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K-pop star apologises for decade-old racial slur

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Source : PERTHNOW NEWS

Blackpink star Lisa has apologised for using a racial slur when she was just starting out in the industry.

The 29-year-old’s rise to fame as the first non-Korean trainee at South Korean record label YG Entertainment is examined in new documentary Always Lalisa, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Monday.

In one part of the film, Lisa and her Blackpink bandmates, who were all still trainees at the label, could be heard using the N-word while rapping in a clip which dates back to more than a decade ago.

In response to the controversial moment, Lisa told Variety: “I really have to apologise. To be honest, I’m Thai and I grew up in Thailand. There isn’t any education for that, so at the time, I didn’t know.”

Lisa – real name Lalisa Manobal – added now that she’s “learned and got educated about that”, she would “never do it again”.

She concluded: “This is not OK. Seriously.”

The video clip of the moment was leaked ahead of Lisa’s solo performance at the Coachella music festival in 2025, with the singer admitting: “I was just sad because I really wanted to focus on my performance, but things happened, and you can’t control stuff.

“But I fought through it.”

As well as forging a successful solo career and making a name for herself as an actress, after starring in the third season of The White Lotus, Lisa insisted that she’ll never leave Blackpink behind entirely.