Lisa, born Pranpriya Manobal in Thailand, has become one of the world's most recognizable K-pop idols as a member of Blackpink. A new documentary explores her experience during a recent online scandal involving leaked videos that showed the band using racial slurs during their teenage years as trainees in the K-pop system.
The Controversy
The scandal erupted while Lisa was preparing for a pivotal performance at the Coachella Festival in 2025. The leaked clips, which surfaced last year, depicted the band covering US rap songs during rehearsals, with explicit language, including the n-word, left uncensored. Many fans expressed their outrage and demanded an apology, but the band's record label forbade the members from issuing any statements.
Documentarian Sue Kim followed Lisa during this tumultuous time, capturing her emotional response. "I said, 'Look, I know this is new. I know you guys are wildly confused and hurt, but this is your time to say whatever you want to say - even if you're just processing your thoughts and telling us what you're feeling,'" Kim recounted.
To Kim's surprise, Lisa opened up during the filming. "It's bad," she admitted, expressing a mix of shame and nerves. She explained that she was "15 or 16" when the videos were recorded and was unaware of the term's offensive history, having only heard it in rap music. "Now I would never ever do that because, now, I've got education. Now I know better. But I did wrong."
The Documentary
Kim describes Lisa’s candid reaction as "one of the most important scenes" in her documentary, Always Lalisa, which premieres on Monday, 12 October. "There was no premeditation on Lisa's part, there was no media training," Kim noted. "I asked her one question and she just talked for an hour, and everything came out, and it's all stream of consciousness."
