25 March 2022 - Blackpink Lisa debuts on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Hong Kong April 2022 issue and talks about her solo album and her runway debut with Celine in the interview. The following are translations of some of the excerpts from the article on Harper’s Bazaar Hong Kong website, translated via Google Translate and DeepL with adjustments.

Source: Harper’s Bazaar Hong Kong | Photography by: Kim Hee-jun for Harper’s Bazaar Hong Kong/Celine.

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Blackpink Lisa on Harper's Bazaar Hong Kong April 2022 Issue

LISA released her solo single “LALISA” for the first time in September last year. With precise dance skills, catchy lyrics, unique milky rap style, as well as record-breaking music video, LISA has successfully captured fans around the world by crossing cultural boundaries.

From a Thai girl who went to South Korea alone to her unrivaled status in the international music scene today, LISA seems to have an unstoppable energy in her body and full of firepower as she strides to the top.

This year, she is only 24 years old. Her future is limitless.

LALISA

The new song ‘LALISA’ is inspired by LISA’s original name. At first, the online review for the music video that features 14 eye-catching looks were mixed. But then the fans said no, the body of the music is still very honest. The music video has now garnered 500 million+ views on YouTube.

“The response was absolutely beyond my expectations. The original intention of conceiving the single was to create something that would make the fans happy. After I figured out the general direction, I started to concentrate on writing. I think the success of the song is probably due to the fact that my name rhymes very well with the lyrics. And the short dance video challenge on TikTok has also brought a lot of popularity to this song.” —LISA

Each girl group has its own division of labor, and it is often that the power of one plus one is greater than two. For the first time being alone, LISA realized how precious the company of her bandmates is.

“I was involved in every part of the process of preparing the single. When choosing the promotional photos and the album jacket, I miss my bandmates very much. I was a little nervous when I did a solo live broadcast on VLive recently because I was the only one. Fortunately, there were many BLINKs who cheered for me, which made me regain my confidence.” —LISA

HER HOMETOWN

LISA’s hometown is Thailand and in her new music video, she puts on traditional Thai costumes to promote the local culture. Many people who work hard in a foreign land miss the food, language and life of their hometown. But for LISA, the so-called nostalgia is nothing more than the quality times she spent with her family.

“Every weekend we would go out as a family. Even if it was just to go to an ice cream shop and eat ice cream together, it was so memorable. Or when I was a kid, my father and I would bake rye cookies together every Christmas. My father was a chef, and as a Swiss, he has an obsession with rye cookies.” —LISA

BEING A TRAINEE IN KOREA

The life of a trainee in Korea is notoriously difficult. On top of the grueling daily practice schedule that she had to attend to improve her skills, LISA as a foreign trainee also had a language barrier that she had to overcome which added to the difficulty of her trainee life.

“Looking back on those days now, although it was hard, it was also very fun. I looked forward to the next rest day with my teammates, planned where to eat, drink and have fun. We would also watch the morning movie together before class. I’m really lucky that I have a group of good friends around me who support each other.” —LISA

LIVING AS AN IDOL

Not everyone can handle the high pressure and tight schedule of an idol, but LISA can always laugh about it.

“I always feel like during the days when I’m smiling less, the members will be affected and become depressed. It’s a waste of youth to not smile, so I always try to make my friends happy, especially when I’m with the members. When we’re tired from practicing, we’d make fun of each other. And this element of happiness is a necessary motivation.” —LISA

RELIEVING STRESS

LISA actually has another way to reduce stress and that is to interact with BLINKs.

“They are really creative. They often make memes of me and my cat. Every time I change my hairstyle, they will photoshop my face to a cat. I save these cute memes as my phone wallpaper. I’m looking forward to what their next memes will be.” —LISA

BEING A DANCER

As the lead dancer of BLACKPINK, LISA’s dancing skill is recognized as excellent and she has the talent to remember all the movements of a routine just by watching it once. The Chinese idol talent show “Youth With You” has even invited her twice as a mentor. In the show, LISA was guiding the contestants very seriously and rigorously too at times and we could see that dancing is definitelynot a play for her.

“I first came to dance class when I was 4 or 5 years old. At that time, I didn’t know what dancing was about. I remember wearing a skirt to class and was extremely happy in class. Then I began to practice seriously, participated in some competitions and won first place. Since then, I became more and more enthusiastic about dancing and even looked forward to going to dance class as soon as possible after school every day.” —LISA

RUNWAY DEBUT

In addition to releasing her first solo single, LISA also made her debut as a runway model for Celine’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection. Walking the catwalk set around the Nice Observatory was even more nerve-racking than any other stage performance she said.

“I have confidence in controlling the rhythm and intensity of a dance, but I was a bit overwhelmed walking the runway. So I decided to walk following the rhythm of the background music. Hedi also suggested that I do some free movements. After all, I am a singer and not a professional model. The whole process was very fresh and interesting.” —LISA

CELINE AMBASSADOR

Hedi Slimane, the creative director of Celine, has a soft spot for musicians. He hit it off with LISA and invited her to be the brand ambassador and perfume spokesperson.

“Hedi is a very attentive person andI feel very comfortable working with him. He allows me to express myself without restraint. He also has a very keen eye and every time we meet, he notices what I’m wearing.” —LISA

PERSONAL STYLE

Music and fashion are closely related. The influence of idols’ fashion is not limited to the stage. Airports and red carpets are all battlefields. As a post-95 idol star, Lisa talks about her personal style behind the camera.

“They are all based on comfortable and lightweight styles. For example, today I wore an oversized T-shirt and jeans with a pair of sneakers. The most common item I wear is sweaters. Sometimes I also choose items with bright colors or with prints of cats or white rabbits. When I wear items with cartoon prints, my mood immediately becomes very happy. If I want to dress more confidently, I will wear an all-black outfit with a pair of high heels.

I feel like a playful Celine girl who likes elegant classic designs as well as cute styles. I love Celine’s menswear series, which I use to mix and match to create a layered look. I also love vintage clothes. I usually go to vintage stores to search for some vintage Celine, which is fun to find.” —LISA

Credits:

Article Writer: 芭姐
Photographer: Kim Heejune
Celebrity Visual Director: Choi Youjin, Yoon Hyunjoo
Production: YW Lee
Stylist: Park Minhee
Hair: Lee Seonyoung
Makeup: Lee Myungsun
Manicure: Park Eunkyung
Set Stylist: Yoo Yeojung
Wardrobe: CELINE Spring Summer 2022 Collection.