After BLACKPINK Lisa started her solo career following leaving YG Entertainment, K-media claimed that the global's star comeback was somewhat "disappointing." Here's why.
On June 28th, the Thai superstar officially opened her solo career free from YG with the single, "ROCKSTAR"!
Prior to its release, the whole music scene was focused on her much-awaited comeback as aside from it being her first solo single in 3 years since "LALISA" was released in 2021, it is also her first album after establishing the one-man label, LLOUD Co.
When the MV and sound source were then released, Lisa earned rave reviews for her top-tier rap skills and energetic pop vocals. It is said that she also participated in writing and composing the song, drawing applause.
Aside from the song, her unconventional appearance also stood out. Contrary to her usual idol look characterized by having fair skin, aegyo-sal makeup, etc., Lisa fully transformed into a "rockstar" by wearing goggles, chain, tooth gems as well as having wolf cut hairstyle and tanned skin, sparking various reactions from viewers.
Lastly, her MV gained approval especially from Thais after she filmed in Bangkok to maximize her identity, their culture & daily life.
Following her release, "ROCKSTAR," the music video immediately reached 53M views in 3 days, showing that she had elevated her status as a musician beyond being an idol.
ALSO READ: BLACKPINK Lisa Draws Mixed Reactions For Thanking Solo Stans Instead Of BLINKs: 'Did You Forget?'
Unfortunately, the K-media has opposite views about it and claimed that her comeback received an "unfortunate report card."
The K-media OSEN stated:
"Her chart performance is somewhat disappointing."
Here, the media reported that as of its release, "ROCKSTAR" ranked 8th on the Spotify Daily Top Song Global Chart, 29th on the Korean chart, 14th in the Philippines and HongKong, 10th in Taiwan, 9th in Malaysia & Singapore, and 79th in Indonesia.
It only ranked No.1 on the iTunes Top Song Chart in Thailand, but "tanked" the Top 10 of Korea's major music chart, MelOn.
Seeing this, "ROCKSTAR" is being considered a "flop" compared to its predecessor, "LALISA" which topped the Top Song Charts in 72 countries upon its release in 2021.
One of the reasons her influence in Korea isn't as strong as before is most likely due to conflict between whether she's a K-pop soloist or a Thai pop singer.
According to Sports Seoul, K-Netz is unhappy that Lisa is emphasizing her roots as a Thai more than promoting in South Korea, which became her home for more than half of her life.
"Lisa passed the YG Entertainment Thailand audition in 2010 and came to Korea in 2011 at the age of 14 to train as a trainee for 5 years and 3 months. After working at BLACKPINK for seven years, they established themselves as the world's top girl group. She spent more than half of her life living in Korea."
Another reason is due to public opinion that her musical innovation is lacking compared to her past releases.
Amid negative criticism, there are also music critics who are claiming that there is still room for a rebound, as "MONEY" was also not that popular as soon as it was released.
But after a month, it has caused an unusual storm by climbing back up on major charts, not only in South Korea but globally including the Billboards.
In the meantime, Lisa, who just released her new single will also challenge the acting path with her appearance in the Season 3 of HBO's "White Lotus."
READ MORE: BLACKPINK Lisa's Lyrics For 'ROCKSTAR' Ignites Heated Debate Among K-Netz, BLINKs
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
