Global icon or national star?: interpreting the contested star image of BLACKPINK’s Lisa in a transnational context

Abstract

This study examines how a transnational star’s persona is influenced and intervened by contesting nationalist and racist ideologies, with BLACKPINK’s Lisa serving as a case study. As an ethnic Thai K-pop star who has achieved global success, her identity can be framed either as a Thai star, a Korean pop star, or a global star. This overlap and potential conflict of multiple identities creates tensions surrounding her position among Korean and Thai audiences, which lead to questions pertaining to the articulation and negotiation between the local, national, and global. What contesting perspectives on nationality and ethnicity can we identify from Lisa’s star image in the context of transnational K-pop industry? What aspects of nationalism or racism can we discuss based on the production and consumption of her multi-faceted star image? To address these questions, this study investigates the construction of her star image in Thailand and Korea through an analysis of various media texts and discusses the nationalisation of transnationality and ethnic blindness within the context of transnational stardom. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.