LISA Releases PRESS PLAY EP With Action Filled Tarantino Video and Thai Roots at Its Core

A Six Song Release Built Around Cinema

LISA released her six track EP PRESS PLAY through LLOUD Co./RCA Records on October 23, 2026, pairing it with a music video that sends the BLACKPINK star through a hotel to deliver a message to director Quentin Tarantino. The project arrives between two other major solo events: the October 12 cinema opening of her documentary Always Lalisa and six Las Vegas concerts beginning November 12.

The new EP follows Alter Ego, her debut studio album, which reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200 in 2025. Its opening single, "SaWaDiKa," entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 69 and reached No. 23 on the Billboard Global 200 in September. Those charts measure different markets: the Hot 100 tracks songs in the United States, while the Global 200 combines streaming and sales activity across countries.

PRESS PLAY connects that international reach to LISA's Thai identity, her interest in action films and her growing control over her solo work. She holds a songwriting credit on every track, while the production team includes Thom Bridges, Ojivolta, Beau Nox, Dem Jointz and Johnny Goldstein.

LISA, whose full name is Lalisa Manobal, explained the concept during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The singer and rapper described the EP as following:

my journey from my roots to where I am right now today

She also explained how the songs fit together:

Every single song has their own character, their own vibe and we combine it together. It's like a movie. So you just press play.

A Hotel Mission for Tarantino

"Tarantino," the EP's focus track, turns that movie concept into a compact action story. Directed by Grammy Award winning filmmaker James Mackel, the video runs approximately three and a half minutes and follows LISA on a mission to reach her favorite director inside a hotel.

Hotel staff become part of both the choreography and the obstacles. LISA dances with chambermaids and bellboys, then fights her way through kitchen staff as she works toward delivering a red envelope. The action gives the video a clear destination rather than simply moving between unrelated dance settings.

The envelope eventually slides under a door. Its contents remain a secret, leaving the message itself as the story's final mystery. LISA had introduced the same visual idea in the single's artwork, holding a red envelope over part of her face.

The promotion also carried the line that supplies the EP's title. In the song, LISA sings:

It's a movie, baby, come and press play.

Film References Run Through the Music

Thom Bridges and Beau Nox produced "Tarantino," which draws on the director's film vocabulary through references to Kill Bill, Death Proof, a katana and sharply dressed gangsters. The song links beauty and danger from its opening image of long fingernails compared with a gun barrel.

Bridges also worked on "SaWaDiKa," connecting the EP's opening greeting with its central movie tribute. Beau Nox brings experience from Drake's Honestly, Nevermind, on which he co-wrote and co-produced five tracks, including "Falling Back."

"Cut U Off" continues the film connection with the whistle associated with Elle Driver's hospital scene in Kill Bill: Vol. 1. The song redirects the movie's revenge imagery toward ending a relationship. Together, the two tracks make cinema part of the EP's sound and language, rather than leaving the concept entirely to the videos.

Bangkok Opens the Story

"SaWaDiKa," released September 3, starts the EP with a Thai greeting. Its title is a stylized spelling of sawatdee ka, meaning "hello," with a polite ending conventionally used by women speaking Thai. An everyday expression becomes LISA's introduction to a worldwide audience.

Director Bang Jae Yeob filmed the accompanying video in Bangkok, incorporating Muay Thai imagery and tuk-tuks. The song also references Bangkok, Thai currency and the phrase "geng mak," meaning "so good." Those details place Thailand inside the music itself, alongside the luxury cars and other symbols of success.

The release announcement said the video surpassed 70.8 million YouTube views within its first 24 hours. Its chart performance then carried the song into both the American Hot 100 and the Global 200.

LISA had previously brought traditional Thai sounds into the dance break of her 2021 solo debut "Lalisa," asking producer Teddy to include them. PRESS PLAY extends that approach across a project she describes as a journey from home to her present career.

Six Tracks With Different Roles

PRESS PLAY moves from an introduction rooted in Thailand through images of speed, nightlife and action, before ending with a song built around stretching and breathing. The running order is:

• "SaWaDiKa"
• "V12"
• "Cobra"
• "Tarantino"
• "Cut U Off"
• "Sweat"

"V12," produced by Dem Jointz, uses the engine of a powerful car as a metaphor for precision and confidence. A V12 engine has 12 cylinders, making the title a concrete image of the power LISA claims in the song. Dem Jointz's credits include Dr. Dre's Compton and work with NCT 127.

"Cobra," produced by Johnny Goldstein, turns toward the dance floor. It interpolates Missy Elliott and Timbaland's 2003 "Bomb Intro/Pass That Dutch." An interpolation reuses an element of an earlier composition through a new performance, rather than necessarily copying its original recording.

"Sweat" closes with yoga and breathing cues, shifting away from the pursuit and confrontation of the preceding tracks. Kuk Harrell worked on vocal production across the project, helping shape the recorded vocal performances. The six songs are billed to LISA without named guest artists.

A New Chapter After Alter Ego

Alter Ego explored five personas across LISA's first full studio album. PRESS PLAY is shorter and organized around her own journey, while still giving each track a separate character. Its six songs provide different settings without returning to the earlier album's five persona structure.

LISA launched LLOUD in 2024. Its partnership with RCA gives her ownership of her solo recordings, placing the EP within a business structure she established for her individual career. Recording ownership concerns control of the recorded performances, a central asset when music is streamed, sold or licensed.

The official store's PRESS PLAY CD listing describes the project as a follow-up to her debut album that honors her Thai roots. It lists October 23, 2026, as the release date and still labels the physical edition a preorder expected to ship that day. Orders containing multiple items will ship when all items are in stock.

The CD comes in a super jewel case with a booklet of 12 pages and one randomly selected photocard from five designs. Other editions include clear vinyl, an exclusive artist CD edition and red marble vinyl for the Asian market.

A Documentary Captures the Earlier Transition

Always Lalisa, directed by Sue Kim, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September before opening in IMAX and cinemas worldwide for a limited release on October 12. It follows the period surrounding Alter Ego, the launch of LLOUD and LISA's solo Coachella debut.

The film includes family and friends from Thailand and captures her adjustment to recording outside BLACKPINK's established label system. During early solo sessions, she was initially unsure whether she could speak directly to producers. That detail gives a concrete example of the change from working within a familiar group structure to helping direct a separate career.

LISA explained her reasons for building a dedicated team around her solo music:

I just wanted to explore more in my music and style

She added:

and I wanted people that were only focused on my stuff.

The documentary covers the making of Alter Ego rather than the recording of PRESS PLAY. Its release nevertheless places that earlier period of adjustment alongside a new EP on which she has writing credits throughout.

Las Vegas Is the Next Live Test

VIVA LA LISA opens at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on November 12. The residency began as four concerts, which sold out in under 10 minutes, before two more dates expanded the schedule to six nights.

The confirmed dates are November 12, 13 and 14, followed by November 27, 28 and 29, 2026. A residency means an artist performs a run of shows at the same venue rather than traveling between cities. For fans, the schedule offers two separate November weekends in Las Vegas.

The timing gives PRESS PLAY several weeks to reach listeners before the opening concert. LISA had been exploring new music with the aim of giving returning concertgoers a different experience in Vegas. The final residency set list has not been announced.

Her television promotion has already connected the new material with a major award. At the MTV Video Music Awards on September 27, she gave "SaWaDiKa" its television debut and won Best Pop for "Dream," becoming the first solo K-pop artist to win that category.

The Rollout Extends Into Games and Collectibles

A limited edition LISA PlayStation DualSense wireless controller appears briefly in the "Tarantino" video when she signs one for a fan. She helped design the controller, which also featured in promotion ahead of the song's release. The appearance places an actual product inside the hotel's fictional action story.

Trading cards and clothing form another part of the release campaign. The ESCO x LISA Hangerpack contains nine trading cards and one foil card, drawing from 50 subjects spanning PRESS PLAY, Alter Ego and other material. Signed autograph cards are randomly inserted.

The card collaboration opened with an exclusive presale lasting 48 hours on October 19, ahead of a wider retail launch on October 23. A LLOUD x Von Dutch Hollywood clothing capsule also debuted at ComplexCon earlier in October, including a T-shirt, hoodie and trucker hat.

These releases bring the same solo identity into music, film, gaming accessories and merchandise. The central thread remains recognizable across them: LISA's name, her Thai roots and the movie imagery used to introduce the EP.

How the Release Unfolded

The campaign developed over nearly two months, moving from a Bangkok single to an awards performance, a documentary opening and the complete EP. The main dates are:

• September 3, 2026: "SaWaDiKa" launched the EP campaign.
• September 27: LISA performed the single at the MTV Video Music Awards and won Best Pop for "Dream."
• October 12: Always Lalisa began its limited worldwide cinema release.
• October 14: LISA announced "Tarantino," sharing artwork and a song preview during the promotional campaign.
• October 23: PRESS PLAY and the "Tarantino" video arrived through LLOUD Co./RCA Records.
• November 12: VIVA LA LISA is scheduled to open in Las Vegas.

The sequence gives each part of the project a different role. "SaWaDiKa" introduces the Thai identity at its center, the documentary follows the earlier work of building a solo career, and "Tarantino" presents the new release through action cinema. The November concerts will bring that expanding catalog to a fixed stage.

Key Points

• LISA released the six track PRESS PLAY EP on October 23, 2026, through LLOUD Co./RCA Records.
• James Mackel directed the "Tarantino" video, which follows a hotel mission to deliver a red envelope.
• "SaWaDiKa" connects the project to Thailand through its greeting, lyrics and Bangkok video.
• LISA has a songwriting credit on all six tracks.
• Sue Kim's Always Lalisa opened in cinemas on October 12 and follows the earlier Alter Ego period.
• VIVA LA LISA runs for six nights at Caesars Palace on November 12 to 14 and November 27 to 29.