Rockstar (Lisa Song)

"Rockstar" is a song by Thai rapper and singer Lisa. It was released through Lloud and RCA Records on June 27, 2024, as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''Alter Ego'' (2025). A hip hop track with hyperpop beats, it was written by Lisa, Brittany Amaradio, James Essien, Lucy Healey, Ryan Tedder and Sam Homaee while production was handled by the latter two. It marked Lisa's first solo single in three years and her first release since departing from YG Entertainment and Interscope Records as a solo artist in 2023.

Music critics positively reviewed "Rockstar" as Lisa's best solo material yet, though its lyrics were met with some criticism. The song was a commercial success and peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 and number one on the Global Excl. U.S., becoming Lisa's third top-ten hit on both charts and her first number-one hit on the latter. It topped the charts in Hong Kong and reached the top ten in Indonesia, MENA, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Taiwan. In the United States, the song became Lisa's third and highest-charting entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 70.

An accompanying music video was directed by Henry Schofield and released on Lloud's YouTube channel simultaneously with the single's release. The cyberpunk-themed video pays homage to Thai culture and features various locations in Bangkok including Yaowarat Road, which caused a surge in tourist activity in the region. To promote the single, Lisa performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, the Global Citizen Festival and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. "Rockstar" received four nominations at the former award ceremony and won Best K-Pop, making her the first solo artist to win the award twice.

Background and release

Lisa departed from her label YG Entertainment for solo activities in December 2023 and subsequently established her own artist management company called Lloud in February 2024. Two months later, she signed with RCA Records, who agreed to work in partnership with Lloud, to release solo music. On June 6, 2024, Lisa first teased new solo music by posting a minimalistic graphic on Instagram Stories reading "Coming soon: LISA" with pre-save links for Spotify and Apple Music. Her official website also displayed the teaser, as did her Lloud management page. She also opened a new TikTok account and posted a video of herself dancing paired with a "gritty synth beat" titled "Coming Soon". Lisa posted a second TikTok video a week later of herself posing for photos on the beach in a white baby tee and black miniskirt while an instrumental track titled "Teaser" played over it. On June 18, Lloud officially announced the song's title, "Rockstar", and its release date of June 27 at 8 p.m. ET. The song marked Lisa's first release under Lloud and RCA Records since her departure from YG Entertainment and served as the lead single from her upcoming debut studio album.

Composition and lyrics

"Rockstar" was produced by Ryan Tedder and Sam Homaee and written by Lisa, Brittany Amaradio, James Essien, Lucy Healey, Ryan Tedder, and Sam Homaee. In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'', Lisa expressed that as her first song in several years, she "wanted to find a great sound, create visuals or choreography that was iconic" and sought a "catchy beat, something that would be easy for people to remember, that would identify it as a Lisa song." It has been described to be a hip-hop track characterized by "hyperpop-lite beats" and "cyberpunk psychedelia". It has also been noted to be "reminiscent of early 2000's J-hip-hop with a fusion of modern-day R&B/hip-hop during the bridge". The song features a sample of " New Person, Same Old Mistakes" by Tame Impala.

Lyrically, the song sees Lisa boastfully reaffirming her power as a rockstar, which she defined to ''Rolling Stone'' as "a globally known person who has a unique style, someone who is confident and ready to show it to the world." For the song's chorus she raps "Gold teeth sittin' on the dash, she a rockstar / Make your favorite singer wanna rap, baby, la, la / 'Lisa, can you teach me Japanese?' I said, 'Hai hai' / That’s my life life, baby I’m a rockstar," which acknowledges her newfound rockstar aesthetic as well as her 2021 debut single album '' Lalisa'' with the reference to her full name. The line about being asked to speak Japanese also shows off her polyglot skills to mimic those unable to speak multiple languages. Critics interpreted the line as a pointed critique of the "typical anglophilic perspective" that views all of Asia as a "racial monolith" and refuses to acknowledge any part beyond East Asia. Lisa includes several direct homages to her native country Thailand, including a namedrop of BKK, the abbreviation for Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. She later sings the line "They call me catch and kill", seemingly a reference to her group Blackpink's song " Kill This Love" (2019). She also pays tribute to high fashion, rapping "Tight dress, LV sent it / Oh shit, Lisa reppin'" as a shout out to the fashion house Louis Vuitton. In March, she appeared at the brand’s fall/winter 2024 show at Paris and was later revealed in July to be their latest house ambassador.

Critical reception

Puah Ziwei of ''NME'' scored "Rockstar" three out of five stars, noting that while the track's "braggadocious" lyrics were "as played out as can be", Lisa's unique magnetism "elevat dit beyond any of her solo work thus far". Praising the hook "Lisa, can you teach me Japanese? I said, 'Hai, hai'", Puah acknowledged the line as "charmingly tongue-in-cheek" in the way it criticizes "those who think Asia is a racial monolith". Writing for ''Billboard'', Eunbo Shim ranked it the fifth-best song of the album and commended it as a "masterclass in confidence, proof that no K-pop act commands attention" like Lisa, who uses a rap flow "so effortless, it silences doubters". Gabriel Saulog of ''Billboard Philippines'' praised the song's "addictive bass and innovative sampling" of Tame Impala's "New Person, Same Old Mistakes", which he felt resulted in a "more impressive and polished take" compared to her previous solo songs " Lalisa" and "Money". Similarly, Derrick Tan of ''Lifestyle Asia'' lauded the song as a "dance spectacle backed by an addictive bass" while noting the lyrics were not very poetic. Giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars, ''IZM'' Park Soojin criticized the monotony of the song's sound composition but praised "Rockstar" for its charm and synergy when combined with Lisa's performance. Benjamin Lassy of ''The Daily Campus'' described "Rockstar" as an "abrasive tour de force in pop egos" lacking in lyrical substance, although he complimented Lisa's "emotive vocal performance" such as in her sarcastic delivery of “Lisa, can you teach me Japanese?" ''Pitchfork'' Joshua Minsoo Kim described the song as the closest on the album to "traditional" K-pop, but felt that the "adventurousness only goes as far as a glossy chorus reminiscent of Tame Impala-produced Travis Scott."

Writing for '' Elle India'', Ekta Sinha named "Rockstar" the 10th best K-pop song of the year and Lisa’s best solo effort yet, describing it as an "exuberant tune" similar to her single album ''Lalisa'' with an added level of charisma.

Accolades

Commercial performance

"Rockstar" debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 chart dated July 13, 2024, becoming Lisa's third top-ten hit after her 2021 singles " Lalisa" and "Money". The song also debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Global Excl. US with 94.2 million streams and 44,000 sold outside the U.S. between June 28 and July 4. It marked her first number-one song on the chart and her third top-ten hit after "Lalisa" and "Money". Lisa became the third member of Blackpink with a solo number-one on the chart, after bandmates Rosé's " On the Ground" (2021) and Jennie's " You & Me" (2023). With this, Blackpink became the only group in history to have three members achieve number-one songs as soloists. The number-one debut of "Rockstar" broke a long streak of Western, English-language acts dominating the Global Excl. U.S. chart. Lisa became not only the first Thai artist but also the first artist not from a primarily English-speaking country to top the chart in 2024. With its 94.2 million streams, the song also broke the record for the most weekly streams for a Global Excl. U.S. hit in 2024 by a non-American artist. The song charted on the Global 200 for 11 weeks and the Global Excl. US for 15 weeks, surpassing "Lalisa" as her second longest-charting song after "Money" on both charts. In the United States, "Rockstar" debuted at number 70 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, marking Lisa's highest-charting entry and her third after "Lalisa" and "Money". It later debuted at number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Airplay chart dated August 17, 2024, earning her second entry after "Money" and making Lisa the second Blackpink member to enter the chart after Jennie's "One of the Girls" (2023). "Rockstar" peaked at number 37 the following week dated August 24.

Music video

A music video teaser for "Rockstar" was released on June 26, followed by the official music video on June 28, both on Lloud's official YouTube channel. The video was immediately successful, surpassing 10 million views as well as two million likes in just six hours. It accumulated 32.4 million views and 3.4 million likes in the first 24 hours of release, outpacing the 13.1 million views achieved by IU's " Love Wins All" to become the most-viewed video by a K-pop soloist of 2024 in 24 hours. It debuted at number one on YouTube's Global Weekly Chart with 80.5 million views in its debut week and became the biggest opening week on the platform of the year, surpassing the 60.3 million views recorded by Eminem's "Houdini". The video crossed 100 million views in just two weeks after its release.

The music video was directed by Henry Schofield and choreographed by Sean Bankhead. It was filmed in Bangkok as an homage to Lisa’s native Thailand and has references to Thai culture and authentic life in the country. According to Lisa, she "was really happy to have the opportunity to film in my country. I don’t like to show my culture in a forced way, I like it to come naturally, it’s in my blood, so if I have the opportunity to show it to my audience, I will do it." She filmed the music video at various locations in Thailand, including Yaowarat Road in Bangkok's Chinatown and the defunct movie theatre on New Phetchaburi Road. Lisa reportedly paid ฿20,000 (US$540) to each shop owner on Yaowarat Road to close early in order to facilitate the shooting of the music video. The road was closed from 2:00 am to 5:00 am for three consecutive days. Displaying intense choreography, the music video employed a troupe of 100 Thai dancers. Thai transgender influencers Chinnawat Promsri, Bruze Kachi-sarah, and Aëffy were also featured in the video posing in their evening wear.

The music video's aesthetic was described as "cyberpunk grunge", with the neon-lit streets of the Yaowarat district mirroring futuristic visuals typically associated with Japan. It begins with Lisa standing solo in the center of the brightly-lit street while wearing a "criss-cross bra top, star-shaped earrings, and black moto bottoms styled with layers of silver-stud belts." She then switches scenes to a room with orange walls backdropped by dozens of dancers, now wearing a graphic black-and-white halter top with baggy jeans from Dion Lee’s fall 2024 runway show. The video transitions back to the streets of Bangkok for the chorus, where Lisa dances in low-rise bottoms with a star-shaped black bandeau top, with shimmery eye makeup and blue streaks in her hair. For the song's bridge and ending, Lisa debuts a new futuristic look from Dawei Studio and performs high-energy choreography while wearing a "silver foil corset top and matching parachute pants" in a monochrome white room.

Plagiarism allegation

On July 4, Gabriel Moses, the director of American rapper Travis Scott's music video for " Fein" (2024), shared a screenshot of an anonymous tip via e-mail on his Instagram story accusing Lisa of imitating a scene from "Fein" in her video for "Rockstar". Moses commented "I got love for all my snitches man" and "Giving niggas till end of the month," while also posting the disputed clip. In the scene, the camera swiftly pans over people wearing white hoodies, similar to a scene in "Fein" where the camera quickly pans over children dressed in white. He further elaborated on Twitter on July 6 and claimed that "They isa's teamreached out to my editor to work on this by the way & 'Fein' was the reference. He said no & they did it anyway. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Live performances

On September 11, Lisa made her debut live performance of "Rockstar" at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards held at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, where she was awarded Best K-Pop for the song. She performed the song as a headliner for the Global Citizen Festival, which took place on September 28 at Central Park, New York City. She also performed it as the opener for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2024 on October 15 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. On New Year's Eve 2024, Lisa performed "Rockstar" as a headliner for the Amazing Thailand Countdown 2025 event at Iconsiam in Bangkok. She also performed the song at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 11 and 18, 2025.

Impact

Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin thanked Lisa for choosing to shoot "Rockstar" in Bangkok's Yaowarat district and expressed confidence that her video would attract tourists to the Chinatown area, stating, "I would like to thank Lisa for thinking of her motherland. Yaowarat Road has high tourism potential, with many Chinese tourists visiting it." The video ultimately did cause a surge in popularity of the area, significantly stimulating the neighborhood's tourism and economy. Prathet Tankuranun, the chief technology officer at True Corporation, reported that the number of mobile users in the area increased by 15% compared to a week before the song was released. The usage of smartphone applications in the district also increased, including 20% for YouTube, 15% for X, and 15% for Line. In response to the surge in visitors, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports worked to enhance safety and infrastructure in Yaowarat and implemented measures such as extending traffic barriers, enhancing waste management, and redirecting traffic. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt led an inspection visit to assess and improve the locality’s readiness for the growing number of tourists. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) also revealed plans to capitalize on the opportunity by developing new tourism activities in Yaorawat and nearby neighbourhoods such as Sampheng, Talat Noi, Song Wat, and Wang Burapha.

Music critics argued that "Rockstar" solidified "Lisa's status as an iconic figure in Thailand" through her embracing her image as a Thai singer. By working with local production teams and staff for her music video, she showcased her Thai roots and set a guidepost for other K-pop stars on how to pursue successful solo careers by using authenticity to their advantage. Mary Jane Ainslie, Associate Professor in International Communications at the University of Nottingham, also noted that "Rockstar" was emblematic of a change in the definition of 'Thainess' after a period of rapid economic growth and social change in the country. Instead of previously recognized "global orientalist stereotypes of 'sun, sea and sex'" and "iconography of silks and lotus flowers", the music video and lyrics presented a "neon-grunge aesthetic of nighttime cyberpunk" that Ainslie described as a "pan-Asian noir aesthetic." She asserted that it reflected a growing desire from Thai consumers to seek a vision of "Asian-centric modernity", previously found through following K-pop, in their own culture.

The song stirred a debate about what classifies as K-pop or Thai pop, otherwise known as T-pop. Due to the music video being filmed in Bangkok and featuring many Thai creators, some fans felt that "Rockstar" was more closely associated with T-pop. Kim Jin-woo, head researcher at South Korea's Circle Chart, argued that it could not be classified as a K-pop track and that Lisa was aiming to be a Thai pop star, highlighting Korean streaming service Melon's placement of it in the "pop" category instead of "dance" where the majority of K-pop songs are. However, Lee Gyu-tag, a professor of cultural studies at George Mason University, claimed that "Rockstar" was quite far from being T-pop due to Lisa's globally recognized identity as K-pop idol, and stressed that K-pop is not about the nationalities of the singers but rather other factors such as business models, emphasis on music videos, and parasocial relationships with fans. He also pointed to the song's lack of elements of Thai music as a hip-hop track sung in English. Some Korean music critics analyzed Lisa's work as a successful example of the "localizing" strategy that many K-pop companies are pursuing, maintaining the K-pop style while appealing to the mainstream international audience. Her release of sped-up and slowed-down versions of "Rockstar" was also seen as keeping with international musical trends, making it easier for DJs to use them in remixes at clubs and parties.

Track listing

* Digital download and streaming
# "Rockstar" – 2:18
# "Rockstar" (extended) – 2:44
# "Rockstar" (instrumental) – 2:13
# "Rockstar" (sped up) – 1:50
# "Rockstar" (slowed down) – 2:40

* CD single
# "Rockstar" – 2:18
# "Rockstar" (extended) – 2:44
# "Rockstar" (instrumental) – 2:13

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from CD liner notes.

Recording
* Recorded at Paradise Sound Recording (Los Angeles, California) and Legend Music Studio (Phuket, Thailand)
* Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
* Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

* Lisa – vocals, songwriter
* Ryan Tedder – songwriter, producer
* Sam Homaee – songwriter, producer
* Brittany Amaradio – songwriter
* Lucy Healey – songwriter
* James Essien – songwriter
* Kuk Harrell – vocal producer
* Jelli Dorman – vocal engineer
* Serban Ghenea – mix engineer
* Bryce Bordone – assistant mix engineer
* Randy Merrill – mastering engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of ''Billboard'' Global 200 top-ten singles in 2024
* List of ''Billboard'' Global Excl. U.S. number ones of 2024
* List of K-pop songs on the ''Billboard'' charts
* List of number-one songs of 2024 (Hong Kong)
* List of number-one songs of 2024 (Malaysia)

Notes

References

{{MTV Video Music Award for Best K-Pop

2024 songs
2024 singles
RCA Records singles
Lisa (rapper) songs
Billboard Global Excl. U.S. number-one singles
English-language Thai songs
Songs written by Ryan Tedder
Songs written by Lisa (rapper)
Hyperpop songs