When BLACKPINK‘s Lisa dropped her solo debut single album, there was no doubt that both songs —”LALISA” and “MONEY”— were perfect for her. Likewise, fellow member Rosé‘s solo debut songs “On the Ground” and “Gone” couldn’t have fit her better either. However, in an interview, Lisa revealed that the two of them had completely opposite experiences when it came to picking their tracks.
Rosé previously opened up to Billboard about what it was like to go through the process of choosing her solo debut songs, and it didn’t come easily. Rosé says the team asked themselves, “What are we going to sing about? What is Rosie going to talk about for a good three minutes by herself?”
BLACKPINK’s Rosé | YG Entertainment
Rose went on to say that while “On the Ground” is about the balance between her work and personal life, other options like love songs and breakup songs were all on the table too and “would have all been great.” However, she says it took time to land on the concept and song that really “spoke” to her.
| YG Entertainment
Ultimately, once Rosé had the concept in mind that felt the most authentic to her, picking the song itself wasn’t hard. She revealed that as soon as she, the producers, the company, and the rest of the BLACKPINK members heard the demo for “On the Ground,” they instantly knew it was the right choice. The initial process, however, went on for a while.
| YG Entertainment
Lisa, on the other hand, revealed a very different experience to Billboard. Instead of spending a long time thinking up concepts, she ended up going with her gut the second she heard “MONEY.” Lisa says she told YG Entertainment producer Teddy, “Oh my God, Teddy-oppa, I have to do this song, I want this to be my solo song.”
BLACKPINK’s Lisa | YG Entertainment
The same went for “LALISA,” though the early version she heard was later adapted to include her name in the hook. Pretending to hug her songs in the interview, Lisa confessed, “I was like, ‘Ugh, these have to be mine. I can’t give these to anyone else.”
| YG Entertainment
When Billboard reporter Nolan Feeney brought up how interesting it was that Rosé had “the opposite experience,” Lisa explained that she has a “fairly specific” sense when it comes to music. While Teddy played her a few other demos to consider for her solo debut, she responded to them all with “meh.” As soon as she heard “MONEY” and “LALISA” on the other hand, she knew they were meant for her.
| YG Entertainment
