LISA 'PRESS PLAY' Explained: The 'Tarantino' MV, What 'SaWaDiKa' Means & the No. 69 Mix-Up

🎬 Official music video via LISA's official channel (LISAOfficialVEVO)

LISA just dropped PRESS PLAY, her first-ever solo EP. Six songs, about 16 minutes, and a title track named after a film director: "Tarantino."

It landed at midnight Korean time on October 23. By Friday night in Seoul, the "Tarantino" music video had already passed 14 million views on YouTube. And Korean headlines were busy repeating a chart number that, honestly, belongs to a different song. Let me walk you through all of it — including the Thai word on the tracklist that half the internet still can't pronounce.

What Happened: LISA's First Solo EP Is Here

PRESS PLAY is LISA's first release in about 1 year and 8 months, since her first full album Alter Ego in February 2025. It comes out through her own company, LLOUD, together with RCA Records.

The tracklist, in order:

SaWaDiKa (pre-released September 4)
V12
Cobra
Tarantino (title track)
Cut U Off
Sweat

The concept is a movie. LISA has said the songs are meant to play like scenes in one film, which is where the name comes from — press play, sit back, watch. She also told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in September that the album traces her story from her Thai roots to where she is now, with Thai cultural elements folded into the music.

The "Tarantino" MV: A Letter for Her Favorite Director

The plot is simple and very fun. LISA is on a mission to hand-deliver a letter to Quentin Tarantino — Korean press describes him as her favorite director — and the hotel she storms through is full of people trying to stop her. Cue the fight scenes.

Film nerds will clock the references fast. Several reviewers point out the Kill Bill energy, and the next track, "Cut U Off," samples the famous whistle from "Twisted Nerve" — the tune Kill Bill made iconic. So "Tarantino" and "Cut U Off" work like a two-part sequence. Which is a pretty clever way to build an EP.

Wait — What Does "SaWaDiKa" Mean?

It's Thai for "hello." That's the whole joke and the whole point. LISA was born in Thailand, and the song opens her movie with a greeting from home.

The "SaWaDiKa" video was shot in Bangkok — tuk-tuks, a Muay Thai gym, neon streets. And it exploded. According to Thai outlet Khaosod English, it pulled 70.8 million views in its first 24 hours. It crossed 100 million in about 52 hours, the fastest music video of 2026 to get there.

🎬 "SaWaDiKa" official music video via LISAOfficialVEVO — shot in Bangkok

The No. 69 Mix-Up

Here's the thing I noticed reading the Korean coverage today. Several Korean articles about the new EP mention that "the song" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 69, a new personal best for LISA.

That number is real. But it belongs to "SaWaDiKa," not "Tarantino." "SaWaDiKa" debuted at No. 69 back in September, spent a second week at No. 93, and also hit No. 23 on the Billboard Global 200. "Tarantino" only came out today, so it has no Billboard chart history yet. If you see "Tarantino debuts at No. 69" floating around — it didn't. Not yet, anyway.

🇰🇷 THE KOREAN SIDE

In Korea, this comeback is being covered mostly as a global story. Many headlines today call her "global artist LISA" first and BLACKPINK member second, and they lead with the Thai concept and the Hollywood-style MV.

The local moment was a Seoul listening party in Seongsu-dong on October 22, the night before release. It was styled like a vintage Hollywood movie theater, and the whole EP was played for Korean fans before anyone else heard it.

One thing worth knowing: the "SaWaDiKa" view count wasn't only celebrated. In September, Sports Kyunghyang reported on an online fan debate after a viewer complained that LISA videos kept showing up in their recommendations. Some fans asked whether ads were boosting the numbers. YouTube's own support account replied that recommendations come from each user's watch history, likes and searches, and that people can tap "Not interested." Nobody proved anything either way — but it shows how closely Korean media watches LISA's numbers.

🌍 THE GLOBAL SIDE

Abroad, the first reviews are mixed. Billboard ranked all six tracks and argued "V12" is the most instantly catchy song, even though "Tarantino" gave the EP its name. A Showbiz by PS review gave the EP 5.3 out of 10 but still called "Tarantino" its best track. On Album of the Year, user ratings sat at 63 out of 100 on release day.

Fans themselves are split along the same lines. One user review called it "a bit of a hit-or-miss" but decent overall. Another complained that, aside from "SaWaDiKa," nothing interesting happens. Meanwhile, on Weibo, fans were sharing the MV and calling it a top-tier treat for both ears and eyes.

📊 THE GAP

Korean coverage is about scale: records, views, "global artist." Global music critics are asking a different question — is the music as strong as the visuals? Both sides agree on one thing, though. "Tarantino" is the moment where the concept clicks.

Why It Matters

LISA is the BLACKPINK member who has gone furthest outside the K-pop system: her own label, a US major partner, a documentary (Always Lalisa) at the Toronto International Film Festival, and an album built around Thailand instead of Korea. PRESS PLAY is the clearest version of that identity so far. Whether the songs keep up with the movie-sized marketing is what the next few weeks of streaming will decide.

It also dropped on a crowded day. BABYMONSTER, YG's current girl group, released "DESERVE" at 1 p.m. KST the same Friday — the same afternoon the "Tarantino" video went up. Former YG star and current YG act, one release day.

🇰🇷 Culture Decoder: What Foreign Fans Miss

สวัสดีค่ะ (sawasdee kha) — the "hello" in "SaWaDiKa." In Thai, "sawasdee" is the greeting, and "kha" is a polite ending women use. It's usually said with a wai — palms pressed together, a slight bow. So the title is literally LISA saying hello, politely, in her own language.
선공개곡 (seongonggae-gok) — "pre-release track." A song dropped weeks before the album to build hype. "SaWaDiKa" played that role here, about seven weeks early.
성수동 (Seongsu-dong) — Seoul's pop-up capital. Old factories turned cafés and showrooms. When a brand or artist wants young Seoul to show up, they book a space in Seongsu. A LISA listening party there is exactly on brand.
"글로벌 아티스트" — "global artist." Korean press releases often use this label for idols who work heavily outside Korea. Seeing it before "BLACKPINK" in a headline tells you how her team wants this era framed.
"1년 8개월 만" — "first in 1 year and 8 months." Korean entertainment news counts the gap between releases down to the month. It's not filler. It's how fans measure how long they've been waiting.

FAQ

When did LISA's PRESS PLAY come out?

October 23, 2026, at midnight KST (11 a.m. ET on October 22). The "Tarantino" music video followed later that day.

How many songs are on PRESS PLAY?

Six: "SaWaDiKa," "V12," "Cobra," "Tarantino," "Cut U Off" and "Sweat." The title track is "Tarantino."

What does "SaWaDiKa" mean?

It comes from the Thai greeting "sawasdee kha," which means "hello." LISA is Thai, and the song and video celebrate Thai culture.

📋 Key Details

Release: PRESS PLAY (EP) · Oct 23, 2026, 12 a.m. KST
Label: LLOUD / RCA Records
Tracks: SaWaDiKa · V12 · Cobra · Tarantino (title) · Cut U Off · Sweat
Previous album: Alter Ego (Feb 2025)
"SaWaDiKa": 70.8M views in 24 hrs · 100M in ~52 hrs · Hot 100 No. 69 · Global 200 No. 23
"Tarantino" MV: 14M+ views on release night in Korea

💬 Jamie's Take

I'll be honest: I pressed play expecting a big, flashy, slightly empty pop record. What I got is uneven but way more personal than I thought. "SaWaDiKa" still slaps, and "Tarantino" into "Cut U Off" is the smartest sequencing LISA has done. The middle sags a little. But here's what gets me — a Thai girl who trained in Seoul for years just made an entire EP that opens by saying hello in Thai. That's not a marketing trick. That's a statement. And the No. 69 thing? Give "Tarantino" a week. We'll see.

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