LISA has released “SaWaDiKa”, the first single from her forthcoming EP PRESS PLAY, returning to solo music with a track and video built closely around Bangkok and her Thai background.
Released globally on September 4, the song takes its name from sawasdee ka, the familiar Thai greeting, and features LISA returning to the assertive rap delivery that has defined much of her solo work. The track was produced by Thom Bridges and songwriting and production duo Ojivolta. PRESS PLAY is scheduled for release on October 23 through LLOUD Co. and RCA Records.
The accompanying video was filmed in Bangkok and directed by South Korean filmmaker Bang Jae Yeob. It features Hua Lamphong railway station alongside Muay Thai references, tuk-tuks, and clothing by Thai designers. Thai language also appears in the lyrics, including references to Bangkok and the phrase geng mak, meaning “very good”.
The release opens a busy final stretch of 2026 for the BLACKPINK member. Her documentary Always Lalisa is heading to cinemas and IMAX in October, PRESS PLAY arrives later that month, and her four-date Las Vegas residency begins in November.
‘SaWaDiKa’ draws directly from LISA’s Thai background
The title makes the direction of the project clear from the outset.
“SaWaDiKa” is a stylised rendering of sawasdee ka, a greeting heard every day across Thailand. For an international release from one of K-pop’s most recognisable performers, it is an unusually specific title.
The song continues the approach in its lyrics and visual presentation. Bangkok is named directly. Thai phrases appear alongside English lyrics.
The video uses familiar local images without removing them from their setting or turning Bangkok into an anonymous production backdrop.
Hua Lamphong provides one of its most recognisable locations. The historic station, which served for decades as Bangkok’s principal railway terminal, features prominently in the video alongside scenes involving Muay Thai and tuk-tuks. The styling also incorporates Thai fashion and textiles.
The result places contemporary Bangkok alongside an international pop production rather than separating the two. It also continues a pattern already visible in LISA’s earlier solo work.
From ‘LALISA’ to ‘ROCKSTAR’ and now ‘SaWaDiKa’
LISA has regularly included Thai references in her solo releases. Her 2021 debut single “LALISA” incorporated Thai-inspired costume, visual design, and choreography.
Three years later, the video for “ROCKSTAR” was filmed partly on Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road, turning one of the capital’s best-known streets into a central part of the production.
“SaWaDiKa” stays in Bangkok but moves to another part of the city. Where “ROCKSTAR” used the neon-lit streets of Yaowarat, the new video features Hua Lamphong and draws on Muay Thai imagery, transport and fashion.
The Nation reported that the official LISA SaWaDiKa video reached 1.93 million views within its first two hours on YouTube. Those numbers are an early indication of interest rather than a measure of the single’s eventual reach, but they show how quickly LISA’s solo releases attract an international audience.
“ROCKSTAR” remains a formidable comparison. Its video recorded 32.4 million views in its first 24 hours, according to The Nation.
LISA returns to a rap-heavy sound
Musically, “SaWaDiKa” is built around drums and LISA’s rap delivery.
Rolling Stone described the track as a return to her rap roots after a period in which her solo material moved across pop, hip-hop and more melodic collaborations.
That shift gives the song a different character from some of the material on Alter Ego, LISA’s first full-length solo album.
Released in 2025, Alter Ego included collaborations with Doja Cat, RAYE, Rosalía, Megan Thee Stallion and Future and was structured around several different personas.
“SaWaDiKa” is narrower in approach. Its production is relatively direct, leaving more space for the rhythm of LISA’s performance and the visual concept of the video.
It is also her first solo single of 2026. Earlier this year, she appeared with Anitta and Rema on “Goals”, released in connection with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
What we know about LISA’s ‘PRESS PLAY’ EP
“SaWaDiKa” is the first preview of LISA’s new EP PRESS PLAY. The six-track project is due on October 23 through LLOUD Co. and RCA Records.
Promotional material for the EP has linked the project to LISA’s path from Thailand to an international career.
Further track details have yet to be fully revealed. The timing places the EP in the middle of a particularly active period for LISA, whose work now extends well beyond BLACKPINK’s recording and touring schedule.
Since establishing LLOUD, her own management company, she has taken greater control of her solo career while continuing to release music through RCA.
That independence has also coincided with an expansion into acting, film and large-scale live performances.
‘Always Lalisa’ arrives weeks after the new single
The next major release is Always Lalisa, a feature documentary directed by Sue Kim.
Sony Music Vision has confirmed that the film will open in IMAX and cinemas worldwide from October 12 before moving exclusively to YouTube Premium later in the year. Its world premiere is scheduled for the Toronto International Film Festival.
The documentary follows LISA during a year spent working independently from BLACKPINK and covers her attempt to establish a separate career in music, acting and business.
According to Sony, the film examines the period in which she moved into solo work while facing the prospect of eventually returning to the group.
The documentary arrives only 11 days before PRESS PLAY.
That scheduling gives the autumn rollout a clear sequence: the single introduces the music, the film provides a broader account of her solo career, and the EP follows later in October.
Acting has become another part of LISA’s career
Music is no longer the only part of LISA’s solo profile.
She made her acting debut in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, joining a cast that included Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon and Parker Posey.
Sony Music also lists two Netflix projects currently connected to her: the action film TYGO, in which she is due to star and executive produce, and an untitled romantic comedy in development.
Her profile outside recording has expanded in other areas as well.
She performed as a solo artist at Coachella in 2025, served on the 2026 Met Gala host committee and appeared during the 2026 FIFA World Cup period.
These projects have given LISA a public profile increasingly separate from BLACKPINK while she remains part of the group.
Las Vegas comes next
After the documentary and EP, LISA will head to Las Vegas.
Her VIVA LA LISA residency is scheduled for November 13, 14, 27 and 28 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
Sony Music says all four performances sold out in under 10 minutes. The company also identifies LISA as the first K-pop artist to headline a Las Vegas residency.
A residency carries a different set of expectations from a conventional tour. It puts the focus on a fixed production, repeated performances and an audience expected to travel to the venue.
For LISA, the dates also provide an immediate live platform for material from PRESS PLAY only weeks after the EP is released.
Why Bangkok keeps appearing in LISA’s solo work
The repeated use of Thailand in LISA’s music videos is one of the clearest features of her solo career.
Her position within BLACKPINK was formed in South Korea, but her individual releases have increasingly drawn attention to where she grew up.
That approach has had practical effects in Thailand.
After “ROCKSTAR” was filmed on Yaowarat Road, the location received extensive international coverage and renewed attention from fans. Thai media and tourism authorities have frequently discussed LISA’s work in the context of the country’s cultural promotion.
“SaWaDiKa” is likely to produce similar attention around Hua Lamphong.
The station is already one of Bangkok’s best-known architectural landmarks. The video introduces it to millions of viewers who may have little familiarity with the city’s railway history.
Still, the video works primarily as entertainment rather than a tourism campaign.
Bangkok is used because it is closely connected to LISA’s own background and because the city’s locations give the project a visual identity that would be difficult to reproduce elsewhere.
‘SaWaDiKa’ begins a packed autumn for LISA
The new single arrives at a point when LISA’s solo career has become substantially larger than an occasional project between BLACKPINK releases.
She now has her own management company, a major-label recording agreement, acting projects, a feature documentary and a sold-out Las Vegas residency.
PRESS PLAY will provide the next test of how that solo career develops musically.
For now, “SaWaDiKa” offers a fairly concise introduction.
The track returns LISA to rap, while the video uses Bangkok, Thai language and local cultural references as the setting for the release rather than incidental details.
After “LALISA” and “ROCKSTAR”, that approach is becoming a consistent feature of her individual work.
With the documentary, EP and residency all arriving over the next two months, “SaWaDiKa” is less an isolated single than the first release in a tightly scheduled autumn campaign.
And Bangkok is where LISA has chosen to begin it.
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