Lisa of BLACKPINK has discussed the restrictions she faced as a K-pop star, including keeping past relationships private because she feared public dating could hurt the group’s popularity.
Lisa made the remarks in her upcoming documentary, “Always Lalisa,” according to Canadian media reports Thursday, Sept. 3.
“In K-pop culture, we can’t date,” Lisa said in the documentary. She recalled having several relationships when she was younger but said she and her partners had to keep them private to avoid media attention.
“I didn’t want my dating to be the thing that hurts BLACKPINK’s popularity,” she said.
Lisa also discussed the pressures she experienced after moving from Thailand to South Korea in 2011 at age 14 to train under YG Entertainment.
“I didn’t dare speak up or express my thoughts,” she said. “And I had been living like that since I was 14.”
The documentary shows Lisa becoming emotional as she recalls submitting monthly performance tapes during her trainee years and receiving evaluations from the company.
Lisa also revealed that she wrote “Dream,” a song from her 2025 solo album “Alter Ego,” about one of the relationships she kept private. She said she asked the person for permission before releasing the song.
The person agreed as long as Lisa did not reveal their identity, she said.
“They thought they figured it out, but I don’t think so,” Lisa said.
“Always Lalisa,” directed by Sue Kim, follows Lisa through a year as she pursued solo music, acting and other projects outside BLACKPINK.
The documentary will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 11. It will then screen in IMAX and theaters worldwide starting Oct. 12 before becoming available on YouTube Premium later this year.