweet. It's not easy to go all the way to Palm Springs, but they came.

While reading the scripts, did you ever think that Mook could possibly be the villain before you found out her ending?

No. From the start, I believed that Mook was a good person. I don't know, she just feels so real, pushing Gaitok to be more ambitious. That's what every girl wants from a man.

Is there anything you can tell us about the upcoming BLACKPINK reunion?

We already announced that we’re going to start a world tour, and we can't wait to see our fans. Actually, we just got together at the studio a few days ago, and yeah, it's really exciting.

Can we expect some new music soon?

Maybe.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.