LISA Apologises for Leaked Pre-Debut Videos as Documentary Premieres

LISA has apologised for pre-debut videos in which she and her future BLACKPINK bandmates used the N-word. "I really have to apologize," she said in a Variety interview published Sept. 14, days after her documentary premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival Billboard.

The clips at the centre of the controversy were more than a decade old. They showed the future members of BLACKPINK, likely teenagers at the time, practising rap by covering other artists' songs that contained the slur. The previously unseen videos surfaced online in spring 2025, just as LISA was preparing for her first solo Coachella set.

LISA said she did not understand the word's history when the videos were filmed. She is Thai and grew up in Thailand, she said, where there is little education about the N-word and its offensive history in the United States and elsewhere.

She said that has now changed. She has learned and been educated about the word, she said, and would never use it again. "This is not OK. Seriously."

The documentary, titled Always Lalisa, captures her dealing with the fallout in real time. According to the film, her label prohibited her from addressing the controversy publicly at the time. LISA said she felt sad because she wanted to focus on her performance. She said she "fought through it."

Always Lalisa premiered on Sept. 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Sue Kim, the feature-length film traces LISA's journey from childhood ambition through BLACKPINK and into her solo career outside the group. Festival listings describe it as an intimate documentary about that rise.

The film will play in theatres and IMAX on Oct. 12 before arriving on YouTube Premium later this year. Tickets are offered through alwayslalisa.com. An earlier trailer framed the project around the triumphs and challenges of her breakout solo year.

LISA also used the Variety interview to address BLACKPINK's future. The group will continue, she said. "If I'm 50, I still want to do BLACKPINK!"

For fans, this means the documentary is two things at once. It is a record of a solo launch, from Coachella rehearsals to release week. And it is the first time LISA has spoken at length about a controversy she was previously unable to answer.