Lisa, a Thai member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK / Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment By Dong Sun-hwa If a Thai member of a K-pop group produces a music video with Thai creators and films it in the capital of her home country, can we still say she is doing K-pop? Or should we characterize this as Thai pop, or T-pop? This question arose Friday after Lisa, a Thai member of K-pop act BLACKPINK, unveiled her upbeat solo track, "Rockstar" — the 27-year-old's first single since she established her own label, LLOUD, in February. The song's visually-compelling music video has been going strong, amassing 60 million views on YouTube as of Tuesday afternoon. At the same time, however, it has stirred a debate among online users about whether it should be categorized as K-pop or T-pop.
Shot in Bangkok, the video features many Thai creators, including art directors, set managers and videographers, as well as Thai dancers who add a local touch to Lisa's performance. For this reason, some fans said Lisa is promoting T-pop by bringing the talent of her country to the fore while solidifying her Thai identity. "Lisa can be herself, show her beautiful skin color, and strongly display her country's culture and characteristics in her works," a fan commented on YouTube.
"It means that she is breaking away from K-pop culture and showing her true self — Lalisa from Thailand." But not everyone thinks Lisa has stepped out of the K-pop zone. "What a legend you are," another YouTube user said.
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