Lisa is pulling back the curtain on the years that shaped her as a Blackpink star, the pressure of growing up inside the K-pop system and the freedom she found after launching her solo career.
In Always Lalisa, a new documentary directed by Sue Kim, the Thai-born performer reflects on her rise from teenage trainee to global superstar while revealing a more personal side of her life. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is scheduled to reach theaters on October 12.
Fast Facts
- Documentary: Always Lalisa
- Director: Sue Kim
- Premiere: Toronto International Film Festival 2026
- Theatrical release: October 12
- Subject: Lisa’s rise, solo career and personal life
- Group: Blackpink
- Management: Lisa founded Lloud after separating her solo activities from YG Entertainment
- Record label: RCA Records
- Current focus: Her solo music and album
- Acting: The White Lotus Season 3
- Big-screen dream: Lisa says she would love to become a Bond girl
Lisa’s journey began at 13
Lisa was only 13 when she auditioned for YG Entertainment in South Korea.
She reportedly beat around 4,000 other hopefuls and became the company’s first non-Korean trainee. A year later, she moved to South Korea and entered an intensive training program, learning conversational Korean within her first six months.
Her formal training lasted five years.
The documentary looks back at a period when Lisa’s life revolved around practice, performance and the goal of eventually debuting as an artist.
Trainees faced monthly evaluations in front of company executives, with performers potentially being cut if they failed to meet expectations.
Lisa said the experience was difficult for a young girl, but she also believes those years helped shape who she became.
She eventually debuted with Blackpink in 2016 alongside Jisoo, Jennie and Rosé.
The strict rules behind her K-pop training
Lisa describes her trainee years as being similar to attending a boarding school.
The young performers lived together in a dormitory, went to the company every day and spent their time learning languages, singing, rapping and dancing.
The restrictions were extensive. Lisa has described rules that included no drinking, no dating, no driver’s license and limited opportunities to leave and see friends.
The company also tracked trainees’ movements.
Looking back, however, Lisa does not describe the period simply as a negative experience.
She told Variety that she and her Blackpink bandmates remember those years as exciting because they were completely focused on becoming performers.
She also said the restriction on drinking was understandable because they were young.
Leaving YG changed Lisa’s career
Blackpink’s members continued their group activities while pursuing individual projects separately from YG.
For Lisa, that transition became an opportunity to take control of decisions that had previously been made for her.
She established her own management company, Lloud, and signed with RCA Records.
Her solo career then expanded rapidly.
She released her first solo album, Alter Ego, performed at Coachella and made her acting debut in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus.
She also performed a James Bond-themed song at the Oscars, an appearance that fueled speculation about whether she could eventually become a Bond girl.
Lisa has an uncomplicated answer: she would love the opportunity.
But so far, she says, nobody has called.
Why Lisa took a break from Blackpink
Lisa said Blackpink had been working almost nonstop, including touring, and that the members felt they needed time away.
Her break could have simply meant traveling or doing nothing.
Instead, Lisa decided she wanted to challenge herself.
She began exploring what she could accomplish independently, turning the break into what she describes as a transformative year.
At first, the independence was intimidating.
For years, she had been part of a system in which other people helped determine what came next. Suddenly, she had to decide for herself.
That uncertainty gradually turned into confidence.
“I want more,” became the attitude behind her decision to keep pushing herself.
Lisa says she wants a family someday
The documentary also moves beyond music.
Lisa talks about wanting a family in the future and says she loves children.
She acknowledges that being part of a hugely successful girl group can make a conventional personal life difficult.
Now that she has more control over her career, she wants to find a healthier balance between work and her private life.
But she admits she has not completely figured it out.
For now, her attention is on her next album.
Lisa also wants fans to remember that behind the global celebrity is an ordinary person who needs family, comfort and people close to her.
The leaked Blackpink trainee videos
One of the more difficult subjects in Always Lalisa is the controversy surrounding leaked videos of Blackpink members from their trainee years.
The videos showed the young performers rapping along to songs containing the N-word.
Lisa apologized for her participation and said she did not understand the significance of the term when she was growing up in Thailand.
She said she has since learned about its history and why its use is unacceptable.
The controversy became particularly difficult because it surfaced around the period leading into her first solo Coachella performance.
The documentary shows Lisa struggling emotionally while preparing for the event.
She said the material shown in the film is real and that she was deeply affected because she wanted to concentrate on performing.
But she ultimately decided she had to move forward.
Dealing with millions of online opinions
Lisa now has more than 100 million Instagram followers, bringing enormous visibility but also an equally large volume of criticism.
Always Lalisa includes scenes showing negative social-media comments directed at her.
Lisa admits that dealing with that kind of reaction has not always been easy.
Her approach is to focus on her intentions and accept that she cannot control what other people think.
She has also learned that separating online criticism from her actual life takes time.
After a decade with Blackpink, she says she is still learning how to put those negative experiences aside and concentrate on herself and the work she loves.
Lisa still wants Blackpink at 50
Despite her expanding solo career, Lisa does not see her individual success as the end of Blackpink.
Asked how long she wants to remain part of the group, her answer was emphatic: even at 50, she would still want to be Blackpink.
The group completed a tour earlier this year and has returned to its individual solo eras.
Lisa says the members continue to talk about taking breaks, but she insists that they will always remain together.
That distinction is important to her: a solo chapter does not necessarily mean the end of the group.
From trainee to global star
Always Lalisa ultimately presents Lisa’s career as more than a conventional celebrity success story.
Her transformation involved leaving Thailand as a teenager, adapting to another country and language, enduring years of highly controlled training and eventually becoming one of K-pop’s most recognizable performers.
The documentary now follows the next stage: Lisa deciding what she wants her career and personal life to look like when she is the one making the choices.
For Lisa, that freedom comes with pressure, but also with a sense that her solo career is only beginning.
FAQs
What is Always Lalisa about?
The documentary follows Lisa’s life and career, focusing on her rise with Blackpink, solo career, personal experiences and transition away from YG’s direct control.
When does Always Lalisa come out?
The documentary premiered at TIFF and is scheduled to hit theaters on October 12, 2026.
Who directed Always Lalisa?
Sue Kim, who previously directed K-Pop Idols, directed the documentary.
What did Lisa say about becoming a Bond girl?
Lisa said she would love to become a Bond girl but revealed that she has not received an offer yet.
Does Lisa plan to leave Blackpink?
No. Lisa said she still wants to perform with Blackpink even when she is 50 and emphasized that the members will always be together.
