Blackpink's Lisa changed name for good luck
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SEOUL • K-pop girl group Blackpink's Lisa (right) has revealed that her fortunes might have been very different if she had stuck with her birth name.
The 24-year-old, who is of Thai descent and grew up in Thailand, was named Pranpriya Manobal, meaning beloved soul, when she was born but changed it to Lalisa on the advice of a fortune teller when she was about 13.
That was when she had auditioned with YG Entertainment, Blackpink's management agency, to become a trainee.
"We made an audition for YG, but YG didn't contact us back. We really wanted to get it," she said in an interview with Billboard last Friday, referring to herself and her mum. "So the fortune teller said, 'You should change your name.' The week after I changed my name, YG called me back and said, 'You should come (be a trainee).' I was like, 'Wow.'"
She was the only one selected out of 4,000 applicants and trained for five years before making her debut with the other three members of Blackpink.
Lalisa, which refers to one who is praised, features significantly in her debut solo effort released last Friday. The title track is named after it.
"At first, I was, like, 'I think it's kind of weird to keep repeating my name.' And then we tried it and it came out so cool. I really like it."
She added: "It's very funny. Weeks ago, one of the cameramen asked me, 'What is Lalisa?'
"I was, like, 'It's my name.' People don't really know Lalisa is my real name... So I'm really happy I get to do this project with the title Lalisa."
