BLACKPINK’s Lisa has opened up about the hidden side of her love life, revealing that she kept past relationships secret because she feared they could hurt the group’s popularity.
According to Billboard, the singer discusses the pressures of dating as a K-pop star in her upcoming documentary Always Lalisa. The film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September.
“In K-pop culture, we can’t date,” Lisa says in the documentary, according to a report by the Toronto Star. “If you’re seeing someone and you get caught by paparazzi, your popularity drops.”
“When I was younger, I had a few relationships, but we had to hide when we’re dating,” she adds. “I didn’t want my dating to be the thing that hurts BLACKPINK’s popularity.”
Lisa also reveals that her song Dream, from her Billboard 200 top 10 solo album Alter Ego, was inspired by one of her secret relationships.
The singer said she sought the person’s permission before releasing the song. They agreed, as long as fans could not work out who had inspired it.
“They thought they figured it out, but I don’t think so,” Lisa says in the film.
Directed by Sue Kim, Always Lalisa follows a transformative year in Lisa’s life away from BLACKPINK. The documentary charts her move into a solo career, acting and the Western music market, as she faces new pressures and intense scrutiny while trying to redefine herself on her own terms.
The documentary will screen at TIFF on 11 September before opening in cinemas worldwide on 12 October. It will later stream exclusively on YouTube Premium.
Lisa is also preparing her next solo release. Her EP Press Play will arrive on 23 October.
Its first single, SaWaDiKa, was released on 4 September. The track marks her first new solo music since Alter Ego.
