[TRANSLATION] LISA VOGUE 2024 October Issue Interview

Lisa, "'New Woman' is about Confidence."

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Here comes Lisa, the biggest 'rock star' and 'new woman' of the moment. Lisa has been working with Vogue since BLACKPINK's debut, but this is her first solo Vogue Korea cover. Despite being one of the most influential artists right now, when you meet her, you'll quickly feel at ease from her innocent smile and shy yet polite speech. Offstage, Lisa resembles the pink slippers with the wide-smiling Murakami flower from Takashi Murakami Studio that she wore to the shoot. In short, she's lovable. Her biggest goal? It's not awards or rankings, but simply 'happiness.'

"Everyone finds happiness in their own way. I'm the type to get really excited when I discover even a small piece of happiness," she said. So what’s making Lisa happy today during her shoot at a studio in Seongsu-dong this Saturday evening? "I'm happy because this is my first photoshoot as a Louis Vuitton ambassador, and it's for Vogue Korea. I’m also happy from greeting the cats and eating a salted roll. I’m grateful for the little things." Despite her packed schedule since releasing her single New Woman on August 15, Lisa is the kind of person who can find happiness every day.

In New Woman, Lisa sings, “I’m a New Woman.” The independent, confident lyrics, music video, and performance all showcase that she is the next standard for women. When asked who the ‘new woman’ is, she says it’s more of a mindset than a specific ideal. "New Woman is about confidence. When you wake up in the morning and reset yourself to tackle the day, I hope this song is there with you. That’s how I am. My days are busy, but I listen to New Woman and move on." Lisa often advises people to “believe in yourself,” so I asked her if that really works. “Yes, but it's really hard to keep pushing forward on your own. I’ve been helped a lot by the belief of my team, family, and friends that I can do it.”

New Woman features pop star Rosalía, who left a strong impression on Lisa after her Coachella performance. “Everything Rosalía did on stage was intense and looked perfectly prepared. Nothing felt random. Even the way she drank water seemed like part of the performance.” Lisa was worried that working with someone new might feel awkward, but they ended up inspiring each other with their professional energy. “Luckily, we filmed the music video together too. The energy she brought to the set was incredible. She pushed all of us.” Besides Rosalía, who or what inspires Lisa these days? “Honestly, I’m too busy to find much new inspiration,” she laughs, “but my friends, family, and the people I work with consistently inspire me. It’s more of a mindset that sparks realizations than a specific person.”

Lisa was preparing for her first solo festival performance at the Global Citizen Festival on September 28. One reason she chose this festival is that it's a charity concert hosted by an international civic movement organization. However, she simply says, “I was grateful they reached out, and since it’s such a good stage, I wanted to do it as soon as I heard about it.” She adds, “I love meeting my fans in person, but I’m really nervous about filling the stage on my own. I hope I do well.” Lisa hugged herself as if to calm her nerves.

Earlier this year, Lisa announced the launch of LLOUD, a platform to showcase her vision for music and entertainment. The photo she posted on Instagram with Gilbo was, in a word, mannish—dressed in a black suit and tie with her hair slicked back in a sleek texture. I asked why she chose this look for her announcement of independence. “I wanted to try a concept I hadn’t done in the past seven years. Since it’s my company, I thought a boss lady style would suit it. I wanted the photo to capture me starting this new chapter coolly.” The name LLOUD reflects her desire to present her vision big and wide, and the double L is a fun nod to her full name, Lalisa. As the company marks six months since its launch, I asked if she’s faced any challenges as a leader. “I’ve never really thought about it that way. I’m not alone; I’m with my team.” When I asked if she’s more of a gentle boss lady, she laughed. “Oh, the word ‘boss’ feels so awkward! I don’t have much experience leading, so I listen to my team like family or friends. We’re moving forward having fun together.”

Lisa has mentioned changes in her personality. She’s always been considerate of others, to the point where she found it difficult to express her preferences at work. “I used to struggle with being honest about my feelings. I was afraid that speaking up would make the other person uncomfortable. But if you stay quiet, you won’t get results that satisfy anyone. The other person doesn’t know what you want, and that can be frustrating for them too. I realized that I need to communicate clearly to get great outcomes. Everyone is a professional, after all.” This change came around the time she released LALISA, with its tracks LALISA and MONEY in 2021. While working with BLACKPINK, decisions were made as a group, but preparing her solo single meant making almost every decision alone. “I’m still not great at it, but I’m getting better bit by bit,” she said with a smile.

Lisa dreams of releasing her first full solo album. "I want to think outside the box and try a lot of different things." Fans are eager to see not just the music but the new image she’ll showcase with her full album. After founding LLOUD, she dropped the single Rockstar, with a jacket featuring her tan skin and a bold pose reminiscent of the Rolling Stones' tongue and lips logo. She really embodied the rock star vibe. In the music video shot in Bangkok, she appears alone on a nighttime street, wearing star-shaped earrings and pants layered with silver-studded belts. “Even in my everyday life, I’m really into rock star fashion. When I see leather pants or bold shoes, I just want to buy them. It’s probably because I was so immersed in that song for a while.”

Once the song is chosen, Lisa and her stylist collect fashion images that fit the music. In fact, Lisa’s phone is full of screenshots of looks she’s gathered over time. “I collect things I want to wear or try out, thinking I’ll use them one day. Turning those ideas into reality is so much fun. My stylist and I get excited, asking each other, ‘What should we do with this?’ ‘Should we go bold?’”

While talking about being a rock star, Lisa laughed and said, “This is a bit of TMI, but should I share it?” The tanned skin in the Rockstar single cover? It was naturally tanned during her time in Thailand for a drama shoot. Lisa joined the new season of The White Lotus. Winning both Emmy and Golden Globe awards, the show is a black comedy set in a luxury resort. Lisa sent in an audition video, performing a scene from the script, and cried when she heard she got the role. “When I first auditioned, I wasn’t confident. I wondered if I could really pull it off, so it was even more emotional when I got the news. It’s such an honor to be chosen for a show that people all over the world watch.” Lisa recalled the process of taking acting lessons as a new experience. “Since I’ve been dancing since I was young, I naturally looked for rhythm even during acting. When I exchanged lines with my co-stars, I found myself pausing for a beat, like I was dancing (laughs). Not following the rhythm made me feel awkward, and I didn’t know what to do with my hands. I worked a lot with my acting coach to overcome that.” Lisa hopes to try action roles in the future. When I suggested she’d suit strong, no-smile characters like in her Rockstar music video, Lisa shook her head. “I smile too much for that!” Now that I think of it, Lisa is always smiling during the interview too. The only time her smile faded was when I asked if her influence feels like a burden. Lisa is one of the most influential artists today, with 140 million Instagram followers. “It can be overwhelming, but if you overthink every post, it takes the fun out of it. I try to balance being cautious with having fun. Luckily, my parents keep an eye on me.”

Lisa is now waiting for her third turning point. The first, as everyone knows, was moving to Korea at fourteen to start as a trainee. Even if given the chance to speak to her younger self, she would pass on it. “Not knowing the future helps you keep working hard. Honestly, the situation back then wasn’t that dark. I enjoyed it because it was something I loved.” Her second turning point was debuting with BLACKPINK. And as for the third? Lisa stopped herself from saying too much. “I don’t think I should reveal it just yet. But someday, I’ll show you.”

When I mentioned I’d booked a ticket to Bangkok for my next trip, Lisa kindly gave me advice on the coolest season to visit. Lisa often expresses her love for Thailand, her home country, in the media. “I don’t think like I’m taking this chance to promote Thailand. It’s just in my blood, so it comes out naturally. Now that I think about it, I’ve spent half my life in Thailand and the other half in Korea.” In fact, Lisa doesn’t really belong to just one country. Even calling her 'global' feels limited. From a trainee with big dreams, to a 'rock star,' to a 'new woman,' Lisa never stays in one place for long.

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