Lisa Opens Up About Racial Slur Controversy, Solo Ambitions and Personal Freedom in Always Lalisa

A year of freedom, and the pressures that followed

Lisa's return to Seoul in June 2025 closes a chapter in Always Lalisa, a documentary that follows the Blackpink singer through the making of Alter Ego, her acting debut in The White Lotus and preparations for her solo performance at Coachella. Alongside those milestones, director Sue Kim records a racial slur controversy, death threats, doubts about Lisa's singing and a struggle to separate her private life from the expectations attached to her career.

The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2026, is scheduled to begin a limited cinema release on October 12. Its central story is not a permanent departure from Blackpink. Lisa and fellow members Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé agreed to take time away from group activities to pursue individual projects, before coming back together.

For Lalisa Manobal, that break became a test of how much she could decide for herself. She worked with unfamiliar producers, pursued an acting role in Thailand and questioned restrictions on relationships and alcohol that she says had governed her life under YG Entertainment.

The documentary also captures her reaction when old rehearsal videos showing Blackpink members using racial slurs while performing American rap songs circulated online. Kim says the conversation was filmed on the day the clips emerged, without prepared answers. That scene connects two of the film's main concerns: Lisa's responsibility for her past conduct and her ability to speak publicly in a career long shaped by management decisions.

Lisa describes the break as beginning in 2024, while the film follows events through Coachella in 2025 and her return to Seoul that June. The period brought greater freedom, but it was far from a quiet holiday.

What Lisa says about the leaked rehearsal videos

The videos showed Lisa and other Blackpink members, then teenage trainees, covering rap songs without removing offensive language, including the N-word. Their circulation prompted demands for an apology while Lisa was preparing for Coachella.

In the documentary, Lisa says she was 15 or 16 when the footage was recorded. She explains that English was not her first language and that she had encountered the term in music without understanding its offensive history. She also acknowledges that her conduct was wrong.

Lisa, speaking about what she has learned since the recordings, says:

Now I would never ever do that because, now, I've got education," she says. "Now I know better.

Her acknowledgment is direct:

But I did wrong.

Reports differ in how firmly they describe the label's role in her initial silence. One account says the members were forbidden from issuing a statement; another describes a label suggestion alongside death threats directed at Lisa. Both describe circumstances in which she did not immediately address fans publicly. She later gave a public apology in a magazine interview, although some people remained unconvinced.

Kim says she asked Lisa one question and the singer spoke for about an hour. The director describes the response as spontaneous, rather than a statement arranged for the documentary. The scene records regret and an explanation, but its inclusion does not settle how those hurt by the language will judge her response.

Threats and criticism during the album launch

The controversy arrived during a demanding stretch of Lisa's solo career. Always Lalisa records death threats and her continuing with public appearances while worrying about her safety. Those threats are distinct from criticism of the videos, even as both became part of the pressure surrounding her.

Lisa describes safety concerns as "spinning in my head." The documentary also shows her dealing with negative reactions to Alter Ego, making the album launch a period of professional uncertainty as well as personal distress.

A separate leak compounded that experience. Tracks from Alter Ego appeared online a few days before the album's release. The person responsible was not identified. Lisa says she wanted people to respect the work and did not want other artists to face the same experience.

The film displays negative responses from fans and critics, rather than presenting the record's arrival as an uninterrupted success. Lisa says the reception made her sad, but she remained proud of the album. That distinction matters to the portrait: approval was outside her control, while completing a project that reflected her choices was something she could claim.

Leaving restrictions behind without leaving Blackpink

Lisa's move away from YG for her individual career and her agreement with RCA Records in the United States form part of the documentary's account of independence. Her later return to Blackpink makes clear that pursuing solo work and continuing with the group were not presented as mutually exclusive choices.

She says YG's rules included restrictions on drinking alcohol and dating. In the film, she recalls worrying that her romantic life could damage Blackpink's popularity. Around the age of 25 or 26, she began to feel that hiding that part of herself was no longer how she wanted to live.

The song Dream became one expression of that change. Lisa says recording it made her anxious because relationships had previously been something to keep secret. She does not identify the person behind the song and rejects the idea that fans necessarily solved that mystery.

Kim sees Lisa's decision to seek a different working arrangement as difficult for someone trained from adolescence to obey instructions. That is the director's interpretation of Lisa's experience, not evidence that every performer in the Korean music industry faces identical conditions.

Lisa also speaks about wanting marriage and children, and about hoping fans will understand that those wishes can coexist with her career. Asked about that vulnerable part of the film, the singer says:

I hope they understand me more," Lisa says. "I'm just a girl, we want the same thing at the end of the day. That's it. I just want them to understand me more.

Finding confidence beyond her role as a rapper

The recording sessions provide a practical measure of what changed. Lisa says she had worked with one producer for years in Korea, then had to find producers and songwriters outside that familiar setting. Freedom brought decisions she was not yet comfortable making.

British producer and songwriter Sammy Soso and vocal producer Kuk Harrell appear in the documentary's trailer. Soso recalls Lisa initially being too shy to speak directly to him. Harrell says she told him she had never worked with an outside vocal producer beyond Blackpink's team.

Lisa, explaining her nervousness about showing her singing abilities to unfamiliar collaborators, says:

I think I lacked confidence.

Her doubts had a history. Lisa says the response at YG to her cover of Bruno Mars' Talking to the Moon left her feeling that singing was not for her. In Blackpink, her position was principally that of rapper and dancer. She says she had wanted to sing but had not had the same opportunity to explore it independently.

Always Lalisa shows tears, uncertainty and criticism from a vocal coach. Those moments give substance to the transition beyond a change of label or branding: she was trying to develop a skill while confronting an earlier judgment about her limits.

Alter Ego organizes that exploration around five personas, Vixi, Kiki, Speedi, Roxi and Sunni. Lisa describes them as different parts of herself, including versions she can call upon when she needs to feel fierce or face something frightening. The confident presentation of the album sits beside footage showing how uncertain its creator sometimes felt.

The White Lotus brought her back to Thailand

Lisa says her first thought for the Blackpink break was to travel. The opportunity to audition for the third season of The White Lotus changed that plan. She recorded an audition herself and won the role of Mook Sornsin, a wellness coach in the Thailand setting of the series.

The choice also had a family connection. Lisa says her mother had dreamed of acting as a child, which helped inspire her to pursue the opportunity. Series creator Mike White appears in the documentary discussing his early concerns about casting a global music star, including whether it would be a publicity exercise or require extra security. Meeting Lisa changed his view.

Production gave Lisa an extended period near home. She says she spent six months in Thailand, although she continued travelling to Los Angeles for music work. Being close to family was part of what made the experience valuable, rather than simply another credit on her schedule.

The documentary also presents a less restricted social life on the set. An executive producer says Lisa hosted more parties than anyone else and that tequila shots were a defining feature. The anecdote offers a concrete contrast with the alcohol restrictions she describes from her earlier career.

Her acting work and music work therefore served different purposes during the same break. One took her into an unfamiliar creative field while bringing her nearer to family; the other required building a new team and learning to speak more confidently about what she wanted.

Family memories behind a global career

Always Lalisa begins with Lisa and her mother recalling a visit to a fortune teller who suggested changing her name to Lalisa, saying it would become a name loved by many. Lisa remembers being about 13 at the time.

Her account of entering the industry gives that childhood story a demanding sequel. She auditioned for YG at 13, moved from Thailand to South Korea at 14 and trained for five years before debuting with Blackpink. She says Korean lessons took two hours a day alongside performance practice.

Lisa credits her mother and stepfather with trusting her enough to let her move abroad alone. She also credits her bandmates with helping her cope with the loneliness and pressure of those years. The film's focus on her independence does not erase those relationships.

Before performances, Lisa says she invites her late grandfather and her late dance teacher, Nok, to watch her. Her grandfather died during the pandemic, when she could not return to see him in Thailand. She describes both men as important supporters whose influence remains with her.

Speaking about that ritual, Lisa says:

I feel like they're my guardian angels.

These memories connect the documentary's major stages to people who supported her before worldwide fame. Coachella becomes both a test of her solo career and a performance she wishes those early supporters could see.

How much access did the documentary have?

Kim's previous work includes directing The Last of the Sea Women, about female divers on South Korea's Jeju Island, and serving as an executive producer of K-Pop Idols. For Always Lalisa, she says she wanted intimacy and vulnerability rather than a portrait filtered entirely through the conventions of idol promotion.

Lisa says Kim made her feel calm enough to talk openly, sometimes for three or four hours. The director says the singer permitted almost total access and did not ask for a single scene to be removed after watching the film.

There were limits elsewhere. Kim says she could not obtain permission to license Blackpink music or footage from Lisa's former label, despite wanting some material to help audiences hear her earlier work. She describes that licensing effort as her only interaction with the previous label.

The film was commissioned by the film division of Lisa's record label. That commercial relationship is relevant when assessing a documentary that also supports the promotion of an artist's career. Access to uncomfortable moments does not make the production independent of those interests.

Still, the studio struggles, negative reviews and controversy distinguish the film from a simple celebration of success. Kim's account establishes Lisa's willingness to leave difficult scenes in place, while the licensing restrictions explain why the documentary cannot provide a complete musical history of Blackpink.

Coachella, the reunion and the release calendar

Lisa treats Coachella as a decisive test of whether she will be recognized as a solo artist. The preparations gather the pressures of the album, her voice and public expectations into one performance. She says she felt the show had to be perfect.

The documentary then ends with her return to Seoul in June 2025. Kim describes Lisa's feelings as bittersweet, reflecting concern about retaining the freedom she had experienced, rather than hostility toward Blackpink.

Lisa's later description of the reunion is more assured. She says the members gained confidence through their individual work and returned with fresh energy. They stayed in touch during the break through messages, calls, video calls and meals together. Feeling lonely during solo work did not mean losing the support of the group.

The sequence of events and announced releases is:

• 2024: Lisa describes beginning the break from Blackpink activities to pursue individual projects.
• 2025: Her acting debut in The White Lotus airs, and she performs solo at Coachella.
• June 2025: She returns to Seoul and resumes work with Blackpink, where the documentary ends.
• September 11, 2026: Always Lalisa premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival, with Lisa attending a discussion after the screening.
• October 12 to 18, 2026: Thai cinema screenings are scheduled in standard and IMAX formats.
• October 23: Her EP Press Play is announced for release.

Reports agree on October 12 as the cinema opening date, although they differ on the weekday, calling it Monday in one account and Saturday in another. The stated 2026 Thai schedule places October 12 on a Monday. Singapore screenings are also announced to begin October 12.

In Thailand, standard tickets start at 350 baht and IMAX tickets at 550 baht. The starting IMAX price is 200 baht higher, about 57 percent above the standard starting price. The film is scheduled to stream exclusively on YouTube Premium later in 2026, but no exact streaming date has been announced.

Lisa's next solo phase includes the single SaWaDiKa and Press Play, with a Las Vegas residency also announced but no dates specified in these accounts. The documentary leaves her at the point of returning to group work; her subsequent solo releases show that the period it records was not the end of her individual ambitions.

Key Points

• Always Lalisa follows Lisa's solo album, acting debut, Coachella preparations and return to Blackpink in June 2025.
• Lisa acknowledges wrongdoing over racial slurs in teenage rehearsal footage. Kim says her response was filmed without prepared answers.
• The film records death threats, vocal insecurity, an album leak and negative reactions to Alter Ego.
• Lisa describes seeking greater control over her music, relationships and private life while maintaining ties with her bandmates.
• Thai screenings are scheduled for October 12 to 18, 2026, with tickets starting at 350 baht for standard screenings and 550 baht for IMAX.
• YouTube Premium streaming is planned for later in 2026, with the exact date unannounced.