Lisa (BLACKPINK)

Biography

In the luminescent glow of the Coachella stage, a singular figure commands the desert night. This is not just a member of the world’s biggest girl group BLACKPINK; this is Lalisa Manobal—known to a hundred million followers as Lisa—a solo artist, an entrepreneur, and a burgeoning actress, operating entirely on her own terms. Her journey, from a young dancer in provincial Thailand to the CEO of her own global entertainment company, LLOUD, is more than a success story; it is a masterclass in the architecture of modern global celebrity.

Pre-debut

As a child, she would play with the microphone stands belonging to her aunt’s music group, dancing and singing to an imaginary audience. Her mother, who had harbored her own dreams of becoming an actor, recognized this spark and enrolled her in formal dance classes at the tender age of four. This was not a casual hobby. Lisa became a dedicated and competitive dancer, participating in numerous contests like “To Be Number One”. She was a key member of the youth dance crew “We Zaa Cool,” a group that also included a young BamBam, who would later debut in the K-pop group GOT7.

By her early teens, Lisa was already dreaming of joining the K-pop world, inspired by groups like Big Bang and 2NE1. In 2010, she auditioned for YG Entertainment in Thailand—out of 4,000 applicants, she was the only one selected. Afterward, she and her mother visited a fortune teller who advised her to change her name to invite better luck. She changed her name from Pranpriya to Lalisa, meaning “one who is praised,” and shortly after, YG called her back.

In 2011, at just 14, Lalisa moved to South Korea alone to begin YG’s intense trainee program. As the agency’s first non-Korean trainee, she faced language barriers and loneliness. To help her adapt, trainers enforced a “no English” rule, pushing her to learn Korean quickly through full immersion.

An Explosive Debut

BLACKPINK debuted on August 8, 2016, with Lisa as the main dancer, lead rapper, sub-vocalist, and youngest member, alongside Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosé. Their debut single album Square One, featuring “Boombayah” and “Whistle,” made an instant global impact. “Whistle” achieved a rare “perfect all-kill” on Korean charts, while both tracks topped Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart.

Lisa quickly stood out with her sharp, high-energy dance skills and bold rap style, becoming central to BLACKPINK’s signature “girl crush” concept. As the only Thai member, she also helped expand the group’s reach across Southeast Asia, symbolizing K-pop’s growing international influence.

BLACKPINK’s rise was unstoppable. In 2018, they partnered with Interscope Records, marking their entry into the Western market. Their EP Square Up charted on the Billboard 200, and later albums The Album (2020) and Born Pink (2022) reached No. 2 and No. 1, respectively. In 2023, the group was honored with MBEs by King Charles III for their work as COP26 advocates, highlighting their global cultural influence beyond music.

Global Solo Rise

On September 10, 2021, Lisa made her long-anticipated solo debut with the single album Lalisa, boldly named after herself. The project featured two tracks—“Lalisa” and the B-side “Money”—and broke records immediately. It sold over 736,000 copies in its first week in South Korea, making Lisa the first female artist to do so. The “Lalisa” music video racked up 73.6 million views in 24 hours, setting a Guinness World Record. Meanwhile, “Money” became an unexpected global sensation, gaining momentum through viral dance trends on platforms like TikTok. It went on to become the longest-charting song by a female K-pop soloist on both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart, and the first solo K-pop track to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.

In 2024, Lisa took full control of her career. On February 8, she launched her own artist management company, LLOUD, calling it her “safe zone” for creative freedom. Just two months later, she announced a partnership with RCA Records, in a rare deal that allowed her to retain ownership of all her master recordings—an unprecedented move for a K-pop artist.

Lisa’s new era began with the release of Rockstar in June 2024, earning her first No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and a strong debut on the Global 200 and Hot 100. The track also won her a second MTV VMA for Best K-Pop, making her the first solo artist to receive the award twice.

Her momentum continues with the announcement of her debut full-length solo album, Alter Ego, released on February 28, 2025. The album featured collaborations with global stars including Rosalía on “New Woman” and Doja Cat and Raye on “Born Again,” signaling Lisa’s clear ambition to expand her influence in the Western music market.

Relationships

True to the K-pop idol tradition, Lisa has maintained a guarded privacy around her romantic life. However, since late 2022, she has been widely and consistently linked to Frédéric Arnault. Their association began publicly when he attended a BLACKPINK concert in Los Angeles in November 2022 and posed for a photo with the group backstage.

The connection is significant beyond mere celebrity romance. Frédéric Arnault is the CEO of LVMH Watches and a son of Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. The Arnault family is consistently ranked among the wealthiest in the world, placing Lisa at the very nexus of global pop culture, high fashion, and dynastic wealth.  

While neither party has ever officially confirmed a relationship, their numerous public sightings together in cities across the globe—from Paris and Tokyo to Miami and Italy—have fueled persistent speculation. The narrative gained further traction in October 2024 with the release of her single “Moonlit Floor,” which contained lyrics about a “green-eyed French boy” and a tryst in Paris, widely interpreted by fans and media as a direct nod to Arnault.

Controversies and Incidents

Criticized by Knets

Although Lisa is not the first Thai idol to work in Kpop, she was heavily scorned by Knet. Just because she’s not a Korean idol, just because she’s from Southeast Asia, netizens have mercilessly insulted her. Not only netizens but even the management company discriminated against her, making her fans extremely angry.

Death Threat and Scam

In 2020, she received multiple death threats, a situation that was reportedly brought to the attention of the Thai Embassy in Seoul by her fans before her agency, YG Entertainment, had publicly addressed it. That same year, it was revealed that she had been scammed out of one billion won (approximately $833,000 USD) by her former manager, who exploited her trust and vulnerability as a young, foreign artist in Korea without the immediate support of her family.

Performances at Parisian Cabaret, Crazy Horse

The venue is renowned for its artistic burlesque shows, which often feature nudity. While Lisa’s performance did not involve going topless, her participation ignited a firestorm of debate. In many Western contexts, the performance was lauded as an act of artistic freedom, female empowerment, and a bold embrace of her sensuality.

However, the reaction in key Asian markets, particularly China, was starkly different. There, where cabaret is often viewed as a lewd business that objectifies women, her performance was met with fierce condemnation. Critics accused her of promoting nudity, objectifying herself for the “Western male gaze,” and setting a negative example for her vast young fanbase. The professional consequences were severe and immediate: her account on Weibo, China’s largest social media platform, was banned, effectively severing her direct line to millions of Chinese fans.

MET Gala outfit

In May 2025, she faced backlash for her MET Gala outfit. The ensemble featured images of prominent historical figures, including American civil rights icon Rosa Parks, on a garment that some viewers described as lingerie or underwear. Critics on social media deemed the choice disrespectful and ignorant, with some linking it to previous, unaddressed accusations of her and her bandmates using racial slurs in the past.