Rockstar (Lisa song)

"Rockstar" is a song by Thai rapper and singer Lisa. It was released through Lloud and RCA Records on June 28, 2024. It marked her first solo single in three years and her first release under Lloud and RCA since departing from YG Entertainment and Interscope Records in 2023.

"Rockstar" received positive reviews from music critics, who described it as Lisa's best solo material yet. It 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 Malaysia 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.

Background
In September 2021, Lisa released her debut single album Lalisa and its singles "Lalisa" and "Money" through YG Entertainment to worldwide commercial success. In December 2023, YG Entertainment confirmed that she did not renew her contract with the label for individual activities. Lisa 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. "Rockstar" marks Lisa's first release under Lloud and RCA Records since her departure from YG Entertainment.

Composition
"Rockstar" was produced by Ryan Tedder and Sam Homaee; its lyrics were written by Lisa, Brittany Amaradio, James Essien, Lucy Healey, Ryan Tedder, and Sam Homaee. 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.

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[ed] it 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 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 (2021) with an added level of charisma.

Release and promotion
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, featuring "racing percussion with edgy, slightly distorted synths." At the end, she sings faintly, "Baby, I’m a rock star." The same day, Sony Music Entertainment Korea confirmed that Lisa will be returning with new music soon. On June 18, Lloud officially announced the song's title, "Rockstar", and its release date of June 27 at 8 p.m. ET, or June 28 at 7 a.m. ICT.

Commercial performance
"Rockstar" debuted at number four on the Billboard Global 200, 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. U.S. 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. 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".

Music video
Describing the project as "an ode to her Thai culture and authentic Thai street life", Lisa 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. She 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.

Track listing

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

Credits and personnel
Adapted from YouTube credits.


 * Lisa – vocals, lyrics, composition
 * Ryan Tedder – production, lyrics, composition
 * Sam Homaee – production, lyrics, composition
 * Brittany Amaradio – lyrics, composition
 * Lucy Healey – lyrics, composition
 * James Essien – lyrics composition
 * Kuk Harrell – vocal production
 * Angelica Dorman – vocal engineering
 * Serban Ghenea – mixing
 * Bryce Bordone – assistant engineering
 * Randy Merrill – mastering