Som tam and beer: Lisa lights up American TV

Thai-born global pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal introduced US talk-show host Jimmy Fallon to som tam and her “special” cocktail made with Korean soju, Thai Chang beer and Sprite as she promoted her forthcoming mini-album on his popular late-night show.

During her visit to The Tonight Show, which aired on Wednesday night US time, Lisa talked about Press Play, due out on Oct 23, which she described as a journey from her roots to where she is today.

“There’s a lot of Thai elements in the songs as well, in the EP. And every single song has their own character, their own vibe and we combine it together. It’s like a movie. So you just press play,” said the member of K-pop supergroup Blackpink.

The first of the album’s six tracks, SaWaDiKa, which means “hello” in Thai, has drawn more than 168 million views on YouTube as of Thursday.

Its official music video, released two weeks ago and featuring locations in Bangkok including Hua Lamphong railway station, received more than 70 million views within 24 hours.

The 29-year-old artist also discussed the feature documentary Always Lalisa, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last week.

Directed by Sue Kim, the film is scheduled to open in cinemas and IMAX theatres worldwide on Oct 12 before being released on YouTube Premium later this year.

As well, the singer, rapper and dancer told the show that she was about to begin rehearsals for her Viva La Lisa shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in November.

She will be the first K-pop artist to hold a Las Vegas concert residency.

Som tam and Thai beer

What particularly captured the Thai audience came near the end of the show, when Buri Ram-native Lisa introduced Mr Fallon to som tam, or Thai papaya salad, as part of her wish to showcase Thai culture alongside her new album.

She then showed him a drink which she said she had discovered online, made by mixing Korean soju, Chang beer and Sprite.

Lisa taught Mr Fallon to say the Thai phrase mot kaew, meaning “finish the drink”, before he drank the mixture and gave it a thumbs-up.

The segment was widely covered by Thai media, with many impressed by Lisa’s drawing attention to Thai food and culture for an international audience.