Why is Blackpink’s Lisa still being ‘mistreated’ by YG Entertainment? Fans launch boycott after Bulgari said she was not allowed to attend Paris Fashion Week, even though Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo did
Lalisa Manoban – more popularly known by her stage name, Lisa – is widely considered to be the current most popular female K-pop idol in the world. She is the most followed K-pop star on both Instagram and YouTube, and her debut solo single Lalisa broke multiple records.
Despite this, fans claim that her agency YG Entertainment has been mistreating her. In the past, Lisa’s fans have called out YG for allegedly not protecting her against racism, death threats and even a scam worth 1 billion won (roughly US$833,000).
This week, #YGLetLisaDoHerWork trended on social media as fans surmised that the star was wronged by her agency yet again. So what exactly has caused such an upset among her fans this time?
She was not allowed to attend any Paris Fashion Week events – even though her bandmates did
Public outrage at YG Entertainment was rekindled this week when Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin took to Instagram to explain that Lisa, who is a global ambassador for the brand, was not allowed by YG to attend their spring/summer 2022 show.
“Lisa is in Paris but unfortunately due to Covid her agency doesn’t want her to participate in events. Pity as we have an incredible Bulgari event tomorrow in Milan and she won’t attend,” Babin said.
In a separate post, Babin also stated that it was for this same reason that Lisa could not participate in the Bulgari 2021/2022 campaign shoot alongside celebrities such as Zendaya, Lily Aldridge and Vittoria Ceretti.
This came as a shock to fans, considering that her bandmates Jisoo, Jennie and Rosé all attended fashion shows for the French luxury houses they represent, as well as other high profile events. The three other members travelled to Paris in September, while Lisa only followed on October 4 as she was in South Korea promoting her album.
Lisa was unable to go to the United States to work on new music
In June, Jennie and Rosé were spotted together in Los Angeles. Later on, YG Entertainment confirmed that the pair were in the US to work on new music. Jisoo was reportedly unable to join due to filming for her K-drama, Snowdrop.
Many fans wondered why Lisa was not present with her bandmates in the US, saying that she should have been given the same exposure as the other members.
However, other fans pointed out that Jennie and Rosé were perhaps chosen to go as they likely had lighter schedules during that period. It was also only two months before the debut of Lisa’s solo single.
She was a juror for Andam in France – but did not attend
Earlier this year, it was announced that Lisa would be a guest juror for the prestigious Andam fashion prize alongside the likes of designers Kerby Jean-Raymond and Phoebe Philo in Paris. In an interview with WWD, Lisa said that she was “very happy and honoured to be able to be a part of Andam”.
While Lisa was able to participate in the judging process, she was not present at the Andam awards ceremony. On July 1, fans flocked to the Andam Instagram page to watch the idol during the event live-stream, but were disappointed when she did not show up.
This came just a few days after Jennie and Rosé were spotted in Los Angeles, causing fans to wonder again why the pair were allowed to travel for work while Lisa was not. Some fans speculated that perhaps Lisa did not attend because of Paris’ quarantine requirements at the time, while Los Angeles did not require the same.
Fans call for a boycott of YG Entertainment
These incidents have caused fans to call for Lisa to leave YG Entertainment and start a solo career. Many claimed that they will be boycotting the agency and will stop supporting any Blackpink projects unless Lisa is given more exposure.
At the time of writing, YG Entertainment has yet to release any statement about these incidents.
YG stock drops 5.8% due to rumors about BLACKPINK Lisa’s contract renewal
Recent rumors about BLACKPINK Lisa not reaching an agreement with YG has caused the company’s stock price to plunge.
According to the Korea Exchange on July 12th, YG Entertainment closed trading at 74,300 won on the KOSDAQ, which is a 5.83% decrease from the previous day’s closing price.
YG’s stock price initially rose to 85,000 won in the early trading session, but turned downward after speculations arose that BLACKPINK Lisa might leave the company, as reported by some media outlets.
In particular, Korean sites reported that a Chinese agency, which was coordinating YG and Lisa’s schedules, received a response from YG stating that it would be difficult to negotiate schedules after August due to the uncertainty of the contract renewal.
In response to these rumors, YG simply stated, “It is due to tour and personal schedules and is unrelated to the contract matter. Discussions regarding Lisa’s contract renewal (with YG) are still ongoing.”
