The Stunning Transformation Of Lisa From Blackpink

The fusion genre that is K-pop (Korean pop) has sparked its own revolution in the United States. Strategically comprised of singers, rappers, and dancers, the mega-groups are quickly building massive international fanbases, and the K-pop girl group known as Blackpink has become one of the world's most popular acts.

As the four-member group gains notoriety, the young women of Blackpink have also grown collectively and individually. One member who's rapidly become a household name is singer and rapper Lalisa Manoban — known simply as Lisa to her fans. The Thai performer, who celebrated her 23rd birthday in March 2020, has arguably become the group's breakout star, even launching her own YouTube channel, Lilifilm, to showcase her talents. 

A sexy dance routine posted on her channel in April 2020 was transformed into a social meme challenge and garnered more than 20 million views in just three weeks. While Blackpink as a whole is dominating the charting and making headlines worldwide, it's clear that Lisa is a solo talent to watch. Let's take a closer look at her stunning transformation.

Lalisa Manoban was born Pranpriya Manoban in Thailand and moved to Seoul, South Korea in 2010 to participate in a singing academy for aspiring Korean pop stars run by YG Entertainment, one of the leading K-pop labels. "Training seven days a week for 12 hours a day alongside roughly two dozen other girls, Lisa and her future bandmates were graded in monthly tests on their singing, dancing and rapping abilities, according to Billboard. Lisa reportedly spent five years in the program and passed with flying colors, receiving A grades across the board, despite initially not even speaking Korean.

In 2016, Jennie (Kim Jennie), Rosé (Park Chaeyoung), Lisa, and Jisoo (Kim Jisoo) (pictured left to right) — made their collective debut as Blackpink with Square One — the album that spawned "Boombayah" and "Whistle," per Time magazine. The group has earned five No. 1 hits on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales charts, and though every woman in the group is clearly a powerhouse, Lisa's je ne sais quoi has made her arguably the best known of the bunch. She built a name for herself as a model with spreads in Vogue and V Magazine, and she reportedly has the most Instagram followers of any K-pop star.

It's no secret that the members of Blackpink are amazing dancers — it's a requirement to become a K-pop star — but Lisa's moves have set her apart from her peers. Her personal YouTube channel, LiLi Film, showcases her dancing skills, and in April 2020, one of her videos went viral in a big way. 

Lisa posted a seductive dance performance to 6lack and QUIN's "Mushroom Chocolate." She wore a white long-sleeved cropped top, black high-waisted shorts, and black over-the-knee boots. More than 24 million people have watched the clip, and plenty more have watched others imitating her look and choreography. According to Insider, Twitter became infatuated with Lisa's legs. Suddenly, her gams were Photoshopped onto Spock from Star Trek, country crooner Dolly Parton, and late-night host Stephen Colbert. Even the official Netflix Twitter account posted a picture of Lisa's stems attached to animated character BoJack Horseman. Needless to say, the light-hearted joke catapulted the pop star's profile.

did it work pic.twitter.com/G9lLGcTizY

— vulcan nightclub ✿ ᵇˡᵐ (@dilfsarek) April 25, 2020

Blackpink is featured on Lady Gaga's highly-anticipated Chromatica album, released May 29, 2020, so we can all but guarantee that Lisa's career will continue to transform.

Although joining Blackpink was a grueling process, Lisa Manoban said in a January 2020 interview with Elle Korea (via Republic World) that she loves being part of the group. She said that they actually had a good time during those long days of training and practicing their moves. According to the outlet, Lisa is called the "happy virus" because she loves to "crack jokes and pull pranks" on the other members of the group. She adds that she keeps the mood fun and makes sure everyone is always having as good a time as she is.

In addition to being the breakout star of Blackpink, Lisa also appeared on Season 1 of Idol Producer as a mentor — the Chinese show follows aspiring C-pop stars as they go through training and Lisa says that she wants to "impart everything that she has ever learned to the trainees." The show has since changed its name to Youth Has You, but it's the same premise as Idol Producer Season 1.

Even though she's on top of the world, Lisa manages to stay as busy as possible.