Lalisa, both a name and a record-breaking album, has been capturing the hearts of people worldwide. The debut solo by the BLACKPINK member, Lisa, includes the title track, ‘Lalisa,’ and the song ‘Money,’ as well as the acoustic versions of both songs. ‘Money’ and ‘Lalisa’ are upbeat and fast-paced songs with powerful moves throughout their respective music videos. In ‘Money,’ the music video begins with Lisa performing synchronized moves with her backup dancers on an abandoned road. From the starting note, Lisa displays tough choreography with prompt lyrics. The tight rap and strong, note-hitting beats showcase a swagger in Lisa’s demeanor that immediately captures the viewer’s attention.

On the other hand, ‘Lalisa’ is more of a melodic rap with bright visuals. In the music video, Lisa is seen on multiple different sets, riding both a motorcycle and an ATV, adding flair to the track. These compelling and clear-cut styles presented in the music videos made the songs an instant hit on the iconic app, TikTok, while breaking records worldwide. 

On TikTok, people are doing their own interpretations of the songs and replicating the moves that Lisa performed in her music videos. The catchy nature of the songs makes attempting Lisa’s strides a fun challenge for both the content creators and viewers.

However, there are some people who have reservations about the songs themselves.

Since Lisa is part of the K-pop group, BLACKPINK, it’s hard to avoid comparing her songs with those of her group members. “’Money’ was all right. I liked it better than ‘Lalisa,’ and a huge part of why I think I feel this way is because of my expectations for her. Jennie’s and Rosé’s solos were amazing, and ‘Money’ just wasn’t as good,” said Sazia Biva ’24. The debut solos of the other BLACKPINK members were also international hits after their release. Many BLACKPINK fans were anticipating the arrival of Lisa’s solo, but some fans feel the songs aren’t up to Lisa’s standards or up to the standards set by the other members.  

Diverging from ‘Lalisa,’ ‘Money’ is a dance oriented song that reveals Lisa’s cool persona. In the music video, the emphasis of the song is on the choreography. The choreography helps to accentuate the flow of the melody, while the neon colors in the background add a nice glowing factor to the music video. However, some people are a bit put off by the lyrics. “The overall song was good, but near the end, the song kept on repeating, which was kind of boring,” said Lucy Chen ’24. The song is primarily about Lisa’s accumulated wealth, which can come off as a trope of a basic rap video, and the repeating words make the lyrics stagnant. Some BLACKPINK fans might feel disappointed by the release of the song.  

Regardless of their mixed reviews, the songs went absolutely viral. With 157 million views, the song ‘Lalisa’ debuted at No. 1 on YouTube’s ranking of the most-viewed music videos during the week that the song was announced.

Additionally, the single was viewed an astounding 73.6 million times in just the first day it was released, earning recognition as the sixth-largest 24-hour debut ever. Moreover, Lisa became the first South Korean female musician to top the Rap Digital Song Sales Chart and to appear on the all-genre Digital Song Sales list. In South Korea, Lisa broke the all-time record for the most sales in a single week by a female artist, with a total of 736,000 copies sold, over 330,000 of which were sold on the first day. In the weeks following the release of the album, both of the songs remained in the top 100. 

Love it or hate it, the album ‘Lalisa’ was a sensation that rocked the world. 

Regardless of their mixed reviews, the songs went absolutely viral.