Lisa, otherwise known as Lalisa Manoban, has been making waves in Kpop ever since she debuted with BLACKPINK in 2016. The quartet has risen to fame ever since, releasing instant hits like As If It’s Your Last, to more recent chart-smashing singles like Shut Down. 

But with every Kpop group comes the infamous 7-year contract, which was what prompted all the members of BLACKPINK but one to leave their original company, YG Entertainment. Members like Jennie and Lisa set up their own companies like Odd Atelier and LLOUD, respectively, where they could focus on bringing their solo careers to the stage — including releasing songs that brought out their distinct taste, colour and voice.

For Lisa, her solo career thus far has been nothing short of promising, with her already releasing 3 singles — Rockstar, New Woman, and Moonlit Floor, respectively, all of which take on new styles that were never seen before in BLACKPINK. And now, it seems that Lisa has taken additional steps to forge her path, in the form of a fanmeet, with one taking place in Singapore and the second in Thailand. 

And it so happens that this author, a self-proclaimed BLINK since 2016, got the chance to attend Lisa’s very own, first-ever fan meetup. So if you’re curious as to what Lisa’s solo activities look like, read on: 

Opening: LALISA 

Lisa started off the fan meetup with an awestrucking, jaw-dropping, charismatic performance of LALISA. This track was released in 2021 (amidst the pandemic), and every cell within this author’s body craved to see and hear it live. Let’s just say that this performance lived up to every expectation. 

If there’s one thing Lisa is, she’s a great performer. Her stage presence tore up the stage, dare I say, she devoured and the crowd ate it up. With groovy beats, amazing choreography (make the “LA” sign everyone!), and the bass sound revving up the entire Singapore Indoor Stadium, BLINKs and Lillies screamed and had a good time jamming along to the song. Or maybe they were just trying to take in the fact that ohmygod that’s Lisa here in the flesh. Ohmygod ahhhhhh. She’s so hot. *screams* That was, in fact, this author’s very own sentiments. 

Trying out Singapore delicacies

The next segment involved lots of fan interaction, and started with Lisa trying out Singaporean food, namely: (you guessed it!) Kaya Toast and Hainanese Chicken Rice. Who would’ve known!

Lisa loved the Kaya Toast and dipped it in the half-boiled egg, true Singaporean style. As for the Chicken Rice, or as Lisa says, Chicken with Rice, she wished she could dig in more, but held back as she had more performances coming up. (Don’t worry, the food was kept for her to munch on after the Fan Meetup.)

When asked what her favourite Singaporean delicacies were, Lisa replied with “Pepper crab” and “Ice Kachang” — which are great choices. She said that Ice Kachang reminded her of her childhood, as she had a similar dessert growing up in Thailand. This author isn’t a Thai food expert, but if anyone knows which dessert she was referring to, please comment below! I’m sure BLINKS and Lillies would love to try out Lisa’s childhood dessert. 

TRUTH or LILIES and Behind the Scenes of @lalalalisa_m

Lisa balances cute and sexy with the precision of a tightrope walker, and “cute” definitely came across the strongest in this segment. Ingrained into this author’s brain was Lisa’s embarrassed face when she recounted her experience in The Eras Tour in Singapore. Apparently, she did not know about the culture of exchanging friendship bracelets. Instead, she just happily and innocently took 2-forearms-worth of bracelets from various fans she encountered at the venue. 

“I felt so bad after! I didn’t know we were supposed to exchange…” Lisa expressed and laughed, while the crowd sympathetically aww-ed. It’s okay, who wouldn’t pass up a chance to give their friendship bracelets to Lisa? 

TRUTH or LILLIES involved Lisa having to pick from a box of balls, which were either white for “TRUTH”, where she’d to answer a prompt truthfully, or black for “LILLIES”, which was similar to a dare, where she’d to do some sort of fanservice that BLINKS or Lilies requested. In a stroke of luck, Lisa ended up picking every single black ball in the box, leading her to: show a set of 3 hearts, send flying kisses to the audience, perform the “Crab Dance”, and the “Catching the Star Dance”. 

This was a real treat for all the fans in the audience. Especially for this author, who thought that both the Thai dances were reserved for variety shows only, and never thought she could ever see them live. 

Who’s the Biggest (Rock)Star? 

The next segment was perhaps the funniest part of the whole show, where five fans who dressed the best according to theme were welcomed on stage, with the audience cheering them on. The theme for this fanmeet was Star, and we had some pretty impressive contenders. 

Through this segment, each of the five fans had a chance to say something to Lisa, which really touched the hearts of many in the audience. Through their sharing, it was apparent how Lisa was really a source of inspiration to each and every one of her fans, bringing them through the toughest times of their lives, and giving them courage to battle each new day. 

Hats off to all the five best-dressed Lillies! But perhaps the most memorable outfit was that of our very own first place winner, who much to everyone’s delight, came dressed as a giant golden star! The funniest part was when they said they bought their costume at a kid’s costume shop. They really stole the show. 

Act II: New Woman, Money, Moonlit Floor and Rockstar

The fanmeet concluded with a lineup of Lisa’s full discography, including her three latest singles, and Money, which trended a lot in 2021, in line with Squid Game. 

Each of Lisa’s performances were stunning, her dance moves were smooth yet powerful, and her vocals (in Moonlit Floor!!! AAA!!) and rap were ethereal. This author struggled to find further modifiers to write in this section — no matter what she writes, it would never come close to seeing Lisa in action. Her personal favourite was Money though, especially when (THANKFULLY) everyone went silent at the right time. Chills ran down her spine for real for real. 

Lisa also teased the release of a full album (everyone rejoice!!) dropping early next year, so hopefully, she would be back in Singapore soon, with a full concert this time. In the meantime, we wait with bated breath for the release of her new tracks. And of course, a big shout out and thanks to UnUsUaL Enttertainment for the invite!

Written by: Anna Wong 
Photos by: UnUsUaL Entertainment

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