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‘It’s Like a Movie’: LISA Talks ‘PRESS PLAY’ on ‘The Tonight Show’

The superstar BLACKPINK singer gave a glimpse behind the curtain of her forthcoming collection, "PRESS PLAY," due out Oct. 23.

Lisa at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards held at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York.

Lisa at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards held at UBS Arena on September 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York.

Christopher Polk/Billboard

For her next solo EP, LISA wants BLINKS to soak up the experience, sit back, and relax. Just like at the movies.

The superstar BLACKPINK singer stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a glimpse behind the curtain of her forthcoming collection, PRESS PLAY, due out Oct. 23.


“This EP is about my journey from my roots to where I am right now today,” the Thailand-born artist tells Fallon. “There’s a lot of Thai elements in the songs as well, in the EP. And every single song has their own character, their own vibe and we combine it together. It’s like a movie. So you just press play.”

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The first of six tracks lifted from PRESS PLAY is “SaWaDiKa,” or “Hello” in her mother tongue. “SaWaDiKa” dropped earlier this month and notched more than 70 million views on YouTube in just 24 hours, “crazy” numbers she admits in her late-night interview, which aired Wednesday night, Sept. 16. “SaWaDiKa” crashed the Billboard Hot 100, with a peak position of No. 69.

The full tracklist for PRESS PLAY has yet to be announced, although LISA admitted track four is the next single and begins with the letter T. Thailand perhaps? “It’s a surprise for my fans,” she teases.

Like many of us, LISA had a fallback in case her K-pop career didn’t pan out. Her Plan B, she recounts to Fallon, was to be a dance teacher or to work as a performer, perhaps in a princess costume, at Disneyland.

No need. LISA’s Plan A is very much working out.

Aside from her dynamite pop music career, LISA is the subject of the feature documentary Always Lalisa. Directed by Sue Kim, Always Lalisa will open in global cinemas and IMAX on Oct. 12 before it heads to streaming on YouTube Premium later in the year. Tickets for the screenings will go on sale Sept. 9 via the film’s website.

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Also, LISA made history as the first K-pop artist to hold a Las Vegas residency, with her four-show VIVA LA LISA run at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, from Nov. 13–14 and Nov. 27–28, 2026. Tickets reportedly sold out in fewer than 10 minutes. She hasn’t yet begun rehearsals, she tells Fallon, “but I’m going to start soon. I can’t wait.”

This is LISA’s year. She graced the stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony where she hit “Goals” alongside Anitta and Rema, becoming the first female K-pop and Thai artist to perform at soccer’s showpiece tournament. She also covered Vanity Fair’s Summer 2026 issue; served on the 2026 Met Gala host committee as the first K-pop artist in that role; presented at the 2026 Golden Globes; made her acting debut in HBO’s The White Lotus; and is confirmed for two Netflix projects, one sees her starring in and executive producing the action film TYGO, the other an untitled romantic comedy currently in development.

Watch LISA’s interview on NBC’s The Tonight Show.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.
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Toronto Metropolitan University
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Toronto Metropolitan University

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