Lisa Can’t Stop Trending — And Neither Can the Drama Around Her
There is a certain kind of celebrity who does not simply make news — they are the news.
BLACKPINK’s Lisa, born Lalisa Manoban, has spent the better part of a decade occupying that space.
But 2026 has turned the volume up considerably.
Between a World Cup song that’s already dividing the internet, a Met Gala moment that nearly cracked the BLACKPINK fandom in two, and a chart legacy built on “Jump” that still hasn’t fully faded, Lisa is everywhere right now — celebrated, criticized, and endlessly discussed.
So what exactly is going on? Let’s break it down.
The World Cup Song Nobody Can Agree On
The most recent flashpoint came just days ago when Lisa, Brazilian superstar Anitta, and Nigerian rapper Rema released “Goals” — the official anthem for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On paper, it was a marquee booking: a K-pop icon, a Latin music powerhouse, and an Afrobeats hitmaker, united for the biggest sporting event on the planet.
In practice, it ignited immediate controversy.
The backlash centered on the song’s tone. Critics argued that a World Cup anthem is supposed to be a unifying anthem — something that transcends borders and makes you feel the weight of the occasion. They pointed to Shakira’s “Waka Waka” as the gold standard: rooted in culture, infectious, and genuinely stirring. “Goals,” by contrast, struck many listeners as a flashy, self-referential pop track more concerned with looking good than capturing the spirit of football.
“A world cup song is supposed to be about people from different cultures coming together through football,” one frustrated fan posted on X, “and here she is singing about looking good and sticking her tongue out.”
“A world cup song is supposed to be about people from different cultures coming together through football,” one frustrated fan posted on X, “and here she is singing about looking good and sticking her tongue out.”
That sentiment spread fast. Netizens questioned whether the song’s blend of electronic beats and street football visuals hit the mark for an event broadcast to billions of families worldwide. Others called the lyrics outright “embarrassing” for an occasion meant to project unity and joy.
To be fair, not everyone agreed. Supporters of the track celebrated its experimental K-pop, Latin, and Afrobeats fusion as exactly the kind of global, forward-thinking collaboration a 2026 World Cup deserves. The divide, ultimately, reflects something bigger: the ongoing tension between traditional sports culture and the pop-driven, visually-led world Lisa represents.
But fair or not, the controversy was instant — and Lisa’s name sat at the center of it.
The Met Gala Moment That Split the Fandom
Rewind a few weeks to the 2026 Met Gala, which briefly promised to be a feel-good story. All four BLACKPINK members — Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé — appeared at the prestigious fashion event together, a rare and celebrated occurrence for a group whose individual schedules have pulled them in increasingly different directions since their return to activity.
It was meant to be a moment of unity. It did not stay that way for long.
The controversy originated from a post by Emily Jang, a creative director affiliated with Lisa’s own company LLOUD. Sharing Lisa’s Met Gala look alongside a message she had received, Jang quoted the reaction: “She’s the only one who understood the theme.”
Three words — the only one — detonated across social media within hours.
Critics read the post as a thinly veiled dig at Lisa’s groupmates, an implicit ranking dressed up as praise. In the hyper-attuned world of K-pop fandoms, where loyalty to individual members is fierce and perceived slights travel at lightning speed, that framing was enough to ignite full-scale discourse.