Is Lisa (Blackpink)'s "Rockstar" Korean or Thai music?

Audiences and music experts have mixed opinions on whether Lisa's (Blackpink) MV "Rockstar" is K-pop or T-pop?

Lisa (Blackpink) released MV "Rockstar". Photo: LLOUD

If a Thai member of a K-pop group produces a music video with a Thai creative team and films it in Bangkok, do we call it K-pop (Korean music) or T-pop (Thai music)?

The question arose when Lisa, a Thai member of K-pop group Blackpink, released "Rockstar" - the 27-year-old's first solo single since founding her own label LLOUD.

Shot in Bangkok, the video features a variety of Thai creatives, including an art director, set manager and cinematographer, as well as Thai dancers – who add a local touch to Lisa’s performance.

For this reason, some fans believe that Lisa is promoting T-pop (Thai music) by bringing her country's images to the forefront to strengthen her Thai identity.

One viewer commented: "She is breaking away from K-pop culture and showing her true self - Lalisa from Thailand."

Many Thai elements are included in the MV “Rockstar“. Photo: LLOUD

But not everyone thinks Lisa has stepped out of K-pop. Many comments still affirm: "Lisa is a perfect K-pop idol".

Lee Gyu-tag, a professor of cultural studies at George Mason University Korea, also believes that "Rockstar" is nothing like T-pop.

K-pop is not just about the nationality of the singers, he stressed to the Korea Times: "Lisa is from Thailand, but she is mainly recognized as a K-pop singer on the global stage.

K-pop music also features creators from many different countries, but we still consider them K-pop, because it has other notable characteristics such as the business model, emphasis on MVs, and close interaction between singers and audiences.

In Lisa's case, she did not declare that she would give up her identity as a K-pop star, nor did she change the way she promoted her new products.”

He added that "Rockstar" does not seem to contain elements of Thai music: "It's a hip-hop song, so musically it doesn't seem to be Thai pop style.

The lyrics are mostly written in English. If Lisa, a K-pop idol, is looking to change her career, I think she should release a completely different song, with more Thai elements, such as Thai lyrics."

Like the case of SB19 - an all-Filipino boy band formed by Korean entertainment company ShowBT.

According to ShowBT CEO Jung Sung Han, SB19 is "influenced by K-pop, but the members write lyrics in Tagalog, a dialect widely spoken in the Philippines."

"SB19 defines themselves as a Filipino pop (P-pop) group and sings a lot in their own language. But globally, even a group like this is often classified as K-pop. This shows that building a new identity is not easy," he said.

Many people think that Lisa is leaving K-pop. Photo: Instagram

However, Kim Jin Woo, chief researcher at Circle Chart, believes that "Rockstar" is more closely associated with T-pop: "It can't be considered a K-pop song musically and systematically. If I had to categorize it, I would say it's closer to T-pop.

Melon, a major music streaming service in South Korea, also classified “Rockstar” as “pop” instead of “dance” — where most K-pop songs fall.

Lisa seems to be mentioned as a leading figure in bringing T-pop to the world.

“The core of K-pop is the system of training idols, creating music videos, and composing music through “composer camps” that bring together composers from all over the world,” he added.

If we use this system as a yardstick to define K-pop, then in Lisa's case, even though she received K-pop training at YG Entertainment as a member of Blackpink, that's it. That's why I think her new solo song is not K-pop."

“K-pop is always changing and it’s hard to sum it up in one word,” Kim added. “It’s still evolving and growing. Eventually, it seems like K-pop will be out of our control and live on its own.”

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