LISA Addresses Controversy Over Leaked Videos of BLACKPINK Members Rapping N-Word

LISA addressed the backlash regarding pre-debut videos of BLACKPINK using the N-word in her new documentary, and she discussed the controversy in an interview with Variety published Monday (Sept. 14) following the premiere of Always Lalisa at the Toronto International Film Festival.

“I really have to apologize,” LISA stated. “To be honest, I’m Thai and I grew up in Thailand. There isn’t any education for that, so at the time, I didn’t know.”

The leaked footage surfaced online in spring 2025 as LISA prepared for her first solo Coachella set. The clips were over a decade old and showed future members of BLACKPINK as teenagers practicing rap skills by covering songs that contained the racial slur.

“Now I’ve learned and got educated about that, and I would never [do it again],” LISA told the publication. “This is not OK. Seriously.”

According to the documentary, her label prohibited her from addressing the controversy at the time. The White Lotus alum noted, “I was just sad because I really wanted to focus on my performance, but things happened and you can’t control stuff. But I fought through it.”

Always Lalisa premiered Friday (Sept. 11) at TIFF, chronicling LISA’s year away from BLACKPINK while pursuing solo work. The film also touches on the difficulties of operating in a major K-pop group, including concealing romantic relationships to preserve commercial appeal.

The project opens in theaters and IMAX on Oct. 12 before arriving on YouTube Premium later in the year.

Although LISA, ROSÉ, JISOO, and JENNIE are currently pursuing solo projects, LISA told Variety that BLACKPINK will continue. “If I’m 50, I still want to do BLACKPINK!” she stated. “We just finished our tour earlier this year, but we talk a lot about this and have discussions about doing a little break — like I did almost two years ago — but we’re always going to be together. We just finished the BLACKPINK tour, so now we’re back to our solo eras again.”