LISA Apologizes for Trainee-Era Racial Slur as ‘Always Lalisa’ Reveals Attempted Response

LISA has directly apologized for using a racial slur in footage recorded during her years as a trainee at YG Entertainment, addressing the controversy as her documentary Always Lalisa brings new details about how her team attempted to respond when the footage resurfaced.

The pre-debut evaluation footage, which leaked online in 2025, showed LISA and other BLACKPINK members performing English-language rap songs that included the anti-Black slur. Speaking in a new interview following the documentary’s Toronto International Film Festival premiere, LISA said she did not understand the meaning or history of the word while growing up in Thailand and training in South Korea.

She said she has since educated herself about its significance, acknowledged that using it was unacceptable and said she would not do so again.

Always Lalisa also reveals that LLOUD, the company LISA established after leaving YG Entertainment for her solo activities, wanted to release a statement when the footage resurfaced. According to the documentary, YG opposed issuing one.

The film says the situation escalated further as threats were directed toward LISA, with her team ultimately deciding against pushing the matter further. Reporting on the documentary notes that it remains unclear why YG opposed the proposed response or what authority the company had over a statement from LISA’s independent team.

The controversy unfolded as LISA was preparing for her 2025 solo performance at Coachella. She said the leak made that period difficult while she was attempting to remain focused on the performance.

The disclosure adds a new dimension to Always Lalisa, which follows LISA through the period in which she established LLOUD and expanded her solo career outside YG Entertainment. Rather than simply revisiting the trainee footage, the documentary documents an attempted response that was never made public at the time.

Always Lalisa premiered at TIFF ahead of its previously announced global theatrical release beginning October 12.