The physical version debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart, becoming the best-selling album by a female soloist in the chart's history. Lalisa also set the record for the highest first-week sales among all female acts with 736,221 copies sold, before her bandmate Jisoo broke the record. It was certified double platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) in November 2021 for selling 500,000 copies, and was later certified triple platinum in August 2023 for selling 750,000 copies.
"Lalisa" was released as the lead single on the same day the album was released. The song debuted at number two on the Billboard Global 200 and number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The B-side track "Money" was sent to US contemporary hit radio on November 9 following its viral success and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Global 200 and at number 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2023, Lalisa earned a Guinness World Record for becoming the first album by a solo K-pop artist to reach one billion streams on Spotify.
Background
On April 19, 2021, an official from YG Entertainment revealed to South Korean media outlet The Korea Herald that Lisa would debut as the third soloist from her group (after her group-mates Jennie and Rosé respectively) with schedules later to be officially announced through a notice.[2] On July 12, through Star News, her label revealed filming for her music video was underway.[3] On July 25, the singer uploaded two images from her in a recording studio onto her Instagram stories, where a close-up of a screen is shown alongside two different soundwaves and the caption "What’s my name?", hinting at the single album's title.[4]
Release and promotion
On August 25, 2021, YG Entertainment uploaded a teaser poster with the album's title, named after her given name,[5][6] with pre-orders starting that same date. On August 27, YG released a 26-second teaser showcasing one of the visual concepts of the album.[7][8] On August 30, it was confirmed by YG that the title track of the album would also be named "Lalisa".[9] The full tracklist was released on September 5.[10] The album was released worldwide on September 10 through YG and Interscope in conjunction with the music video for its eponymous single.[11] Leading up to the release of the solo, Lisa held an online live countdown event on social media platforms V Live and TikTok to talk about the album and the music video.[12] On September 11, Lisa gave an interview on The Woody Show as a special guest, marking her first appearance on a Thai talk show. On September 14, the artist held a special live broadcast on Naver Now to promote the single album.[13] On November 12, Lisa held an Audacy Check In interview.[14] On November 18, Lisa appeared as a guest on The Zach Sang Show and the radio show 102.7KIISFM.
Singles
"Lalisa" was released as the lead single alongside the release of the single album and received a music video on September 10, 2021.[15] The music video recorded 73.6 million views on YouTube in 24 hours, becoming the most-viewed music video in the first 24 hours on the platform by a solo artist, breaking a record held by Ariana Grande's "thank u, next".[16] The song debuted at number two on the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S., marking Lisa's first solo entry and top-ten song on the charts.[17] In the United States, "Lalisa" debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100.[18]
The B-side track "Money" received a dance performance video on September 24, 2021.[19] Following the song's rising success globally and in the United States, the song was sent as a single to US contemporary hit radio on November 9, 2021.[20] "Money" peaked at number ten on the Billboard Global 200 and number seven on the Global Excl. U.S., becoming Lisa's second top-ten song on the charts.[21] In the United States, the song peaked at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well.[22]
Lalisa received mixed reviews from music critics, who praised Lisa's performance and charisma but criticized the songs' lyrics and production. Rhian Daly writing for NME called the album "disappointingly flat" pointing out the poor quality in song production. She described the single "Lalisa" as "an awkward song" and felt that B-side track "Money" was even more disappointing.[27] Allison S. Park of The Harvard Crimson stated that Lisa's "formidable rapping skills shine through" but also criticized the "absence of a cohesive lyrical narrative" in the lead single.[28]
Chase McMullen writing for Beats Per Minute felt that Lisa's confident performance took center stage and praised her ability to transition smoothly between parts in the song "as to make each component feel perfectly natural".[29] Jenna Guillaume writing for MTV praised Lisa's rapping, singing, and dancing skills.[30] Writing for Pinkvilla, Anwaya Mane praised Lisa's "bold and confident rap" and her "inimitable and awe-inspiring high-energy performances" as well. She described "Money" as "a smooth, flowy and conversational kind of rap" which showcased Lisa's different side.[31]
Lalisa surpassed 700,000 pre-orders within four days, breaking the record held by bandmate Rosé's R for the highest number of pre-orders for a single album among K-pop female solo artists.[37] As of September 10, the single album had surpassed 800,000 pre-orders.[38] According to Korea's Hanteo Chart, the single album sold 330,129 copies on the first day and 736,221 copies on the first week of release, setting the record for the highest first-week sales among all female artists and making Lisa the first female soloist to achieve 500,000 copies in first-week sales.[39] The physical edition went on to debut at number one on the Gaon Album Chart, while the kit debuted at number four.[40] The album also debuted at number three on the monthly Gaon Album Chart, selling 693,079 copies as well as 60,000 copies of the kit version in the month of September.[41] In November 2021, Lalisa was certified double platinum by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) for selling over 500,000 copies. The album ranked at number 20 on the year-end Gaon Album Chart with 708,475 copies sold in 2021.[42] In August 2023, it was certified triple platinum for selling over 750,000 copies.[43]
^블랙핑크 리사, 솔로 앨범 발매 "뮤직비디오 촬영 준비"[공식] [Blackpink Lisa, Solo Album Release 'Music Video Shooting Preparation' [Official]]. Star News (in Korean). July 12, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
^"블랙핑크 리사, 솔로앨범 타이틀곡='Lalisa'..매혹적인 카리스마 포스터 공개 [공식]" [Blackpink Lisa, Solo Album Title Song = 'Lalisa'.. Charming Charismatic Poster Released [Official]]. Osen (in Korean). August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021 – via Naver.
^블랙핑크 리사, 다음달 솔로 데뷔 확정… 싱글앨범 'Lalisa (라리사)' 발매 [Blackpink's Lisa to make her solo debut next month with single album 'Lalisa']. Top Star News (in Korean). August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
^Cho, Eun-mi (September 19, 2021). '인기가요' 이무진, 출연 없이 1위..리사 솔로 데뷔→NCT127·에이티즈·원호 컴백[종합] ['Inkigayo' Lee Mu-jin, 1st place without appearance... Lisa solo debut→NCT127·Ateez·Wonho comeback [Comprehensive]]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved September 19, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Mi-ji (September 25, 2021). '음악중심' NCT 127, 'Sticker'로 1위…MC 정우 "팬들이 원한 그림"[종합] ['Music Core' NCT 127, wins 1st with 'Sticker'... MC Jung-woo "The picture the fans wanted" [Comprehensive]]. X Sport News (in Korean). Retrieved September 25, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Yu-jin (September 26, 2021). 이무진, '신호등'으로 출연 없이 1위…양요섭·ITZY 컴백 (인기가요)[종합] [Lee Mu-jin, 'Traffic Light' wins 1st place without appearance... Yang Yo-seob·ITZY comeback (Inkigayo) [General]]. X Sport News (in Korean). Retrieved September 26, 2021 – via Naver.
^Sun, Mi-kyung. 블랙핑크 리사, 첫 솔로앨범,4일 만에 선주문량 70만장 돌파[공식] [Blackpink Lisa, First Solo Album, Pre-Orders Break Through 700,000 Copies in 4 Days [Official]]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved August 31, 2021 – via Naver.
^Moon, Wan-sik. 블랙핑크 리사, 데뷔 앨범 선주문량 80만장 돌파..K팝 女솔로 역대 최고 기록 [Blackpink Lisa, debut album pre-order surpassed 800,000 copies... The highest record for a K-pop female solo]. Star News (in Korean) – via Naver.
^ abc2021년 37주차 Album Chart [Gaon Album Chart – Week 37, 2021]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
^ abc"2021년 9월 Album Chart" [September 2021 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
^ ab2021년 Album Chart [2021 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
^2022년 01주차 Album Chart [Gaon Album Chart – Week 1, 2022]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
^2022년 14주차 Album Chart [Gaon Album Chart – Week 14, 2022]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
^"2021년 12월 Album Chart" [December 2021 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
2021년 09월 Album Chart [September 2021 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
2021년 12월 Album Chart [December 2021 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
2022년 01월 Album Chart [January 2022 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
^* "LALISA - Single by Lisa". Apple Music. September 10, 2021. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
