Inside the Room: Lisa of Blackpink Confronts Racial Slur Scandal in New Documentary

A new documentary titled Always Lalisa offers an unusually intimate look at Lisa Manobal, the Blackpink member and breakout star of The White Lotus, as she navigates a racial slur scandal that erupted while she was preparing for a career-defining performance at the Coachella Festival in 2025.

The film, which reaches cinemas on 12 October, captures the singer in crisis mode after leaked videos surfaced showing Blackpink using racial slurs during their teenage trainee days. The clips, which emerged last year, showed the band covering US rap songs during rehearsals. Explicit language, including the n-word, was left uncensored.

For Lisa, the timing could hardly have been worse. She was rehearsing for a pivotal solo performance at Coachella, one of the biggest platforms in music. Offended and upset, some fans demanded an apology. But the band's record label forbade the members from issuing a statement, leaving Lisa and her team to manage the fallout without an official script.

That is when the documentary's director followed Lisa into her dressing room and offered her a chance to speak freely. The filmmaker later recalled saying, '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.' The director honestly expected Lisa to say no.

Instead, Lisa lay down on a sofa and spoke from the heart. In the documentary, she says, 'It's bad,' with a mixture of shame and nerves. She explains that she was 15 or 16 when the videos were shot and did not know that the word was sensitive because she is from Thailand and her first language is not English. Having only heard the term in rap music, she was unaware of its offensive history.

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

It is a vulnerable and human response, nothing like the scripted public relations apology that might have been expected. Lisa has since apologised publicly in an interview with Variety, although some people remained unconvinced. The documentary's director calls Lisa's in-the-moment reaction one of the most important scenes in Always Lalisa. 'There was no premeditation on Lisa's part, there was no media training,' the director says. 'I asked her one question and she just talked for an hour, and everything came out, and it's all stream of consciousness. And what you see with Lisa in that moment is so genuine, it's impossible not to feel compassion for her.'

Key Facts at a Glance

• The documentary Always Lalisa follows Blackpink's Lisa Manobal during a break from the group and the launch of her solo career.
• Leaked videos from her teenage trainee years showed Blackpink using racial slurs, including the n-word, while covering US rap songs.
• The scandal erupted while Lisa was rehearsing for a major performance at the 2025 Coachella Festival.
• Fans demanded an apology, but the band's label forbade members from issuing a statement.
• In the film, Lisa says she was 15 or 16 and did not know the word was sensitive because she is from Thailand and English is not her first language.
• She later apologised publicly in an interview with Variety, though some critics remained unconvinced.
• The incident overshadowed the launch of her debut solo album, Alter Ego.
• The documentary captures Lisa receiving death threats while pressing ahead with public appearances.
• Lisa ultimately cut ties with Korean entertainment company YG and signed with RCA Records in the US.
• The film ends in June 2025 as Lisa returns to Seoul and rejoins Blackpink, a moment she describes as bittersweet.

A Career Built Inside the K-Pop System

Lisa was born Pranpriya Manobal in Thailand and later became known as Lalisa Manobal. She joined YG Entertainment as a teenager and trained for years before debuting with Blackpink in 2016. The group quickly became one of the biggest acts in K-pop, with hits such as Whistle, How You Like That, and Kill This Love. Lisa's stage presence, dance skills, and fashion profile made her one of the most recognisable idols in the world, with millions of record sales and brand deals with Louis Vuitton and Bvlgari.

But the documentary portrays the K-pop system as both a launchpad and a cage. Lisa says she was trapped by rules that forbade her from drinking alcohol and having adult relationships. 'I don't want my dating to be the thing to hurt Blackpink's popularity,' she says in the film. 'But when I turned 25, I realised that this is not how you're supposed to live your life.'

That realisation led to an early decision to cut ties with YG, the company that discovered her as a teenager, and sign a new deal with RCA Records in the US. The documentary's director describes the move as an immense act of courage. 'In general,

Source: MSN News