The first deep heart-to-heart talk! Of “Lisa-Lalisa Manoban” with secrets that have never been spoken to anyone before on the WOODY FM program, revealing her life journey, including work pressure, overcoming obstacles, encountering Sasaengs that affected her mind, along with talking about her solo album Alter Ego , acting in the series The White Lotus which is a new challenge for her abilities and future goals.
This episode is very special. Lisa is an artist and actress that many people love, admire, and support.
Lisa: This is the first time we’ve ever sat down for a one-on-one interview.
And you’ve grown a lot, your thoughts, your life experiences. In the past year since becoming a solo artist, have you tried everything?
Lisa: It’s been really busy. I barely have time to sleep. Most of the time I sleep is on the plane (laughs). I don’t know how I’ve been able to fight through this, but it’s a feeling that I’ve made the most of my year. I’ve tried things I’ve never done before, performed for the first time, and prepared my album Alter Ego.
We will have an in-depth conversation with Lisa that we have never heard before. It is a story that we want to share for the benefit of many people. About living life, overcoming obstacles, to encourage Lisa, Brother Woody has a prize for the most delicious mango sticky rice. Do you still like it?
Lisa: I have to order it every time. I’m someone who loves desserts anyway. Whenever I eat a meal, I always end with dessert. And it has to be mango sticky rice. That’s when I feel like the meal is complete.
Besides mango sticky rice, what other desserts do you like?
Lisa: I ate all the desserts. I don’t know what to call the Thai dessert that’s green like a lotus leaf (lotus flower dessert). My grandfather really likes this dessert. Every time before going to my grandfather’s house, I’ll go to the market and buy this dessert for my grandfather to eat. I like to secretly eat it. It’s delicious and hard to find.
Are you someone who loves to eat a lot but takes good care of your body? Do you have a good metabolism or something that you can eat all the time?
Lisa: I really like to eat a lot, but I eat small amounts because I get full quickly. I eat a little bit at a time, but I eat all the time.
When was the most tiring time in your life? Because you work almost every day. When you are tired, what is the solution?
Lisa: Sleeping, shopping, being with the cat. But the cat really helps. It heals us in a way that we don’t even realize that it’s helping us feel better. It’s really strange. It’s a strange relationship. (laughs) He doesn’t do much. He doesn’t come to act cute or meow at us. Just being there makes us feel okay. I’m good.
But you don’t stay with us all the time because you travel a lot. Do you see each other often?
Lisa: Not very often, but I look at the pictures my maid sent me. Just looking at them, just seeing his face and seeing that he’s still happy, eating, and sleeping well, that’s all I need.
And when you talk to him, what do you say?
Lisa: Call his name. Meow. Mommy Mommy.
So which one didn’t turn around at all?
Lisa: She didn’t turn around at all. It must be Lily. She’ll be her own person. She’ll be a princess. You call me, I know. But she didn’t turn around. (laughs)
In the past year, Lisa has encountered many different things. It’s like riding a roller coaster. How prepared were you at first?
Lisa: At that time, I admit that I was stressed. It was like I couldn’t see the near future. We didn’t know what the next month would be like or what form it would take. It was challenging because we had never seen any seniors who did this as an example. Or maybe they did but I didn’t know. I might not have talked to them. So it turned out that we had no one to consult. We only had our team. We had to trust our team and just go for it. But it was something that didn’t guarantee that what we were doing would be okay. It would work, right? In the end, we didn’t know what would happen. So we were scared and stressed. And it happened to be the time when we auditioned for The White Lotus. So it turned out that our life was like we didn’t know what would happen.
But give yourself more opportunities. Even though it’s stressful, what’s fun about it since the first single?
Lisa: Rockstar, right? Actually, it wasn’t a safe space for me to fly to Los Angeles to make music because I usually make music in Korea and I only work with producers that I’m familiar with. And when we went out there, they barely knew us. They’ve never worked with us before. Everything was very new. So it took a little while to get used to each other and slowly find a way that, okay, this music that I want to make, this music, I don’t want it. It took a long time to come up with the Alter Ego album.
During times when you work hard and it loads, and there is feedback that needs to be improved?
Lisa: I work very hard, prepare for every show to the fullest. But there will be negative comments or reactions. I’m okay with it. You may not like it. It’s hard to make everyone like it because everyone has different preferences. But we did our best. We’re proud. There are some comments that make me feel discouraged, like, “Did we not do well? Haven’t we proven ourselves yet?” They still think I’m lacking in this area. I’m someone who accepts every comment and thinks whether it’s true what they say or not.
Why did you allow yourself to read it? In the past 10 years of your life, you must have encountered this issue, but why did you decide to allow it to be in your brain this time?
Lisa: Actually, I wanted to know the feedback because it was something I had never done before. It was my first time doing it solo and I was the one managing it myself. I had to look at the comments, reactions, and everything to see if people were okay with my first performance so I could improve for my next show. So I went in to look, but I didn’t think it would get harder with every show.
Is it easier to live with it today? What have you learned from reading the comments?
Lisa: Actually, I was a bit annoyed, but I felt like he didn’t know how difficult it was, how stressful it was, and how much pressure it was.
How confident are you? Are you getting used to it yet?
Lisa: I’m starting to get used to it. I’m starting to feel comfortable on stage alone, but I still need to improve my speaking skills a lot. I’m embarrassed by the mic (laughs). And especially now that I’m working abroad a lot, I have to speak English. It’s not my first language. And I grew up in Korea, so I don’t use English at all.
Want to know what it’s like to take a photo with an artist? How confident would you be if you were in public without makeup?
Lisa: I’m not really sure. I’m okay with bare face but I’m not like, okay, let’s take a selfie. You can upload it. If they ask for a good photo, I’m really okay with that. But if I really can’t handle it that day, I’ll just say, “Excuse me, I didn’t wear any makeup today.” Or, “Excuse me, let me put on some lipstick.” Actually, everyone wants to look good. No one wants to be photographed with a shocked face. (laughs) I wear a lot of makeup. When it’s time to rest, I really want to rest. So it turns out that I don’t wear makeup at all.
What has been the most worrying thing you can tell about Lisa over the past 10 years?
Lisa: I’ve never told anyone about it before. It must have been last year. It was the first time I encountered it myself. I heard about it from other friends who are idols, but most of them were male friends who told me about it. I just encountered it myself. It was the first time I had a sasaeng last year. I was living in Korea alone, and my house walls weren’t that high. I lived alone, so I had cats to keep me company. There was one time when I usually came to Korea, and there were fans waiting to pick me up at the airport. That was normal, and I was so happy that they were waiting to pick me up. I missed them. But when I got home, I saw people waiting for me. I told them that if they came to visit me like this, it wouldn’t be convenient.
But if you’re going to come, why don’t we just meet normally? It’s really inconvenient to get home, and it’s also at night. I checked the CCTV and didn’t dare leave the house, so I started to worry. There was one time that made me feel really scared, when I left the house to take a taxi to go practice dancing. It seemed like the manager couldn’t come that day, so I went by myself. He tried to get in a taxi with me, putting his leg through the door. It was something I had never seen before and didn’t know what to do. I was also afraid that he would get too close to me. I didn’t dare to be alone. I didn’t feel safe. There was a period when I had to have my female manager stay with me as a friend.
Have you told your mother about this? How did it go?
Lisa: I told you. We couldn’t do anything so we asked a female manager to be there. And it wasn’t just the house in Korea, it was the house in LA too.
How will we handle this from now on? How can we prepare for it? Have you talked to the team or anyone?
Lisa: I try not to be alone, but it’s impossible for someone to sleep with me every night. There must be some nights when he has to go home. I still can’t find a way to ease the situation. I’m still stressed about what to do. I’m starting to worry about myself and worry more. So when someone comes to greet me or secretly take pictures, I feel like they’re going to do something to me. I know that my fans are very nice. They’ll give me space and ask about me, which is normal. But when this happened, it made me suspicious. But I know my fans’ faces. This person, that person. But if it’s someone I don’t know from somewhere, I’ll put up a guard. I’ve been approached too closely before, so I felt that it wasn’t safe.
Many actors may not know what Audition is?
Lisa: Yes, everything doesn’t come easy. And it’s Hollywood, which is not easy for anyone to play. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m both happy and unbelievable that I passed because I have no experience in acting. In my whole life, I’ve only danced, sang, and gone on stage. But having to play a role that I’ve never tried before is challenging and difficult. At least we tried and we had fun. From Lisa, who is a singer, I had to become a joker of an island kid (laughs), a local. It was a lot of fun.
Future vision?
Lisa: I don’t really plan ahead. Right now, my schedule for 2025 is full. Let’s get through this first (laughs). I’m not someone who thinks about what we’ll be like in 3-5 years because it changes all the time. I don’t really want to dream about what I have to do. Let’s get through this year first.
Is there anything you want to say to your fans around the world?
Lisa: The things we’re talking about today come from my heart. I’ve never said this anywhere before. Thank you for listening and for always supporting me. Please support Alter Ego. It’s an album that I really put my heart into. I hope everyone likes it. And The White Lotus is Lisa’s first performance. I hope everyone likes Mook.
