September 19, 2023
BANGKOK – Blackpink fans are wondering about the future of their favourite K-pop girl group after reports emerged that Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban has refused to renew her contract with YG Entertainment.
During the “Born Pink” concern in Seoul on Saturday, many fans noticed that Blackpink member Jennie Kim looked depressed, raising concerns about contract renewals among netizens.
The four-member group, comprising Kim Ji-soo, Roseanne Park, Jennie and Thailand’s own Lisa, made its debut in August 2016. K-pop artists generally sign seven-year contracts with their agencies, suggesting that the contracts of Blackpink members will have expired in August this year.
South Korean news agency Star News reported that Lisa had rejected YG Entertainment’s contract renewal offer, rumoured to be worth approximately 50 billion Korean won (about US$37.6 million or 1.3 billion baht).
This news caused YG Entertainment’s stock to drop by nearly 9% on Friday, and there are rumours that several agencies, including those in Thailand, have been making offers to Lisa.
Despite YG Entertainment issuing a statement saying they are discussing the matter, many fans believe the news about Lisa refusing to renew the contract is true.
There are several reasons that have led Lisa’s fans to support her decision, including differences in remuneration rates and other discriminatory practices.
In the early days of Blackpink’s debut, some South Korean fans even called for Lisa’s expulsion from the group, because she is Thai. South Korean media is speculating that this may be among the many factors contributing to Lisa’s decision to decline contract renewal.
Lisa had participated in several competitions before becoming famous, such as “To Be Number One” and “LG Entertainer Thailand”.
She made her mark in the K-pop industry after participating in the first YG audition in Thailand in 2010. She is the only Thai artist under YG Entertainment.
Lisa currently holds seven world records recognised by the Guinness World Records, surpassing South Korean artist Park Jae-sang or “Psy”, who holds five world records. Lisa’s world records are:
• Most viewed YouTube music video by a solo artist in 24 hours
• Most viewed YouTube music video by a solo K-pop artist in 24 hours
• First solo K-pop winner at MTV Video Music Awards
• First female solo K-pop artist to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify in the shortest time
• First solo K-pop artist to win MTV Europe Music Awards
• First K-pop artist to have the most followers on Instagram
• First solo K-pop artist’s album to have 1 billion streams on Spotify.