Lisa Breaks Silence on Trainee Video Leak and Death Threats: 'I Was Sad, But I Got Through It'

Lisa sat down with Variety on the 14th, on the sidelines of the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of her documentary Always Larisa, and finally said what YG Entertainment had quietly asked her not to say for over a year.

The interview is her first public statement on the trainee-era video leak that surfaced ahead of her 2025 Coachella solo set. The footage, which spread widely online, showed Lisa and fellow BLACKPINK members singing along to a song that included a racial slur. The fallout was severe: beyond the public backlash, the person who leaked the video went on to send Lisa death threats.

"I'm really sorry," she told Variety. "I didn't know at the time, but I've learned about it now and I will never do it again. The whole reality of it made me sad. I wanted to focus on my performance, but the incident happened and I couldn't control it. But I got through it."

At the time, YG Entertainment, her label, had discouraged her from making any statement. She stayed silent publicly, even as the threats continued.

Before BLACKPINK, before the world stage

The Variety piece doubles as a broader portrait of Lisa's path to where she is now. She joined YG at 13, beating out roughly 4,000 other hopefuls to become the company's first non-Korean trainee. What followed was five years of training that left little room for anything else: no drinking, no dating, no driving license, and heavily restricted contact with friends outside the company.

Looking back, she describes that period with something close to fondness, even accounting for its hardships. "I was only focused on dancing, singing, rapping, language practice. We all just thought about debuting as singers," she said. "Because we were young, I think the company was also trying to protect us. I tell people I had so much fun with the members. We didn't sleep properly, but we were creating new things, practicing, learning. It was a truly great time."

The monthly evaluation system, where trainees performed in front of assessors and faced elimination at any moment, was its own kind of pressure. "It wasn't easy, but those experiences made who I am today. Watching friends leave was heartbreaking and sad, but you grow and learn about life through those experiences," she said. "Performing in front of so many people knowing you could be cut at any time was a lot of pressure, but it was also fun. Even now, when I look back at those videos, I'm genuinely amazed that we created and pulled off all that choreography."

BLACKPINK debuted in 2016 and became one of the most globally recognized K-pop groups in history. But Lisa describes the years inside that success as quietly constrained: a life that had to look a certain way publicly, relationships kept secret, and not setting foot in a club until she was 25.

Going it alone

When her exclusive contract with YG ended in 2024, Lisa founded her own management company, Lloud, and started mapping out what she actually wanted to do. The early days were disorienting in the best way.

"At first it was a little scary. No one was telling me what to do, and I had to choose the path myself," she said. "But by doing things one at a time, I gained a lot of confidence and learned a great deal."

With over 100 million followers across platforms, her second chapter has drawn both enormous support and a fair amount of unfounded criticism. She's clear-eyed about the latter. "It wasn't easy. At first it was hard, but in the end I can't control their opinions. I just need to know who I am and what I'm doing. I try not to think about the negative comments. It's not good for your health."

What she's certain about: BLACKPINK isn't finished. "Even when I'm 50, I want to be doing BLACKPINK," she said. "Right now we're all doing our solo activities, but we're always together."

Always Larisa, the documentary following her life as a solo artist, had its world premiere at TIFF on the 14th. It opens in theaters on October 12.